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Ma Ma Dim Sum at Jurong East, which was run by a veteran restaurant chef will be shuttering on 31 Aug 2023, less than a year after its opening in late Sep 2022.
I’m ashamed to be among the throngs of people who have walked by Kai Xiang Food Centre without casting a second glance, so I had to try their dim sum before this supposed gem was cast away. With just one bridge between Chinese Garden MRT Station and the coffeeshop, it’s hardly out of the way on the East-West line.
Most of the dim sum are a reasonable S$1.20 and you can scoop as much of their sauce as you want. Even though the sign clearly reads ‘self-service’, the friendly staff always offer to help.
At breakfast time, you can expect the freshness to jump out in the first bite. Take extra care not to drop their exceptionally soft Carrot Cake in the saucer of tangy chilli sauce. The Ham Sui Gok has an almost goopy consistency rarely found elsewhere and their Char Siew Buns are filled with very sizeable chunks of diced char siew.
If you’re not a fan of thick, doughy sesame balls, Ma Ma Dim Sum makes them with just the right amount of red bean paste to match.
Their Lor Mai Kai (S$2.20) is also made fresh. Here’s what it looks like straight out of the bamboo steamer. the flavours weren’t as rich as I had anticipated and more chicken would have been ideal, but it’s appreciable how it doesn’t come slick and dripping with grease.
As I left the coffeeshop, I noticed its neighbouring stall was vacant. A quick scroll through Ma Ma Dim Sum’s page revealed they had closed due to similar circumstances.
The tragedy with hidden gems like these is their location, even though it doesn’t exactly take a trek to get to. Chinese Garden just isn’t a hotspot, and the coffeshop is obscured even further by ongoing construction works nearby.
Dim sum lovers will definitely enjoy the restaurant-like dim sum taste, so make sure to turn up before they close on 31 Aug. I’m definitely making a return trip for more.
Twin Star Dim Sum: Handmade dim sum by famed Chinese restaurant chefs in Yishun
