Angeline C.
Yelp
In Singapore, not lacking in dim sum joint, can be seen in almost all Chinese restaurants, the only pain is the ability to single out the best during the seemingly simple pick & choose process. Here, Yan Ting has quite a few exceptionally good dim sum but some mediocre micro dishes; unlimited orders when you opt for a buffet-style. Instead of seeing a table-spread, this a la carte fashion allows you to order freely from the menu list - the a la minute way. Without repeating the dishes I have tired previously (the chef at work remains unchanged), I returned to savour 85% new ones, picked from 95 items, all vying for my attention!
The orchestra start-off with ONE serving of Doubled-boiled Abalone Soup with Chicken (Braised Shark's Fin with Crab Roe previously - I guess you know why), full-bodied with clear seafood aroma but way too acrid for my likings. Rather, I preferred that Doubled-boiled Bamboo Pith Consommé with Shiitake Mushroom and Morel (bottom featured) - unclouded & subtle, light broth with high quality fungi, very pleasant.
Then you proceed to reward yourself with a portion of Lobster, the most celebrated chronicle was the Gratinated Cheese & Bacon - a sophisticated version baked using cheese that was smooth and rich and turned even more flavourful with the added bacon bits. The other Wok-baked in Superior broth & Spring Onion was paler but suits someone with a light palate.
Highlighting the dim sum - Yan Ting seriously has the best BBQ Pork Char Siew Pastry in town. Consistent in taste except the changed in shape, the generous char siew fillings hit the spot every time. Others commented on the stingy stuffings and it makes me wonder if they desire a pail of it as I could see them almost piercing through the thin flaky pastry skin! The same in the past, never reduced in portion. I keep pictures of it if you wish proof lol. Less of any awful porky stench, the barbecue sauce coating the meat was gooey and sweet, together with the rich and melty pastry skin, I screamed for a second helping! They taste better than Shang Palace's, I confessed. But the latter has got a better Steamed BBQ Pork Bun "Char Siew Bao". Though both have a pillowy bun - soft and not palate sticking, Yan Ting's pork fillings lacked robustness and I'd prefer a dark chocolatey-hue, full of caramelised flavour from Shang Palace. Yan Ting's version wasn't that bad, it's just a personal choice.
I didn't expect to reach anticlimax this soon, if you asked - skip the Stir-fried "Cheong Fun" Rice Rolls with XO Sauce. It sounds painful but the chef has declared the annulment of their marriage. The exceptionally good XO sauce has gone to waste when it failed to permeate the rice rolls, merely coating them - tasteless with a missing soul. Feedback delivered.
My chemistry with rest of the dim sum was forceful if not weak. The weaker ones are the ovoid Deep Fried Yam Croquettes with Diced Chicken comes with a shattery outermost yam mash that envelopes some dull chicken mass - barely seasoned with a flat taste. The Har Kao & steamed Siew Mai have always been fresh and dewy in their constitution especially one nibble at the succulent shrimps in the pleated piece that offers a smooth and silky skin though I have never liked a Har Kao. Adequately seasoned, the thin yellow wrappers stuffed with fleshy minced pork/prawn mixture are topping themselves with crab roe, these Siew Mai make strong opponents.
When the appetiser comes into picture, I have made a clear identification that the Soy Sauce Chicken topped my list. Images of plumpish chicken poaching in light soy sauce that perfumed the pot, excites me with immediate urge to bite into that tender, smooth bird fragments. Every bite comforts me with a lingering cinnamon, star anise cologne and tamed my excitement with a gentle rock sugar sweetness. The rest of the meat selections lost the race. Lacking the familiarity, the Roasted Duck requires that needing crisp in the skin but the meat is less fibrous -good. The pork has a louder taste in its meat; but the roasted version fared slightly better than its barbecued cousins, for its ultra crunchy blistered skin but too salty. If you want something to nibble on, the Deep-fried Whitebait makes good choice, while the pulpy Marinated Jellyfish lends a good chew with a strong scallion oil scent. Less impressive, the Beef Shank with Soy Sauce, not astonishingly tender and I thought the chicken & soy sauce still make a perfect couple.
I had a deep swim in the sea, both the Deep-fried "Live" Soon Hock & Poached Cod Fish worth the attempt. Silky with loads of freshness in the meat. No fishy stench, only clean tasting in some clear light broth that didn't required much seasoning - simple & flavourful. Try Stir-Fried Scallops with Honey Beans - enjoyed a few tender & silken mollusks nested within some great crunchy pods with a stir of Chinese olives, its briny nature accentuate the sweetness in them.