Hi guys! Today, I will be reviewing Yanxi, a restaurant that presents a very cool concept – Dim Sum & Hotpot. I dismissed it initially, but after seeing the really delicate dim sum images on Instagram, I decided to give it a try.
Before I begin, I just want to highlight the location is quite inconvenient as my family and I had to climb a hill to reach this place. If you do not own a car, I would highly suggest taking a cab here.
Ambience
The dim lighting and the black walls and tables give a posh vibe to this restaurant. The tables are spaced far apart to give customers a sense of privacy which is great. In the background, I was able to pick up some mandopop music, giving a touch of casualness to this place.
Food
Blue Pea Truffle Shiitake Mushroom & Celery Dumpling
The truffle aroma was right on point but the skin of the dumplings was too sticky. It puzzles me why green peas were used because they did not seem to blend in well with the mushrooms and not many people like green peas.
Nonya Style Chilli Crab Bun
The presentation of the buns was nice, and they were also baked to perfection but the chilli crab taste was just lacking. Given that the name is Chilli Crab Bun, we expected much more from this dish.
XO Sambal Carrot Cake
Perhaps the best dim sum here, but not very aptly named. The carrot cake tasted more like Mala instead of sambal. The Mala taste was subtle, allowing the aroma of the carrot cake to come through without overpowering it. The texture is also soft and melts quite easily in my mouth.
Matcha Polo Bun With Fresh Milk And Cream
Again, the presentation is fantastic but taste-wise, I could hardly taste any matcha. The polo bun tasted more like a milk & cream bun with a crispy layer at the top.
General TSO’s Chicken
This was my most anticipated dish due to the social media images that I have come across, with smoke oozing out of the chicken. To my surprise, the smoke only lasted a second, leaving us with a plate of chicken that I can easily find at any Chinese restaurant.
Service
I made a reservation before my visit but had to wait for 25 minutes before we were let in. To make things worse, the waiting area outside the restaurant was very hot and humid.
However, the service crew were very nice and friendly. They often came by and asked if we needed to refill our drinks or order additional food.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I feel that Yanxi Dim Sum & Hotpot is worth a try but not worth returning to. Admittedly, the dim sum dishes were really unique but taste-wise, they were average, especially for the price.
The hotpot was average as well. The laksa soup base was good, but the Yanxi Treasure Pearl Soup tasted bland. In addition, Yanxi does not allow for 4 types of soup in one pot, which pales in comparison to HaiDiLao.
Price – $$$
Rating – 3/5
Address: 175A Chin Swee Rd, Singapore 169879
Opening hours: 11.30 am – 3 pm & 5.30 pm – 11 pm
