Sunset Way in Clementi is home to a bevy of dining options nestled under HDB blocks. The vibes here are rustic and homey, and Five Star Dimsum has recently entered the scene, offering delicious handmade Hong Kong-style dim sum.
Spread across 2 units, Five Star Dimsum has a dine-in area, a takeaway counter, and a window through which you can see dishes being prepared. This outlet is located at Block 106 Clementi Street 12, and is notably less hidden than its other location in Shun Li Industrial Complex.
The dine-in area has decor that evokes vibes reminiscent of a Wong Kar Wai film, with bright red Chinese lanterns and a striking geometric glass wall.
Through the window, you can observe the chefs hard at work preparing freshly steamed cheong fun and dim sum.
The dim sum menu is available all day from 7am till 10pm, and there’s over 40 different varieties to choose from. Diners can literally indulge in a dim sum feast any time of day!
What I tried at Five Star Dim Sum
We started our gustatory journey with the HK Crispy Shrimp Cheong Fun (S$5), featuring freshly-made rice sheets wrapped around a crunchy fritter, fresh prawn and doused in a fragrant soy-based sauce.
I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of textures in this cheong fun as I’ve never had this particular style before. It was chewy on the outside, and both crispy and meaty on the inside. A classic, and you should definitely order this when you visit.
A dim sum staple for me, Five Star Dimsum’s Steamed Prawn Siew Mai (S$5) are large, meaty morsels of goodness. The crunch of the fresh prawns against the tender meat was a great textural contrast, and the surprise burst of natural sweetness from the wolfberry on top helped balance everything out.
Another staple (and one that I routinely fight my sibling for), is har gow or shrimp dumplings. The Crystal Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (S$5) here are similarly large and filled with generous amounts of well-seasoned shrimp. It was a succulent, plump morsel and went down a treat.
Tien Court: Serving authentic Teochew dishes & handcrafted dim sum since 1989
The Xiao Long Bao (S$4.50) has a savoury pork centre and plenty of broth to go around. Take care when eating these – you don’t want to ruin the rest of your meal by burning your mouth with the hot, tasty broth enveloped within.
We turned our attention to the Hong Kong Style Steamed Mushroom Buns (S$4.50) next. The outside of the bun was a visual delight, looking a lot like the cap of a shiitake mushroom.
Tearing into the bun revealed a filling made of different types of mushrooms, with an umami earthiness and pleasantly chewy texture.
One of my favourite things to have at dim sum is salted egg yolk custard buns. What is not on my list of favourite things is buns with no filling.
Blissfully, the HK Salted Egg Custard Bun (S$4) here is nothing of that sort. It’s simply overflowing with salted egg goodness, to the point that the first bun we pulled apart actually kind of exploded and leaked custard everywhere!
Just like their other outlet, Five Star Dimsum also offers a few zi char dishes here.
We tried the Claypot Pork Ribs Rice (S$8), which was new to me because I’ve only ever had claypot rice with chicken.
Each rice grain was distinct and not clumpy or overly wet, and the generous, large chunks of pork added an extra level of enjoyment to the fragrant rice. I just wish there was a little more lup cheong to provide that contrasting sweetness.
The Ting Zai Congee (S$5.50) was a sleeper hit – this ended up as one of my favourites! The congee was smooth and had a good hit of flavour from the stock used. The seafood was fresh and didn’t taste off, either.
The Mala Grilled Fish (S$18) featured a whole barramundi, butterflied and deep-fried and left to swim in a fiery red broth, topped with lots of dried chillies.
Despite its intimidating appearance, the spice level wasn’t as bad as it looked. It was just enough so that we felt it but not so much that it overpowered the fish. The fish was also well prepared – the flesh came apart easily, and wasn’t overcooked or dry.
If that’s not enough spice, you can get the Mala Chicken (S$18). The chicken chunks here are far more substantial than other examples I’ve seen elsewhere, so you don’t feel like you’re eating just fried bits of batter.
As for things to drink, Five Star Dimsum’s Clementi outlet has steamed soups on its menu.
The Papaya with Pork Ribs Soup (S$7) was a clear, light and refreshing broth that acted as a great palate cleanser between bites of the heavier dishes.
You can get hot drinks from S$0.90, and cold drinks for S$1.50. For the full dim sum experience, there’s also a whole pot of tea for S$4.
There’s also a promotion for Carlsberg beer – order a bucket of 5 bottles (S$21) for your dining party, and you get 1 bottle free.
Final thoughts
Five Star Dimsum’s vast menu basically means there’s something for everyone – have your favourite dim sum alongside zi char favourites like har cheong gai or hor fun. They’re also currently running a discount promotion exclusively at this outlet where you can enjoy either of these offers:
- If your group includes seniors over 60, you can enjoy a 10% discount on the total bill (excluding drinks and beer).
OR - if you spend over S$100 (before GST), you can get 1 free Mala Grilled Fish.
These offers are only valid from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
You can also check out their other outlets at the following locations:
1. 158 Mei Ling Street, #01-74, Singapore 140158
2. 705 Sims Drive, #07-01 Shun Li Industrial Complex, Singapore 387384
Expected damage: S$5 – S$25 per pax
* This post is brought to you in partnership with Five Star Dim Sum.
Order Delivery: Deliveroo
Price: $
Five Star Dimsum
106 Clementi Street 12, #01-46/50, Singapore S120106
Five Star Dimsum
106 Clementi Street 12, #01-46/50, Singapore S120106
