藝yì by Jereme Leung

Dried Scallops, Shrimps & Chives Pancake (3 pieces S$9)

I like chives, and I would always order any Dim Sum with chives. Most of the chives Dim Sum are steamed, so this was a refreshing change. Look wise, it was just this round brown fried thing. Taste wise, I could eat it again. The pancake skin was thin and crispy while the filling was moist and delicious. By then, I was wondering how someone could pack so much Umami into each dish. I wish I knew the secret.

 

At 藝yì by Jereme Leung, the Dim Sum pieces were bigger in size compared to the ones we had in other restaurants. It would take at least 2 full bites to finish a piece. By the time we got to the pancakes, I had to ask the staff to cancel the Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles. We were starting to get full and I figured we would not be able to finish 2 bowls of noodles as we still had 2 more orders of Dim Sum not served.

 

Chicken Feet with Taro & Black Bean Sauce (S$8)

The staff who served this dish, said this was his favourite Dim Sum item. After tasting the dish, we knew why. The skin and flesh fell off the bones easily without any effort in removing them in the mouth. The sauce was not salty and complemented the chicken feet very well. I wished I had some fried mantou to soak up the sauce.

 

Freshly-made Rice Rolls Stuffed with Tiger Prawns & Yellow Chives (S$10)

The Tiger Prawns were succulent and went very well with the sauce and smooth rice rolls. There was a total of 6 big fat prawns, 2 in each rice roll. Again, we asked the staff to leave the soya based sauce aside and not pour over the rice rolls so we could decide how much to use.

 

Taiwanese Style Beef Brisket & Tendon Noodles in Soup (per person $16)

When the Beef Brisket Noodle was served, I noticed the soup looked very dark and a fear arose that it might be too salty. I did wonder if it would make us thirsty after eating it. Imagine my surprise when we tasted the soup. It was just nice, not salty and very flavourful with Umami. My Mum was worried about the Beef Brisket as it looked hard and tough. When we bite into it, we realised the look was deceiving as the beef brisket was tender and tore easily. The noodle texture was cooked just nice and had absorbed the tasty soup, which we finished till its last drop.

 

House Speciality Black Gold Egg Custard Bun (3 pieces S$9)

I’d requested for the House Speciality Black Gold Egg Custard Bun to be served last. Having tasted all the other dishes, I had high hopes for Black Gold Egg Custard Bun as it was one of their signature dishes. The buns looked impressive, black with gold paint, and even more so on the plate with cherry blossoms. I was getting excited as I’ve always like Salted Egg Custard Buns. I gingerly tore a piece of the soft and fluffy bun, exposing the oozing Salted Egg Custard. My mouth was expecting the explosion of salty flavours when I ate the bun. Alas, the disappointment that hit me when all I tasted was sweetness. The sweet custard overpowered the salted egg flavour losing any savoury taste. I have to say, this was the only Dim Sum that didn’t meet the mark.

 

Price

Prices are not cheap at 藝yì by Jereme Leung. For the 8 Dim Sum dishes, 1 Noodle and 1 jug of Herbal Tea, the bill came up to S$107.05 (service charge and GST inclusive) after the 15% discount for Raffles Hotel guests.

Based on the flavours we tasted and the portion size of the Dim Sum, I still do consider it value for money.

 

Final Verdict

Never have we had such scrumptious Dim Sum before. Every item was delicious, except for the salted egg custard buns. This meal emphasised and showcased Umami the 5^th taste in such delectable ways. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. The service throughout the meal was very good too.

I would dine at 藝yì by Jereme Leung again, though probably for special occasions. However much I love their food, the prices made it a little tougher to dine there on a regular basis.

 

Read about my Raffles Hotel Singapore Staycation – The Suite Life and check out my review of Butcher’s Block Carte Blanche.

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