Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

This post documents my first ever Swee Choon Dim Sum experience…. after so many months of saying how badly I want to try their dim sum. An achievement unlocked for me, I guess. Nestled among rows of shophouses in Little India, I must say that the eatery isn’t quite location friendly. From MRT station of Little India we had to snake through quiet alleyways and walk the entire length of a street, so expect to take a 10 – 15 minutes walk there.

Since we’ve heard of long queues which can take up to 45 mins, we went as early as possible and arriving at about 6.20pm we easily got ourselves a good table indoors, where there was air conditioning. Turns out that Swee Choon takes up a few units’ worth of space so it only starts to get full from 7pm onwards.

Supposedly, dim sum is a morning affair. Yet somehow it seems to taste better for dinner or supper. Well if brunch can be served for dinner, why not consider the option of dim sum as well?

4.5/5 – Swee Choon’s Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun ($3.60 for 3) easily gets into the list of the best custard lava buns in Singapore. It may also be the most popular item on the menu. The egg yolk custard flows and oozes out smoothly but it wasn’t too watery. I got custard all over my fingers, haha. This sweeter version of the egg yolk custard is enough to make me drool.

3.8/5 – Made more interestingly and refreshingly compared to the norm layer pancakes is the Layer Pancake with Egg & Meat Floss ($4.30). Surprisingly, the combination turned out well and the slice of cucumber in the center gives it an extra crunch.

4/5 – I’m never enough with salted egg yolk custard. For the unconventional, try the Fried Custard Pumpkin ($1.80 for 2). Essentially you’re biting into a really thick, chewy pumpkin layer and for some it can get quite filling, which is why most would prefer the custard in a fluffy steamed bun.

4/5 – The Fried Golden Tofu ($3.50) makes for a light bite after all those heavy food. The insides were soft while the outsides were fried to a nice golden yellow which kept the tofu firm.

4.2/5 – Made by deep frying mee suah (vermicelli), the Swee Choon Mee-Suah Kueh ($2 for 2) may not be the most photogenic food item around yet it is quite addictive. The crispy layers of fried mee suah paired with the softer, kueh-like bits of mee suah was the winning factor.

3.3/5 – Unfortunately, the Shanghai Xiao Long Bao ($4 for 4) here paled in comparison to my staple XLB at Din Tai Fung. The broth and pork simply weren’t flavorful enough. I’d substitute them for extra custard buns.

and last 2 pretty average eats..

3/5 –  Deep Fried Chive Roll ($4 for 3)

3/5 – Prawn & Banana Fritters ($2.80 for 2)

Dim sum meals are enjoyable and so was this one. If you’re unconvinced of my love for the dim sum here… I’d rather hike to Swee Choon then take the direct train to Tim Ho Wan. More than that, there are still so many stuff I’ve yet to try here like the Portuguese Egg Tart and Law Mai Kai. Also… those who haven’t been here may get the wrong idea that only dim sum is served here but in fact you can also have your tze char meals here. We’re talking about crispy pork ribs, la mian, hor fun and soups. You’ve gotta hurry though, they will be closing soon for a long Chinese New Year break.

183/185/187/189/191 Jalan Besar

Singapore 208882

Monday – Sunday (except Tuesday) 6pm – 6am