Ivy's Hainanese Herbal Mutton Soup @ Kim Keat Palm Food Centre

After breakfast at Uncle Kun's Delicacies, Ian, Philip and me took a stroll to Toa Payoh Lorong 7 where they introduced me to Ivy's Hainanese Herbal Mutton Soup. So where and who is Ivy? Well I did not get to meet Ivy but instead the stall owner Mr Max Ng. Apparently there is a love story behind this bowl of Hainanese herbal mutton soup. Max was wooing Ivy and knowing she likes the dish, learnt to cook the dish, winning both her palate and heart. Ivy is now his wife and he has name the stall after her.

When we arrived at the stall, Max was busy at work preparing the mutton for the day. The mutton was marinated with fermented beancurd and seared in hot oil to remove the gaminess.

Herbal Mutton Soup 4.5/5

I was quite taken back when the bowl of Herbal Mutton Soup ($7-$9) was served. A sip of the soup I could taste the different from most mutton soup. Most stalls uses a lot of ginger to reduce the gaminess but in this bowl of mutton soup, I could taste the bittersweet of the herbs, a good body but not overpowering. The price may sounds a bit expensive but it was brimming with generous serving of fish maws, black fungus, tau pok and mutton.

Herbal Mutton Soup 4.5/5

Patron can enjoy this potent and hearty bowl of herbal mutton soup without the worry of gaminess. The painstaking process to marinate, prepare the mutton and cooked in a herbal broth helps to remove that unpleasant taste. Also worth mentioning is the specially homemade chilli sauce. Dip the tender mutton with it to fully enjoyed the flavour of the mutton. Without doubt this is one of the best herbal mutton soup that I have eaten and definitely my favourite now. No wonder Max was able to win Ivy's hand with this delish bowl of herbal mutton soup.


[MOVED]
Ivy's Hainanese Herbal Mutton Soup
Kim Keat Palm Food Centre
Blk 22 Toa Payoh Lorong 7
#01-16
Singapore 310022
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivysmuttonsoup
Nearest MRT: Braddell (NS Line), Toa Payoh (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 11am - 8pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Braddell MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop opposite Braddell MRT station (Stop ID 52171). Take bus number 232. Alight 3 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Toa Payoh MRT station. Take Exit A or B. Walk to Toa Payoh Bus Interchange (Stop ID 52009). Take bus number 238. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Dim Dim - The Hong Kong Pantry @ Marina Square (Marina Link)

Will Singapore slowly develop into having its own dim sum culture similar to Hong Kong? I am not surprise if one day we do from what I have observed. Dim Sum has become very popular in Singapore with many Chinese restaurants starting to offer the bite size delights. There are also a emerging trend of all day dim sum restaurants such as Swee Choon, Wen Dao Shi and the popular Tim Ho Wan which has a Michelin Star in Hong Kong. The above are usually very crowded and if you one of those that thinks it is not worth it to queue for so long for their dim sum then you may like to check out Dim Dim - The Hong Kong Pantry located at Marina Square (Marina Link).

Prawn Dumpling 4.2/5

The Prawn Dumpling or Har Gow ($4.20) was wrapped in a handmade translucent thin skin with fresh juicy plump shrimps. I also tasted something crunchy in the filling. If I am not wrong they have added water chestnut in it.

Steamed Custard Bun 3.5/5

Steamed Custard Bun 3.5/5

The Steamed Custard Bun or Liu Sha Bao ($4.20) was pretty decent but I think there is room for improvement such as fine tuning the doughy texture and probably a little more of the runny custard filling to have that explosive impact.

Cuttlefish and Peanut Congee 3.5/5

The Cuttlefish and Peanut Congee ($5) is a welcome change from the using century egg congee. The light and comforting bowl of congee was smooth and sticky with the cuttlefish, peanuts and flour crisp providing the contrasting textures.

Deep Fried Shrimp in Beancurd Skin Roll 4.2/5

Packed with generous shrimps inside the roll, the Deep Fried Shrimp in Beancurd Skin Roll ($4.60) was crispy on the outside with fresh juicy shrimp inside. I understand that the beancurd skin has undergone an additional step of cooking (using their own recipe) to achieve the taste and look.

Steamed Cheong Fun with Chinese Dough Fritters 4.2/5

I remembered I first have the Steamed Cheong Fun with Chinese Dough Frittrs or Zha Liang ($3.60) in one of my earlier Hong Kong trip. Since then, I don't remember seeing this being served in Singapore. I was glad that I finally get to eat this again after so many years. Pretty good execution with the silky smooth rice noodle roll wrapped tightly around the fried and crispy youtiao. It also comes with a peanut and seafood dipping sauce to further enhance the enjoyment.

Mini Egg Tart 4.5/5

The Mini Egg Tart ($3.60) was freshly baked from the oven daily. The flaky thin puff crust with the warm egg custard was simply too good to just stop at one.

BBQ Honey Pork Bun Coated with Crispy Butter 4/5

One of their popular dishes is the BBQ Honey Pork Bun Coated with Crispy Butter ($4.20). The bun has a nice sugary crisp on the outer layer, soft inside and filled with delectable honey pork. Compared to Tim Ho Wan's version, the flavours is milder.

Steamed Chicken Claw with Black Bean Sauce 4/5

A must order for me whether I have dim sum. The Steamed Chicken Claw with Black Bean Sauce ($3.80) was well seasoned with the flavours beautifully infused.

Aloe Vera with Sweet scented Osmanthus Juice 3.5/5

Moving on to dessert, the Aloe Vera with Sweet Scented Osmanthus Juice ($3) was light and refreshingly, somewhat acted like a palate cleanse after all the earlier dim sum items.

Mango Puree with Sago and Pomelo 4/5

The Mango Puree with Sago and Pomelo ($3.50) was really good. My only complain is that the portion was a bit too small. On the background of the photo is the herbal jelly which was not memorable.

Chilled Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous 4.2/5

Initially I thought this is the rendition of the Pulut Hitam dessert but it ended up not. It so what caught me by surprise as I was not expecting the combination. The Chilled Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous ($3.20) was served with a scoop of coconut ice cream. Overall this is a very good dessert which I will be glad to finished it. My only opinion is that the flavour of the coconut ice cream overpowered that of the pumpkin puree. Somehow the coconut ice cream became the star of the dish instead of the pumpkin puree.

Besides the usual dim sum items, Dim Dim also serves a selection of Bamboo Rice, Noodle and Congee. It even has a high tea menu at $6.80++ whereby it comes with a choice of Congee/Cheong Fun/Noodle + Steamed/Fried Dim Sum + Soya Milk on weekday from 3pm to 5pm. Overall, Dim Dim serves pretty decent dim sum that is tasty at a affordable price.


Dim Sum - The Hong Kong Pantry
Marina Square (Marina Link)
6 Raffles Boulevard
#B1-16
Singapore 039594
Tel: +65 63369088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dimdim.marinalink
Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 11am - 9pm
Fri-Sat: 11am - 930pm

Direction:
Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Marina Link. Continue on Marina Link towards Marina Square. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes.