East Ocean Teochew Restaurant @ Ngee Ann City: Dim Sum Review

East Ocean Teochew Restaurant | 东海潮州酒家 at Ngee Ann City, near to Takashimaya, does not serve only Teochew cuisine, but also well-known for its famous Hong Kong Dim Sum. Almost 30 years of long-standing reputation for being the pioneer for its unique cuisine fusion, four of us then proceeded to East Ocean Restaurant to test out the Dim Sum. The Teochew Cantonese restaurant was recommended by my brother, who was full of praises for its delectable Dim Sum after a recent visit.

Mini Egg Tart • 酥皮鸡蛋挞

Diving straight to the first dish opened up my appetite immediately as Mini Egg Tart | 酥皮鸡蛋挞 was my all-time favourite. Many restaurants may have different methods to bake the egg tarts, and so the taste varies. I was wild with excitement when I had my first bite. The crispy pastry and the smooth palatable egg yolk made the egg tart perfect! It was so heavenly that I ordered the second round. Remember to order the Mini Egg Tarts when you go to East Ocean Restaurant.

The Dim Sum chef should have a high standard to mould the crust, so the crumb adheres and does not fall all over the place. The egg yolk must be smooth and tasty. Thus, the surface will not have unsightly holes or bubbles and to have an appealing presentation. Some of the egg tarts I have tried before had too much sugar added. Over at East Ocean Restaurant, the mini egg tarts were perfectly baked!

Three Kinds of Roasted Meat Assortment • 烧味三拼盘

A marvellous start of the tasty appetiser tart made me filled with anticipation to try out the second dish – Three Kinds of Roasted Meat Assortment | 烧味三拼盘 – Roasted Duck 烧鸭, Roasted Pork 烧肉 and Char Siew 叉烧. The assorted meat was well-presented and savoury.

Pork Stomach Soup with Pepper & Salted Vegetable • 胡椒咸菜猪肚汤
Steamed Prawn Dumpling • 水晶鲜虾饺

Pork Stomach Soup with Pepper & Salted Vegetable | 胡椒咸菜猪肚汤 was the cream of the crop in East Ocean! I ordered it frequently at the hawker centres and coffee shops and have never tried it in a restaurant before. Therefore, I was curious about how the soup preparation in a restaurant would differ from outside.

My gosh! The soup was so flavoursome and distinctive that it certainly made all the others paled off in comparison instantly. It was undoubtedly the best Pork Stomach Soup that I have ever had in my life! Even my Belgian boyfriend who had never tried it before was sharing and fighting with me till the last drop of it.

He was vehemently praising the soup and reminded me often about it even when we live in Belgium now. Thanks to this Pork Stomach soup, he knows how to appreciate eating animal’s organs in Chinese restaurants. The restaurant must have used high-quality ingredient and seasoning to brew this soup, especially the strong pepper which gave this soup an exceptional taste.

Next to the soup was Steamed Prawn Dumpling | 水晶鲜虾饺, more commonly known in Cantonese as Ha Kau. I felt that prawn dumplings everywhere have no differentiation as they taste the same at every restaurant that I have eaten. As I had strong-flavoured peppered soup earlier, it also rendered the shrimp dumplings somewhat tasteless as well.

Steamed Shrimp Rice Roll • 鲜虾肠粉

Steamed Shrimp Rice Roll | 鲜虾肠粉 was also another dish that was average in rating. It tasted as bland as the Prawn Dumpling as the sauce tasted mild too. The best combination is Char Siew 叉烧 with Rice Roll as the glazed honey pork would enhance the bland taste of rice roll instead of using shrimps as the main ingredient.

Deep-Fried Crispy Chives • 脆皮韭菜角

Deep-Fried Crispy Chives | 脆皮韭菜角 did not meet my expectation. I ordered this Dim Sum as I love the flavour of chives so much that I was looking forward to it. To my disappointment, this plate didn’t have what it took to delight me. The fragrance of chives diminished in that pot of oil. It might be overcooked.

Deep-Fried Beancurd Skin Prawn Roll • 鲜虾腐皮卷

Deep-Fried Beancurd Skin Prawn Roll | 鲜虾腐皮卷 is one hot favourite Dim Sum among us. Hearing the crunchy sound when your teeth sink into it is part of the gastronomic experience. Is it the same for you too?

Deep-Fried Salad Shrimp with Mayonnaise • 沙律明虾角

Deep-Fried Salad Shrimp with Mayonnaise | 沙律明虾角 dipped with mayonnaise is one of the tastiest Dim Sum plates of all times that never fails. Of course, I’ll say yes to it too!

East Ocean Dim Sum

We also had Steamed Teochew Dumpling | 潮州蒸粉果, Steamed Siew Mai | 家乡烧卖皇, Steamed Spare Ribs | 鼓汁蒸排骨 which were not in the photos. The steamed spare ribs that my father made at home tasted better than what East Ocean had as he is also a Dim Sum chef in a reputable Chinese restaurant. In short, the taste of their Steamed Pork Ribs was not that flavoursome and could give it a miss.

Steamed Custard Layered Cake • 奶皇千层糕

Steamed Custard Layered Cake | 奶皇千层糕 looked very tempting and a guaranteed recipe to get fat. The dessert was sweet and a delight to eat near the end of our hearty brunch.

Steamed Custard Bun • 黄金流沙包

Steamed Custard Bun | 黄金流沙包 was another East Ocean dessert that was mouth-watering and on the must-order list. Imagine the creamy warm custard squashing out into your mouth when you bite them. Be careful that the custard can still be hot at times.

Chilled Honey Dew Sago • 密瓜西米露
Chilled Mango Sago with Pomelo • 杨枝甘露

Finally, to wrap up my Dim Sum review on our sumptuous food in East Ocean Teochew Restaurant, we had Chilled Honey Dew Sago | 密瓜西米露 and Chilled Mango Sago with Pomelo | 杨枝甘露 as desserts. On the top right of the photo was the second round of Mini Egg Tart 酥皮鸡蛋挞 which lingered in my mind throughout the meal. Eventually, I ordered it for the second time because it was worth relishing.

Overall, the Dim Sum in East Ocean Teochew Restaurant was worth the visit as the food was delicious, and the service level was commendable. Comparing it to Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant review, the food and customer service was so much better! Furthermore, before or after lunch or dinner on the 5th floor at Ngee Ann City, one can go shopping at Takashimaya!