Tucked away along a non-descript corridor of a building we call Sunshine Plaza is Victor's Kitchen, a little nook of a place that probably has to be one of the most under-rated, yet popularly known dim sum places ever.
This is not a place with wall to wall furnishings or bright inviting lights that demand boisterous, noisy celebrations.
Neither is this a place that has cushioned seating and wait staff decked out in neat, iron-pressed uniforms.
The lighting here is whitish fluorescent.
The tables here are arranged in rows- you sit wherever there's a place.
And there're no shiny, chinoiserie style decorations on the walls.
Victor's Kitchen is a place where you come for the food, the easy-going camaraderie, and the old-school vibes that homely places in these strata malls tend to bring.
We were there a couple of months ago.
For dinner.
It isn't often that we make a decision to have dim sum at dinner time.
But that day we weren't too keen on anything heavy, nor anything fried. More importantly we wanted to have something warm, fulfilling and light- and dim sum fit the bill.
We went in, got directed to our seats, and the menu was brought.
Amongst everything that was to be had for the choosing, including noodles, our appetite decided we'd share a bowl of pork and century egg porridge, a plate of cheong fun char siew, a basket of salted egg lava buns, a basket of xiaolongbaos and, just in case we still were hungry, a basket of siew mais as well.
One thing about Victor's Kitchen- their service is efficient, and remarkably fast.
Barely had payment been made (you pay at the counter upon ordering) that I got back to a table with several dishes already laid out there.
Everything was lovely.
The siew mais were large, the meat was chewy and the little bit of (yellow) skin had been steamed so soft you could literally nibble it off as you ate.
The porridge, prepared Cantonese style, was smooth and silky with just the right amounts of pork and century egg yolk bobbing about inside.
Then the cheong fun (I think we took char siew) was smooth and chewy the way that thicker versions of rice rolls are prepared.
I particularly liked the xiaolongbaos and the salted egg lava buns.
Salted egg lava buns go by a variety of names- some quite fanciful- but in essence they're round-shaped buns with a filling of salted egg that is supposed to be steamed to the exact temperature where the paste flows out like a stream of golden lava when you break open the bun.
Visually it's very calming.
It's also very comforting.
So I had two.
In exchange for one of the xiaolongbaos which I (only) had one.
I shall order two baskets next time.
Or maybe I'll skip past all the main items on their menu and go straight for two baskets of xiaolongbaos, one plate of guotie, one basket of char siew paus and one basket of salted egg lava paus.
All for me.
By the way, they're known for their xiaolongbaos here.
Affordable, solid, hearty and heartwarming- each dumpling meets no less the standards of any other more renowned restaurant, what with their perfectly pinched folds at the top, the chewy texture of their skin, the delicious burst of soup (which I always prefer to carefully slurp from the dumpling whilst trying not to burn my throat) and the soft, melt-in-the-mouth ball of meat.
