Star House

My family and I decided to try out somewhere we had never been for yum cha and settled with Star House. A lot of people were shocked knowing I had never been here and said that they definitely recommended it, so I had rather high expectations. 

I found that the prawn dumplings had very chewy fillings which is the exact opposite of what I would expect from prawns. Also, I spotted a hair in the dumpling skin. Gross!

These were put together very clumsily. The layer of rice flour was very thin on top but very thick on the bottom, which you can see in the roll closest to the left of the fish. Also, they were very inconsistent in length. The one on top would be very long in comparison to the two extremely short rolls on the bottom.

I loved these! Prawn filled deep fried bean curd with a tangy sauce. Yum!

My parents and grandma loved these. They were deep fried balls of sticky rice with a minced pork filling. 

We also ordered salt and pepper squid which wasn't as great as some of the other places I've tried. 

Also, we tried the green beans which were essentially green beans blanched and then soaked in garlic infused oil. They looked really soggy and I couldn't bring myself to eat them!

We encountered a few problems with the staff there. A minor thing which is a usual complaint for most people is that some orders or requests are never put through. It took us far too long to have chilli oil on our table. When we asked for soy sauce, a waitress proceeded to tell us that you're not supposed to eat yum cha with soy sauce. Okay then...? We ended up with soy sauce at the table but it was the wrong soy sauce - too dark and rich for yum cha. So disappointing!

I don't think we'll be back any time soon and will just play it safe with our favourites, Citi Zen (blog posts here and here) or Ding Hao.

Citi Zen [2]

Hi everyone,

Very recently, my sister, childhood friends and I decided to satisfy our yum cha cravings over lunch at Citi Zen!

My favourite piece of decor in the restaurant!

 Prawn Dim Sim (Har Gao)

Delicious as usual!

 Prawn and Scallop Dumpling

 Steamed Prawn Rice Roll

We loved this so much, we actually ended up ordering 3 plates!

 Savoury Dough Rice Roll

One of my recently discovered favourites. The extra crunchy savoury dough tastes so good with the soy and thin rice sheets.

 Fried Prawn Roll

Basically crunchy, fried bean curd filled with prawns, topped with a tangy, sweet sauce. It was the first time I had this and it was delicious!

 Steamed Stuffed Tofu

The tofu was really bland but I did like the prawn stuffing. 

Chinese Radish Cake

Just like in my last review here, these were rather disappointing again in terms of texture.

 Salt & Pepper Squid Tentacles

The first thing that arrived on our table and we devoured them! Great as per usual - crunchy, well seasoned and piping hot. 

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce

I usually choose to not order this (I'm rather squeamish) but one of my friends insisted that we order it, then forced me to eat some! I could only manage one bite of it, but I do like the flavour of the black bean sauce and how it soaked into the feet. Personally, I just can't stand the texture of it, but I know some people love it! It's rather slippery and slightly crunchy (?). 

Today, we decided to skip the mango pudding because we were going to visit a new cafe afterwards.

Another great visit to Citi Zen! The food was delicious as usual and arrived at our table very quickly after placing our orders. The service was the same - it was difficult to get the waiters and waitresses' attention, even though it wasn't a particularly busy day. However, when we did get their attention, they were friendly and quickly attended to our needs.

Overall, 8.5/10.

Vy

xo

Citi Zen

Hello everyone,

Hope you're all having a fantastic day :)

Today, my best friends and I caught up with each other over yum cha at Citi Zen! This is a tradition which we started at the beginning of last year; we'd all go out to yum cha together every school holidays as a reward to ourselves. This is especially needed this year as we're all in our final years of high school!

I am in love with this light fixture. The colour is so gorgeous and it just looks very elegant! 

 The yum cha menu on weekdays. I believe that the menu system is only used on weekdays and the carts are wheeled around on weekends. (Please correct me if I'm wrong!)

Prawn Rice Roll

One of my favourites, and I definitely wasn't disappointed! 

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Nothing spectacular here. I only ordered this dish because I can't have a meal that doesn't contain any form of vegetable.

Prawn Dim Sim (Har Gao) 

Another favourite of mine, and it was just as delicious this time round! 

Savoury Dough Rice Roll 

This was my second time having this. I was a bit sceptical the first time I tried it because I thought it was a strange combination, but it definitely isn't! The crunchy fried rolls covered in the soy is so delicious.

 Mushroom and Chicken Roll

This was ordered for my friend who was allergic to seafood. I tried it but it definitely isn't as good as the prawn rice rolls! I also question if there were actually any mushrooms in it because all I could find was chicken.

Chinese Radish Cake 

A little soggy this time round. Usually, I like the contrast between the soft centre and the crunchy edges.

 BBQ Pork Bun

I don't usually eat these, but my friends ordered 2 and they loved them!

 Pan Fried Pork Dumpling

Again, ordered for a friend allergic to seafood. She enjoyed them but I didn't really like the filling. It was a bit 'heavy'. 

 Salt and Pepper Squid Tentacle

Another of my favourites! They were nicely seasoned and were delicious when they were hot. However, they were lacking crunch.

 Mango Pudding

I can't have yum cha without finishing off with a mango pudding! This was delicious and I loved how light it was compared to some of the other mango puddings I have tried.

Citi Zen is definitely my favourite place to have yum cha. The food and service is always great, and we were all very satisfied after our meal. However, I only have yum cha here and haven't tried anything else on their menu, so I can't present an opinion on the restaurant as a whole. For yum cha though, I definitely recommend it! The seven of us girls spent a total of $115, which we was great because we each ended up paying under $20 for our meals.

Overall, 9/10.

Vy

xo