Victor's Kitchen: Authentic Dim Sum at a Steal

Ever since business bloomed due to the word of mouth, this humble looking eatery had expanded from one stall to three scattered stalls around the ground level of Sunshine Plaza.

To be honest, Victor's Kitchen looked rather "lok kok" with minimal attention paid to its renovation. But we don't really care because if they're scrimping on that to deliver us quality food at low prices, why not? I'll just grab a shaky wooden stool, sit down, and eat my hearts out.

Victor's King Prawn Dumpling,   S$3.80++,   

The freshness of the prawns play a major role when it comes to eating Har Gaus, and this one here didn't disappoint us. Prawns were tender and bouncy, and the transluent skin clinging around were thin and soft, yet firm enough to hold the entire dumpling together without falling apart.

Tasty Queen Size Siew Mai,   S$3++,   

I don't know why Har Gau Siew Mai must go together when people speak of dim sum, but we're not missing this out. The Siew Mais didn't appear 'queen size' as stated in the menu, but they were still quite tasty alright. It wasn't soggy, and most importantly, it didn't reeked of the foul pork smell which we both hate.

Scallop, Sausage Carrot Cake with XO Sauce,   S$3.80++,   

This Carrot Cake was apart from the fried ones we usually eat, and it was quite fascinating to see the whole steamed carrot cake literally soaked in XO Sauce. Taste wise, though somewhat bland with zilch hint of any Scallops nor Sausages, it went really smooth and well with the heavy XO Sauce.

Steam Chicken with Chinese Wine,   S$2.50++,   

Not just one, but all of the chicken parts were composed of bones, and very fatty meat. Yuck.

Oyster Sauce Char Siew Bun,   S$2.80++,   

We are big fans of Char Siew Baos, and the ones served here are definitely in our top ten list! The buns were made of soft cottony goodness loaded with juicy chunks of Char Siew - two is never too full!

Milky Custard Bun,   S$2.80++,   

The first Custard Bun we've tried was right here at Victor's Kitchen, and following our first unforgettable experience, we went around trying Custard Buns from other places but none could become a match for this. We simply love how the rich creamy egg custard blended perfectly with the salted egg yolk - sweet with a slight tinge of saltiness.

King Prawn Cheong Fun,   S$3.50++,   

You can really skip the Char Siew Cheong Fun here, because it was so-so and you could find much heavenly ones at House of Rice Roll and Porridge @ Killiney. Go for the King Prawn Cheong Fun instead which the Killiney eatery loses out at.


The prawns, like those in the Har Gaus, were so fresh you could hear them crunch!

Youtiao Cheong Fun,   S$3++,   

Initally when we saw this in the menu, we were like, "who the heck would put a Youtiao into Chee Cheong Fun?" Nevertheless, being curious, we ordered the dish anyway and it turned out to be an absolute no regret! A very unique dish to speak of - with the crispyness of the fried dough sticks in contrast to the silky rice rolls, and together with the sweet black sauce, the combination was simply out of this world!

Crispy Golden Shrimp Rolls,   S$3.50++,   

None of the online reviews we've seen had mentioned about this dish, but it was admittedly great in our modest opinions. The beancurd skin was light and crispy; the hot shrimp fillings were juicy and delicious; and the vinegar added more even more punch to everything.

Passion Mango Pomelo Sago,   S$4++,   

Don't forget to order this soothing Passion Mango Pomelo Sago as dessert to end off a gratifying dim sum meal.

VERDICT
Overall, we are very satisfied with Victor's Kitchen and the affordable prices that go along with it. Though menu items were pretty limited, they were enough to tell us what good authentic dim sum is. (We heard that the owner's actually from Hong Kong!)

Victor's Kitchen
#01-21/27/48, Sunshine Plaza
91 Bencoolen Street, S(189652)
(+65) 9838 2851
Tue - Sun: 10.30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Mon: Closed

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Killiney Chee Cheong Fun: Exotic Flavours

Along the stretch of shophouses in Killiney Road, lies the famous Chee Cheong Fun stall most of you have heard of. Decided to check it out one fine afternoon, and before I knew it, I was already returning back time and again for more!

Staff were speedy and attentive. The very instant we sat ourselves down, we received our menu almost at the same instant.

Fresh Prawn Chee Cheong Fun,   S$4.20 nett,   

Chose the Fresh Prawn Chee Cheong Fun, cause we thought that it was a traditional and most common filling which many people would go for. This plate of plain looking rice roll doesn't look exactly appealing without its dressing of sesame seeds (my friend didn't like sesame). However, don't be too quick to judge until you try your first mouthful.

Thin silky folded sheets of rice flour slip quickly into our mouths, and together with the company of soya sauce, it was simply indescribably shiok.


Prawns were full of crunchiness, but they weren't exactly the super fresh and juicy kind. Because the fillings were laid in big sheets of rice flour before cutting, you might find up to three prawns in some (cutted) portions, and in some, you find none.

Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun,   S$3.20 nett,   

Now now, another traditional flavour, and this, I swear, was seriously heavenly.


The Char Siew (barbecued pork) was lean, yet with the appropriate amount of springyness and moisture. And the thing is, the meat blended in so flawlessly with the rice roll and the sauce, making it a perfect combination. We were pratically raving about it from the very first bite, till the last bite.

Mushroom Chee Cheong Fun,   S$3.20 nett,   

It was a mere personal liking for mushrooms that made me ordered this.


It turned out to be just mediocre - not anywhere near bad, but not extraoridnary either. The mushrooms were a bit too hard.

What makes this Chee Cheong Fun stall stands out from the rest, is their assortment of innovative fillings to choose from. There is the savoury type served with soya sauce and a sprinkling of sesame seeds - Cheese Lobster (S$12), Tom Yam Seafood (S$8), Braised Intestines (S$6.50), Abalone (S$6), Otar (S$6), Fresh Scallop (S$6), Unagi(S$5), Crab Meat Stick (S$3.20), Chicken (S$3.20), Mixed Vegetables (S$3.20), Fritters (S$3.20), plus the three reviewed flavours on top.

For the sweet-toothed, there is also the dessert variant served with crushed peanuts. The fillings include XO Durian (S$4.20), Mango (S$3.20), Strawberry (S$3.20), Banana (S$3.20), Apple (S$3.20), Yam (S$3.20), and Green Tea (S$3.80).

Despite many encouraging reviews of the XO Durian Chee Cheong Fun, which was also what this eatery is famous for specializing in, we were still quite reluctant to try. Went ahead with something safer to 'test out' first.

Mango Chee Cheong Fun,   S$3.20 nett,   

Sad to say, the Mango one wasn't very impactful on us, and we conveniently skipped the XO Durian one as well. Even with slight exuding juice from the mango cubes, the Chee Cheong Fun still felt rather dry, and the crushed peanuts worsened it. Then again, it might be a biased view, because I don't like peanuts.

Green Tea Glutinous Rice Balls,   S$3 nett,   

Four pieces of Green Tea Glutinous Rice Balls served in a bowl of traditional sweet peanut soup. (Peanuts again!) Green Tea paste was gooey and sticky, and Rice Balls were a tad hard.

VERDICT
Whack any of these Chee Cheong Fun flavours in random, and you are sure to find your hidden favourite here. If you need something more substantial, try the porridge which also comes in a variety of ingredients. Or, you could also order from its special selection menu for sharing in a group, with dishes like Stir-fried Vegetables, Jelly Fish, Drunken Chicken, Frog Legs (just to quote a few examples).

House of Rice Roll and Porridge
75 Killiney Road, S(239529)
(+65) 6736 1355
Mon - Sun: 8.30 a.m. - 11 p.m.

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