Ho Yun (Hong Kong) Tim Sum: Hearty & Authentic Homemade Cantonese Dim Sum From S$0.90 At Tampines

Located in the heart of Tampines, Ho Yun (Hong Kong) Tim Sum is one of the more authentic dim sum places around that area.

This cosy little stall sits in the corner of the coffee shop below Block 419 at Tampines Street. All the dim sum dishes are homemade in the Cantonese style, so expect some legit and affordable dim sum while you’re here.

Have a craving for some dim sum but don’t want to break the bank? Everything on the menu costs less than S$4, so rest assured that your money will be well-spent. You can take what you desire from the self-service display or you can order directly from the auntie manning the stall.

From the display, you can either get what you want for its individual prices or choose up to four items for S$3.50. I went for their Fried Spring Roll 炸春卷, Carrot Cake 萝卜糕, Fried Prawn Dumpling 炸虾饺, and Sesame Ball 煎堆仔.

The vegetable filling was encased in the flaky layers of the Fried Spring Roll. As I bit into the crispy snack, I could hear the crunch, though eating it was a little messy.

Another item I chose was the classic Carrot Cake, which is a local favourite for breakfast. I tried eating the Carrot Cake on its own but unfortunately, it didn’t pack much flavour. Dip it in their house chilli to enhance the sweet and savoury taste of the dish.

My favourite item on the plate though was the Fried Prawn Dumpling. A generous amount of prawn filling came encased within the deep-fried pastry shell. Ho Yun Tim Sum’s fried menu items were all crispy and nicely browned so I expected no less from the Fried Prawn Dumpling.

How can the meal be complete without the signature Cantonese-style porridge? The Century Egg Congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥 (S$2.70) is served in a bowl topped with some spring roll skin as well as some scallions.

This serves as a simple yet hearty breakfast especially for those who have a weaker digestive system. The rice has been broken down so well that it’s so thick and creamy. Even though the congee is light in flavour, it still had a hint of saltiness.

The Singapore-style Chee Cheong Fun usually comes without filling and is served with a sweeter sauce. However, Hong Kongers usually put some sort of filling in their Chee Cheong Fun and the sauce is usually lighter and more savoury. We ordered the Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun 叉烧猪肠粉 (S$2.70) to go along with our meal.

They served it with a generous amount of the Chee Cheong Fun sauce so each mouthful was juicy and flavourful. The char siew slices were wrapped in the rice noodles so each bite will have a good balance of the meat, rice noodles and sauce.

The Siew Mai 烧卖 (S$2.70 per basket), is served in a little traditional bamboo steamer basket.

Siew Mai is one of the go-to dim sum dishes. Like most Siew Mai, it looks pretty decent and is adequately plump. Even though I felt that the skin could be little juicier, the chilli sauce made up for it.

Ho Yun Tim Sum is definitely a cheaper alternative to Din Tai Fung or Tim Ho Wan. But please be reminded that with the compromise of the price point, undoubtedly, you can’t get the exact same quality like those high-end dim sum restaurant. Still, it is cheap and good.

Expected Damage: S$6 – S$10 per pax