Address: The Ritz Carlton Millenia, Singapore

It was another occasion for me to treat my family to a nice meal. It was also for the benefit of my sister who is back from holiday from her work stint abroad. The venue of choice - Summer Pavilion restaurant at Ritz Carlton. My sister had recommended it for its excellent dim sum and also probably due to its rather pricey menu (I cannot blame her for taking advantage of my rare generosity in giving out a treat).

The ambience was peaceful. There was a pseudo Japanese/Chinese garden surrounding the dining area. The sight of bamboo and greenery very naturally evokes a sense of calmness and quietness.

We started with the regular Har Gow or Prawn Dumpling (S$4.00). It was a good beginning. You just cannot go wrong when fresh ingredients are used.

The Deep Fried Vegetable and Chive Dumpling (S$3.60) was not really memorable. It is of no fault of the dim sum master but more due to my poor memory as this event took place like about a month ago.

Siew Mai (S$4.00), Char Siew Bao (S$3.60), and the Glutinous Rice (S$6.00) formed the bulk of our carbohydrate intake. The family loved the Glutinous Rice and Char Siew Bao.

The Pork Ribs (S$6.00) was ordered for my dad. He had insisted that if none of us wanted the Ribs, we could pass on it. He repeated the statement a few times. I guess that was when the rest of us took the hint that he really wanted the Pork Ribs. There was quite nice by the way.

The Crab Meat Dumpling (I think.. S$4.50) had Crab Craws stuck into them. I guess that is how we know that they are filled with Crab Meat and not decompose or something. I kid. Again, a very tasty item.

The Dumplings in Spicy & Hot Oil sauce (S$4.20) are a perennial favourite with me and my partner. We just love that tangy sensation of the spice mixed with the body of the meat dumplings. Yum Yum.

The Fried Yam & Pumpkin (S$3.60) drew fervent commendations from the family. So much so that they ordered a second round of the dish. I could not really see what the fuss was about. It may be due to the plebeian nature of the ingredients - Yam and Pumpkin and my family’s association with these salt of the earth stuff.

The Guo Tie or Fried Dumpling ($4.00) met the high expectations that were already generated based on the previous dishes.

My sister interjected at this point and directed my mother’s attention to the Shark Fin Dumpling with Soup item costing S$9.80 per bowl. You could literally see their eyes light out at the novelty of the dish. They promptly ordered two bowls… I for one am not into Shark’s Fin. Partly due to some environmental bent but mostly due to the ridiculous prices charged for a few pieces of bone cartilage or whatever fins are made of.

The XO Chee Cheong Fun Roll (S$6.00) tasted like fried Hor Fun… I must credit the restaurant for being creative with their naming of dishes. And why does “XO” sauce or wine confer on a dish instant premium quality. I did a wiki and found that XO refers to Extra Old… I see… Guess it relates better to the older generation (aka parents). By the way, VSOP means Very Superior Old Pale.

The Mushroom Dish with 3 Types of the Fungi (S$8.00) was our concession for the vegetable dish.

The Lobster Puffs (S$6.00) looked very juvenile in nature. They tasted ok though.

We ended our meal with the artery bursting dish of King Prawn ($12.00). The choice of my sister who had by now ordered most of the more expensive dishes.

I was happy to treat though. That is what being in a family is all about. Plus it only came up to S$142.65. Ngiak Ngiak.