Sussing out five-star dim sum in unexpected places.

PHOTO COURTESY OF INSIDEGREEN

InsideGreen, located right smack within the lush grounds of the Botanic Gardens, is the place to hit for some delectable dim sum with the family after a morning jog.

While InsideGreen looks and for the most part, operates like a café-cum food court, you can be sure that its dim sum is anything but run-of-the-mill. Helming the kitchen is a dim sum chef who hails from Ipoh’s most famous dim sum eatery, Foh San. His mastery of the craft is evident from the first bite—the har mai is chockfull with crunchy bits of prawn, with extra bite from the diced water chesnut. The chives dumplings, stuffed with chives, waxed sausages, pork and prawns, and wrapped in transparent glutinous sheets, are succulent and fragrant. One of the must-tries is the salted egg custard bun, which is more commonly found in Malaysia. We think it has something to do with the tricky art of finding the perfect balance between sweet and savory, but InsideGreen’s rendition hits all the right notes. Best eaten piping hot, the creamy, golden filling encased inside a soft white bao first gets the attention of your sweet tooth, only to melt away, leaving the distinct flavors of the salted egg yolk.

The chrysanthemum jelly dessert, a clear, lightly fragrant glob prettily speckled with wolfberries and chrysanthemum petals, is cool and refreshing and makes a perfect end to a mid-morning meal. The dim sum dishes range from S$3 to S$5.80 per dish, while desserts are from S$3 to S$4.50 per dish.

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