VIctor's Kitchen

91 Bencoolen Street
#01-21
Sunshine Plaza
Closed on MONDAYS 


There seem to be plenty of good food at Sunshine Plaza, a shopping center we never frequented. Probably because its a mixed use development with minimal eating outlets and print shops, with other levels mainly for office use. It is a 15 minutes walk away from Bugis MRT, and a stone throw from Fortune Centre.


It was our second time to Victor's Kitchen, with the first being a good experience a few months back. With minimal decorations and no ambience to speak off, other blogs that we came across described it as rather reflective of those dim sum outlets in HK, so I guess that's authenticity points scored! The whole ordering system is very simple, just tick your items and give the slip of paper to the aunty at the counter. She's one fiery woman so be careful not to make any mistakes like we did during our first visit. A heated exchange ensued between the aunties working there and garbled Cantonese came shooting out like missiles when we got our table number wrong. They didn't aim at us but the publicly-made internal scuffle definitely soured the experience.


In all, we ordered only four dishes today. Their signature (posted on the wall as a MUST TRY) Golden Lava Egg Yolk bun, panfried chee cheong fun and the staples hargow + siewmai. 

HK Milk tea ($2.50) and Ice Lemon Tea ($2.00)

Pan-fried Cheong Fun

Siew Mai, Har Gow and Golden Lava Egg Yolk Buns

Joy says:

I was craving for custard buns so badly because I missed the "flowy-center spectacle". It gives me a mini adrenaline rush when I break a bun with flowy center into two and swiftly distribute the filling between two halves. The feeling of popping one half into my mouth is - ORGASMIC BLISS.

The first time when we went Victor's Kitchen, I had such good fun doing that and it made me crave even more to do that once more. Especially after our recent trip to Taste Paradise, that craving manifested. 


Unfortunately this time, it was just mere disappointment. When I executed my ritual -- broke the bun into half and about to get that mini rush, all I saw was a hardened, segregated, neat mess inside. Meh. Where is my golden goodness? Did my buns stay too long on the steamer or what. A check with the opposite table revealed the same solid filling. See told you, don't trifle with the dangerous aunties there. This is what you get. I swear I felt super sore about it because I forced myself to eat that one bun down. There were three and Paul ate one & a half and I could see it was tall order for him as well. The other half just laid there forlornly like a crippled bun. Well, that DID make my craving for buns die down. 

The non-flowy centre :(

The rest were alright, for the kind of price you pay (around $3-$4/ basket) but panfried cheong fun was a great find. It saved our lunch, at least. Crispy at the sides, fragrant with soy sauce, served piping hot, it was a winner. We loved this dish. I know it because Paul didn't feed me with it and just continued eating. LOL. When no war on who eats the last piece is present, it means that dish is extraordinary. 


Victor's Kitchen isn't exactly cheap, to be honest. It did serve up staples that met standards, but the "MUST-TRY" was a total flop. Probably it is just today, the steamer went wrong, the aunty  pms. Ugh. Shall we go down again? No idea, because there are many other dimsum outlets we can try, like Royal China, Red Star, Imperial Treasure etc etc the list goes on..........


Grade: B-

Paul says:

The equation is straightforward. Consistency in the quality of food brings in the crowds.  With that said, the standard of their "MUST TRY" golden lava egg yolk buns was really appalling today. Whatever happened to the promise of warm, flowy lava oozing out of the bun once you carefully tear the bun into half? Instead, what greeted me was a solidified mass that reminded me of really normal custard buns that you could find in your nearby coffee shops. Why did I pay 4 bucks for? To make myself terribly disappointed? Actually, by forking out about a dollar more, I could enjoy orgasmic dim sum at Taste Paradise in its lush setting. Do the math. This place isn't worth it to me. The siew mais may be nice. But at just 80 cents below that of Taste Paradise, my choice is clear. Over here, they sprinkle pathetic bits of carrot atop their little yellow dumplings. 80 cents more and I can enjoy my crab roe over at Taste Paradise found in town. I give credit when it's due. The pan fried cheong fun is really good. Crisp and fragrant at the sides and soft in the middle. Really a find over here. But sadly, the abysmal quality of the "lava" buns really spoilt my whole dining experience this time round. With the constant bickering and foul attitudes of some of the aunties, I shall place my buck where it's worth. Taste Paradise, here I come.

Grade: C

Total bill was $19.50 (incl. GST. No Scv Charge)]

In conclusion,

Food: B

Service: B

Ambience: C+

Value-for-$: B-

Overall grade: B-

Apples given: