$1.30 Dim Sum (Hougang)

Fried yam balls have never been a must order when having dimsum for me, but @1.30dimsumsg rendition is spectacular enough to demand that you get an order or three of it. For the uninitiated, yam balls are balls of yam paste encapsulating a sauce minced meat mix (probably chicken or pork) that have been deep fried.⠀
⠀
While these balls were thrown onto my plate lukewarm, they more than compensated for the lack of heat with the stunning savouriness of it all. The mince was fabulously flavourful, possessing a sublime savouriness laced with an just a smidge of sweetness, reminiscent of char siew. The yam balls passed the airiness check with flying colours, as the cavity containing the meat wasn’t too densely packed.⠀
⠀
The yam was texturally perfect, with a dense softness to each bite, and the yam layer wasn’t too thick. The exterior was flaky in the extreme, and every bite would cause a cascade of crumbs to fall everywhere. The best part? It’s stunningly light on the oil. I don’t know where the oil used to deep fry these balls went to, but I sure am glad it ain’t there to make this greasy.⠀
⠀
These beautiful balls are quite perfect, and everyone should definitely appreciate them.

Good things come in pairs, like bacon & burgers, alcohol & me, and boo-uh yeah, you get the point. @1.30dimsumsg char siew baos come in pairs, and they’re remarkably delish for the low proce of admission.⠀
⠀
While the interior cavity of the steamed bun isn’t packed with char siew, there’s enough of the sweet & savoury barbecued pork bits in there to satisfy. Of course, there are a couple of fatty bits in there, hidden away and ready to explode on your tongue like the flavour bombs that they are.⠀
⠀
A common issue, especially with factory mass produced baos, is the dough being way too thick & bready. This bao suffered from no such problem, being of sufficient thickness to induce satisfaction while not being off putting. It’s also pillow soft and stunningly supple, and requires next to no chewing.⠀
⠀
Inflation & the cost of living is going absolutely mad, but Kuai San Dian Xin still has you covered with cheap yet reliable eats.⠀

As for the lor mai kai (glutinous rice with chicken), the rice was kinda bland and there wasn’t much chicken. But hey, it’s only $1.30 which makes it the one of cheapest lor mai kai in Singapore, and you can flavour it to your heart’s content with the fried chili paste. Plus, it’s a pretty hefty serving.

Just because it’s cheap doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s trash. @1.30dimsumsg prawn chee cheong fun (rice flour rolls) is only a dollar & thirty cents a portion, but it is surprisingly superb. The sheets of rice flour are delicate and supple, with a tasteful thinness to them. The soya sauce mix poured all over it flavours all the elements on the plate adequately with the additional aromatics from the sesame oil added. The shrimps are where the compromise happens, however, as they were definitely frozen and it showed.

@1.30dimsumsg is the McDonald’s of dim sum: it’s not very good, but it’s everywhere, and it’s cheap. They had my back when I was a broke man with only two dollars in my pocket, and they have my gratitude for that. But unlike McDonald’s, they actually have some variety.⠀
⠀
Yes, every single selection is only a dollar and thirty cents. This trio of dim sum classics that are a good metric to judge any dim sum place off of are all $1.30 a basket. The siew mai (the yellow dumplings on the plate) were banally bland, but at least they had a good size to them. The pork ribs over-performed for their price tag, being acceptably tasty and somewhat tender too. The skin on the har gow was pretty terrible as it came already broken and a bit hard, not gonna lie, but the shrimp filling was surprisingly delicious. Plus, the size of each dumpling was pretty generous too.⠀
⠀
Kuai San Dian Xin is your dim sum ride or die. It’s open 24/7, which means that you can get your 4am drunk dim sum cravings sorted, and they’ve got you covered even if you’re practically destitute. Find yourself homies like this, and you’ll be set for life.