Food Picks: Cha chaan teng food and vibes at Legendary Hong Kong’s new Tampines outlet

SINGAPORE – Legendary Hong Kong’s latest outlet at Tampines Mall offers an appetising experience – from its extensive menu of more than 200 items to its decor, which features pale-green mosaic walls at booth seats with wooden tables and benches.

The home-grown brand has two other outlets here – one at Jurong Point and a swankier Cantonese concept called Legendary Classics at Rochester Commons. 

The sprawling 4,000 sq ft Tampines Mall eatery, which seats 188 diners, opened on July 18, with a grand opening set for Aug 16. Despite its size and the crowd, service is prompt and food is served fairly swiftly.

With executive chef Loke Heng Keat, 46, at the helm, the restaurant’s emphasis is on handmade dim sum and Cantonese roast meats cooked on-site. 

The outlet’s standard menu is the same as that at the Jurong Point outlet, with an additional menu of items exclusive to the Tampines branch. 

They include the wok hei-filled Original HK Fried Noodles ($14.80++). The dish looks deceptively ordinary, but is big on flavour. Imported Hong Kong egg noodles are deep-fried and then stir-fried for a firm texture and toasty aroma. They are tossed with prawns, house-roasted char siew, bean sprouts, spring onion and yellow chives, a much-prized vegetable.

Another new item is HK Fish Cake Soup With Gourd & Mixed Mushrooms ($16.80++). The highlight is the yu fu – beancurd skin stuffed with fish paste, specially imported from Hong Kong. It is springier and more tender than local versions.

The soup base is a collagen-rich stock of old hen, scallops and pork bones simmered for three hours daily. Silky luffa and a mix of oyster, king oyster and white beech mushrooms complete the bowl. I would have preferred to omit the evaporated milk, which is added to lend a milky texture to the soup, but makes it a tad sweet.

An interesting dish is Pandan Rice Rolls With Crispy Prawn Rolls ($10.80++), with fried prawn rolls wrapped in pandan-infused rice noodle sheets. The prawn rolls are made with fried Vietnamese rice paper for extra crispness. Pandan extract, made from blending and squeezing fresh leaves, lends a distinctly local touch to the Hong Kong menu. Dip the rolls in peanut or soya sauce.

The HK Style Milk Tea With Housemade Tea Jelly & Vanilla Ice Cream ($8.80++) was introduced in early July. The eatery uses ground tea leaves, imported from Hong Kong, which are brewed using a coffee sock for a smooth, robust flavour. The milk tea is also set into a soft jelly with gelatin, paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a refreshing finish.

The restaurant is particularly proud of its Cantonese roast meats, which are behind a glass display next to the entrance.

The Legendary Roasted Duck is marinated with over 10 herbs and spices, including star anise, black cardamom, fermented bean paste and seafood sauce, which impart exciting flavour to the meat. Torched before serving, the duck skin is reasonably crispy too. Prices start at $16.80++ a portion, with an additional $3++ for drumstick or breast. Half a duck is $32++, whole is $59++ and a drumstick is $10.80++.

For dim sum, the Lava Egg Custard Bun ($5.80++ for three) is made entirely in-house from Hong Kong wheat flour. Salted egg yolks are baked to release their oil and fragrance, then cooked with butter in a bain marie for the filling.

Congee lovers can choose from 16 varieties. The Congee With Shredded Pork And Century Egg ($8.80++) is a must-try. Short-grain rice from Australia is cooked for three hours to achieve a smooth, sticky consistency. Hind trotter lean meat is marinated for eight hours, before it is braised and then shredded by hand while it is steaming hot. The strands of meat lend addictively salty accents to the porridge, which is lightly seasoned. Even the century egg, imported from Hong Kong, has a soft yolk. 

Where: B1-11 Tampines Mall, 4 Tampines Central 5
MRT: Tampines
Open: 11am to 10pm (weekdays), 10am to 10pm (weekends and public holidays)
Info:

lhk.com.sg