Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Red Star Restaurant is an institution. If you (or your family members) grew up in the 60s and 70s, this place needs no introduction. Founded in 1974 by masterchefs Sin Leong, Hooi Kok Wai, the late Tham Yui Kai and the late Lau Yoke Pui, A.K.A. Singapore’s culinary Heavenly Kings, Red Star Restaurant is known for its authentic Cantonese cuisine and its incredibly nostalgic decor, and I recently had the privilege of dining here.
Stepping into the restaurant feels like I’ve travelled back into the past. Everything feels frozen in time – the huge dining hall, the cloth-draped chairs made of metal frames, the tablecloths and the carpet.
We were told that the ceiling decorations were still the exact same ones from the day the restaurant opened. Talk about history!
It’s also the only restaurant in Singapore where you can still get your dim sum served out of trolleys that go table to table. Friendly staff push trolleys of steaming, freshly made dim sum around and offer you a choice of various items like chee cheong fun, har gao and siew mai.
There’s even one that has congee in it – there was no way I was going to say no to a hot bowl of that stuff.
What I tried at Red Star Restaurant
Thankfully, I had dining companions, otherwise, it would have spelled trouble due to the sheer amount of things we were asked to try.
One of the dishes that intrigued me at first glance was the Xiao Long Bao (S$5.70). These were unlike any xiao long bao I’ve seen before. When I bit into them, they contained no broth or soup – just a large chunk of seasoned meat with peas and corn. While unusual, they were still delicious in their own right.
Next up: this massive Da Bao (S$7.20). (Hand shown for scale.) This bao could’ve fed our table twice over; it was THAT huge. The chef told us it was made using a dough starter that the restaurant has been nurturing for decades.
Inside the bun were large, tasty chunks of marinated chicken and pork, along with whole salted egg yolks. There was just so much stuffed into this that I struggled to finish even one portion— and I am not exactly a small eater.
The Roast Duck (S$12 for 1/4 breast, S$14 for 1/4 leg) was one of my favourite dishes. The meat was succulent and juicy, while the skin was crispy and unctuous from rendered duck fat. I paired it with the special plum sauce, and the resulting combination made me wiggle in my chair from happiness.
One of the highlights of the table that day was this interesting dish called Li Cha Hui Fan (S$20). The Chinese characters are “礼茶会饭”, and roughly translated, it means “tea party rice”. It came with a raw egg in the middle, which we stirred into the hot rice and broth. It was described as a Chinese risotto, and was packed with prawns, chicken, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
The taste was complex to describe – almost like sweet and sour, but milder and with a touch more savouriness. It was delicious and comforting, and I had multiple servings of this.
And of course, we ended things on a sweet note with Salted Egg Lava Buns (S$5.90). These soft buns were filled with a generous amount of warm and creamy salted egg yolk lava. I would’ve liked these to be more savoury and slightly less sweet, but they still hit the spot.
Final thoughts
I’ve seen comments and reviews saying that Red Star Restaurant is “overpriced for subpar food”, and that the menu needs to be updated for it to stay competitive. While I do agree the prices feel steep for some items, I don’t fully agree with the comments about the food.
The restaurant made a commitment to stay true to its original recipes and classic taste, and I honestly think they would lose a lot of their charm if they updated the food for a more contemporary palate. To be clear, this isn’t mind-blowing food – but it is comforting and I left satisfied. When you visit Red Star, it’s not just for the dishes – it’s for the vibes and the chance to dine in an era long gone.
Expected damage: S$10 – S$30 per pax
