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Wah Lok at Carlton Hotel is a familiar name for most food connoisseurs given its sterling track record and list of accolades to its name. Consistently ranked by Singapore Tatler Magazine within the list of "Singapore's Best Restaurants" and Wine & Dine for "Singapore's Top Restaurants", can it continue to impress its fine diners after all these years?

While most restaurants offer their dim sum in portions of three, Wah Lok was able to prepare four portions for each of the dim sum dishes. Personally, I felt that was nice gesture especially if you are playing host to business associates or simply a lunch gathering with a few friends.

Baked barbecued pork polo bun (polo char siew bao) | S$6++/4pcs
On hindsight, this was one of my favourite dim sum dishes at Wah Lok. If you are a fan of baked char siew buns and polo buns, be sure to give this a shot. The crust of the polo bun was a beautiful crisp layer which complemented the overlying soft and fluffy bun. A subtle hint of sweetness stood out from the fragrant diced char siew, leaving us to crave for the next bite.

Baked barbecued pork pastry (char siew sou) | S$8++/4pcs

The true test to a dim sum chef lies in perfecting the classic dishes such as this or more commonly known as char siew sou. Beautifully baked with a coat of golden brown, the flaky pastry crumbled upon the first bite and the aroma of the char siew took centerstage almost immediately. Surely a must-try in my personal opinion.

Steamed prawn dumpling (har gao) | S$6.80/4pcs

We enjoyed the juiciness and burst of freshness wrapped within the thin layer of dumpling skin. What I also liked was that subtle hint of natural sweetness that lingered. This was one of those classics done right that would instantly bring a smile to your face.

Steamed pork dumpling (siew mai) | S$6++/4pcs

All that needs to be done with the siew mai is to pop it into your mouth and enjoy the succulence of the pork dumpling coming through in a palatable manner. Like the har gao, there was a hint of natural sweetness from the fresh minced pork and reminiscing the flavours while writing was enough to make me salivate once more!

Carrot cake (stir-fried style) | S$8/++

When the dish was served, it was not quite what I had in mind but the large chunks of finely-grated radish made it one a palatable dish. Stir-fried and tossed with crunchy bean sprouts and fried shallots, we enjoyed the complementing layers of texture when tasted together with the soft and moist radish.

Barbecued combination of char siew and roast duck (siew mei) | S$22/++

Quite frankly, this was one of the few lacklustre dishes on the table. While the barbecued and honey-glazed char siew was prepared in a truly Cantonese fashion, I felt that it was too lean for me and as such failed to shine. The roast duck on the other hand tasted pedestrian as I would have preferred the skin to have a nice crisp while the meat to remain tender and moist. On this occasion, I felt that the duck breast was slightly too stiff for my liking.

Baked mini egg tarts | S$6++/4pcs

Always on the hunt for the best egg tart in Singapore, I felt that this certainly made it to our "must-try" list as the flaky pastry was almost melt-in-your-mouth while the fragrant egg custard sitting in the middle carried a desired level of sweetness to please.

Steamed custard bun | S$6.40/4pcs

Leaving the best to the last, the steamed custard bun is almost a dessert itself with a rich and creamy filling. Like most of the other dishes, the sweetness that cut across my palate was comforting with its mildness. While I enjoyed the fluff of the bun, the layer was too thick for my liking.

Despite the focus on dim sum, we also had a plate of greens, stir-fried kailan with garlic (S$16/++) which was cooked perfectly, allowing the kailan to retain succulence and crunch. Ending off on a sweet note, we had the herbal jelly (S$9/++) and cream of pomelo & mango (SS6/++) to share and both desserts hit the right notes to a sumptuous dim sum lunch.

Photo credit: Carlton Hotel

Chicken Meatball for Ladies (Teriyaki Sauce & Mayo)

Interestingly, there's meatball for men and ladies which basically means that men get bigger portion and ladies smaller. I'm a super fan of mayo and cheese, so the dressing was definitely a hit for me. The meatballs were soft and tender, cooked to perfection and nicely coated with teriyaki sauce, melted cheese and mayo. However, the meat had a slightly unpleasant stale taste which was covered underneath the sauce even though the coating was so strong.

Bakudan Korokke


One of their signatures was this homemade potato croquette which won me over at first sight. It was a very irresistible combination of soft-boiled egg hiding in a crispy croquette with creamy potato salad. Please bear with the photo above as I was looking for the egg yolk to dissect, the soft-boiled egg was guaranteed cook to the right level although the photo didn't really show the flowy egg yolk. Surely a recommended dish for egg and potato food lovers!

Tamagoyaki with Mentai Cheese

Hotate Garlic Mayo


Hotate means scallop in English, the dish above was simply to bake the half-shelled scallop together with the fish roe/garlic in mayonnaise on top resulting in the brown hue shown. You could taste that the scallop wasn't very fresh but for the kind of price you're paying it's reasonable. Personally, I would have preferred it better if there was a more generous fish roe serving to cover the whole scallop.

Cheese Oage



Asparagus Bacon

Enokitake Bacon
Tomato Bacon

I loved the fact that the cherry tomato wrapped in the bacon was so sweet, crunchy and succulent that the juice burst into your mouth once you bite which complemented well with the caramelised salty bacon. Simple and delicious!
Chicken Shoulder
Chicken with green pepper


The bill came to about S$25/pax for 3 persons, this place certainly served reasonably priced and above average yakitori and food. Service wise, the iPad ordering system fortunately did not lead the service down while the service crew were very friendly and attentive who consistently had smiles on their faces. I will perhaps revisit this comfortable and welcoming restaurant when I suddenly have craving for their potato croquette or yakitori!

We were quite surprised when a new place popped up near our hood, along the row of shophouse that my colleagues and I walk past quite often, even more so when it's the super hyped up Kin Kin Chilli Ban Mian. We'd previously thought that it was just gonna be another one of those usual noodle places we see, just in an air-conditioned place.

So with the crazy crowds during its first two weeks, we'd decided to drop by when one of our colleagues told us there was no queue at all! Yes indeed, when we went at about 1.30pm, there was plenty of space to accommodate us when we'd asked for 8pax seating.

There was a whole row of menu in front, with mee hoon kueh, you mian, etc, but we were told that only their signature was available. So the only choice we had to make was...dry or soup?

Dry Ban Mian ($5)

The way to eating this: pop the half boiled egg and mix with their signature chilli so that the noodles are evenly coated. I loved how the chilli wasn't overwhelming and had the aroma of the roasted chilli, with not too much chilli oil. It was one that grew on slowly rather than a searing spice that burns.

The minced meat had also been braised to add the savoury flavour to an otherwise plain dish. Great if you can take spicy food, else it'd have been just a plain noodle dish.

It took about 15mins wait for the noodles to be served and while mine had a perfectly poached eggs, it was inconsistent for the other bowls that came after.

Ban Mian Soup ($5)
It hit the parts on the taste and was an above-average bowl of noodles, but to queue or specially travel here for that? I'd highly doubt so. Plus, the portion was too small and all of us ended up going for second round lunch at the prata stall next to it. $5 has certainly been a hefty price tag and inflation from its original RM4.60 in KL.

Overhyped and overpriced, go without the expectations of a golden bowl of noodles and it'd make for a more pleasant experience.

Food Republic is no stranger to most Singaporeans as it is a food haven that creatively houses various hawker fare in the comfort of an air-conditioned environment that showcases different themes. Food Republic at Westgate Shopping Mall features a first-of-its-kind concept revolving around the themes of theatre and stage drama. In the near future, diners can even look forward to entertaining performances taking place as they tuck in to their food!


The Singapore's hawker heritage has been a topic that most Singaporeans, foodies and even foreigners love to embark on. Quite frankly, local cuisine has always been my kind of comfort food and there is no better way to enjoy it at Westgate where lush stage curtain drapes, vintage play posters, and bright spot lights take centerstage.



With a capacity of up to 22 stalls and two mini-restaurants, let us take an insight to what is on offer!

Xi De Li Fried Fritters

Did you know that the owner started selling these quintessential traditional snacks since 1966? While the biggest selling item is the glutinous bun (S$1/pc), other fried fritters include youtiao (S$1/pc) and interestingly the 3-in-1 nian gao (S$1/pc) shown above containing layers of nian gao, yam and glutinous rice before being coated in a golden brown crispy batter.

Apa Rojak



We first tried Apa Rojak at the Singapore Favourite Food Village and it remained one of our favourite dishes for the evening. Originating from Kota Tinggi, Malaysia, expect a satisfying appetiser with this four-decade old recipe by owner Christine Apa. We particularly enjoyed the acidity from the calamansi which enhanced the perfect balance of sweetness and savouriness in the shrimp paste. Of course, how can we forget the freshly grated crunchy peanut which topped off adding a beautiful texture to the dish.

Little Hanoi Noodle Bar


Started by Ms Jenny Mac, Little Hanoi is a new addition to the Food Republic family and is currently only available at Westgate. Expect to enjoy contemporary and affordable Vietnamese cuisine such as crispy spring roll (S$3.90/-) or sugarcane shrimps (S$6.90/-) made with the freshest ingredients and traditional recipes.

Chinatown Tan's Tutu Kueh

With 70 years of history to this snack, it is now managed by the family's third generation, Mr Alden Tan. Choose your filling between coconut and peanut with a minimum of 5 pieces at S$3/-.

Mei Shi Quan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

 Another new face to the Food Republic but surely no stranger to hawker food lovers, owner Mr Wong serves hokkien mee, oyster omelette, char kway teow and we had the black & white carrot cake (S$6/-). What better way to enjoy the best of both worlds, the sweet and savoury?

Li Xin Teochew Fishball Noodles
Original Fish Village

Starting out at Lau Par Sat, Mr Wu, the owner has close to two decades of experience and brings with him a loyal fan base. Taking pride in his springy rice noodles imported from Fu Jian, China and his homemade chilli sauce, the takeaway for me was that flavoursome milky fish and chicken broth.

You Men HK Roast

Established in 2000, the roast meat stall had since shot to fame after being featured on several TV food programmes. Perfect for sharing, have a mixed platter of their signature char siew, roast pork and soy chicken for S$19/-.

Qiu Lian Traditional Ban Mee

Serving a three generation recipe, owner Madam Ong first started selling homemade noodle soup in 1988. Expect a clean, nutritious yet flavoursome bowl of handmade ban mee (S$4/-)!

Woo Lee Jeeb Dae Bak Korean Cuisine

Owner Xiang Hua has more than 30 years of experience in the F&B scene, operating restaurants and eateries in Singapore, Korea and China. In order to perfect her Korean offerings, she visited Korea to learn about the various seasoning methods and intricate cooking techniques. Indulge in the hot stone mixed rice at an affordable S$7/-, complete with two side servings including kimchi.

Miso Japanese Cuisine

While I am not a huge fan in consuming Japanese cuisine at food courts, I was pleasantly surprised by the chicken teriyaki and salmon serving (S$6.80/-). With more than a decade of experience, owner Mike tries to reinvent with healthier options such as home-making their Teriyaki sauce with apples as natural sweetener!

Ah Chew Yong Tau Foo

With all Yong Tau Foo freshly handmade from scratch, owner Mr Tan takes pride in creating a broth specially brewed with pork bones and various types of vegetables and secret ingredients (S$7.60/1 pax or S$11.50/2 pax). The herbal broth had a beautiful aroma with a sweet after-taste which would probably suit most.

Saravanaa Bhavan Indian Vegetarian

With a focus in fine North Indian cuisine, head over if you are craving for bold flavours. Unique to the stall at Westgate only are the Paper Roast Dosa and Channa Bhatura but expect a whirlwind of flavours explosion with the Saravanaa Special Meal (S$7.50/-).

Chinatown Beef Noodle

Enjoy a 4 Treasures Beef bowl for S$8/- (small) or S$12/- (large) and expect to be pampered by the old heritage recipe. With succulent beef slices, balls and tendons, it is guaranteed to fulfil diners' beefy cravings.

Hot Hot Pot

Originating from Chongqing, Jingyun Mountain, spicy hot pot is a popular dish with distinctive taste notes of dry, numbing, spicy and fragrant. With premium ingredients such as sesame chicken, seafood and braised meat, this is suitable for four to share at S$25/-.

Apart from the various stalls, one can also enjoy desserts at All Things N'Ice, another new brand under Breadtalk Group, which offers a selection of specialty Asian desserts such as traditional yam paste and Taiwanese shaved ice treats. Apparently, the menu has just gone through a round of revamp and we are looking forward to a revisit some time soon!


If you think food courts cannot be exciting, it is time to take a second look when you next step in to Food Republic and at Westgate, check out the staff dressed in uniforms adorned with suspenders and paperboy caps to match the theatrical and drama stage interior!