Lunch at Red Star Chinese Restaurant

Having heard about Red Star Chinese Restaurant for a while, I was yearning to try it as I love Chinese Dimsum (Cantonese-style food of light snacks or individual portions of food served in steamer baskets or small plates). Red Star Chinese Restaurant is located at Blk 54 Chin Swee Road #07-23 Singapore 160054 and the number to dial is 6532 5266. Yes, its in a HDB block of flats, just in case you are wondering.

So, that day when Katherine* suggested we go there for Ken's* birthday lunch, I immediately agreed. This age-old, authentic dimsum restaurant was always filled with patrons, but I was prepared to wait. Fortunately, that day there wasn't any queue.

The restaurant's decor is atypical of a traditional Hong Kong Chinese restaurant - red metal-cushy chairs, large round tables covered with white tablecloth, and patterned red carpeting. It provided a very cosy and heartwarming environment.

The amicable wait staff pushed went around tables with their carts of dimsum - a first time for me as opposed to the usual manual order-taking. We were hungry, so it was not hard for us to choose from the hot plates of delicacies on the metal racks.

The first dish we had was the Char Siew Sou (minced meat puff pastry), a buttery, fluffy pastry filled with sweet red pork minced meat. These triangular pastries came with hints of crispiness, especially around the corners, which made them immensely tasty.

Their famous Egg Tart - baked fresh so it was piping hot from the oven, filled with eggy, fragrant, soft custard atop a soft, tart-like pastry crust.

Then we had the Har Gow (shrimp dumplings) - delicious, fresh and juicy shrimps wrapped in paperthin skins and steamed to perfection. 

And Braised Chicken Feet - tender chicken feet with almost crispy skin, braised in a salted-sweet sauce that was very lovely.

We also had the Xiao Long Baos (tiny steamed buns containing minced meat and hot soup) - a delicious squirt of soup into the mouth is always delightful.

Next, the mini pieces of Pork Ribs - softly cooked in a sumptuous gravy. 

The Century Egg Congee was average - a little bland and it would be nice to have a bit more century eggs. The crunchy flakes scattered on top were a plus point though.

We also picked the large, scrumptious-looking Char Siew (red, sweet pork) buns, prepared Hong Kong style with lean meat only. 

Then the Siew Mai (minced meat wrapped with wanton skin and steamed) with shrimps atop, an average creation.

The platter of Roast Duck was good - crispy skin and tender meat that was a joy to chew on.

Next, we shared the Glutinuous Rice with Chinese Sausage and Mushrooms - a very fragrant dish. I thought the rice was a little soggy though, but nonetheless, the taste was a burst of flavors.

I also liked the Pork Slices with Jellyfish - the pork skin was crispy and the meat was rather tender. 

Finally, the Fried Wantons (fried shrimp dumplings) - very crispy skins enclosing juicy shrimps. Always a favorite, despite the fact that the three of us were already very full.

Each of us spent SGD$27.00 on our lunch, a filling and fulfilling treat surely.