Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant – Dinner

I’ve dined here before, a few years back, remembering it to be not bad and quite value for money. I returned today for a budget dinner! On a Saturday night, the queue was about 30 minutes. This place is very popular despite the hard to reach location.

Everyone ordered what they wanted for themselves, discussing beforehand who wants to share what, and we just split accordingly. That way, there’s no obligation to eat what we do not want to eat.

I shall just talk about what I had personally. Of course, these can’t be compared to high end dim sum restaurants like Paradise Pavilion or Taste Paradise, which are one of my favourites.

Xiao Long Bao – $4.00+ (4)

I had 2 of these. These were not very good, as the skin was thick and soggy/floury, rather than thin and “Q”. I wouldn’t recommend these.

Fried Golden Tofu – $3.50+ (6)

I had 3 of these. I am no fan of tofu, but these were good. It was fried to perfection, without any sick oily taste or tough texture of the skin. I would highly recommend this one! But on the other hand, I have no tried such a dish at other restaurants so in comparison, I cannot compare.

Fried Beancurd Skin Roll – $2.80 (2)

I had 1 of this. while it was alright, I somehow felt it wasn’t really the best. Definitely above average. The frying was very good, because no sick oily taste was detected. However, I wished it has more skin to filling ratio, as the skin is the main point. If you want to have really good fried bean curd skin, I would recommend Ampong Niang Tou Foo at East Coast Road as theirs is unbeatable.

Wanton in Chilli Oil – $4.00 (4)

I had 2 of these. Of course this is not the best wanton, but it was big, crunchy and tasty enough. Paired with the chilli oil, I really liked this item! I would choose this over the Xiao Long Bao anytime.

Sesame Pumpkin – $1.80 (2)

I has 1 piece. This one is filled with red bean paste. As usual, there’s no sick oily taste so this definitely tastes good. However, I personally prefer it without filling to simply enjoy the chewiness.

Custard Bun – $3.30 (3)

I had 1 bun. Custard bun is my must-order at almost every restaurant ever since the custard bun craze started. This one is not exactly priced a lot lower than Taste Paradise’s. Upon ripping apart, it passed the custard bun test with it’s flowing lava of custard, which is vicious enough to not be deemed too runny. The taste of the filling was almost as good too. However, the bun and the bao-making-skill can be improved. The bun was kind of tasteless and tough and it wasn’t wrapped properly that some patches of yellow could be seen on the outside.

Pancake with egg and floss – $4.30+ (6)

Now this’s one’s a waste of money. I would rather have any of the above (sans xiao long bao) anytime. It was plain floury and bland. Do not order this at all cost, even though they marked it with a star.

*****

Ambiance: 6/10

Food: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10

Overall: great for late night dim sum, at a low cost! Generally, their main competitor Geylang’s 126 is better, but also more expensive.

*****

Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant

185/ 187/ 189/ 191 Jalan Besar Road

Singapore 208882

Tel: 62257788

*****

Monday – Saturday: 6 pm – 10 am