With its heart of molten goodness, salted egg custard buns (or liu sha bao) are a favourite of dim sum lovers. We set out to find the fluffiest buns with the perfect ooze factor.
Clockwise from top left: Custard buns from Peach Garden,
Majestic Restaurant, Crystal Jade Dining IN and Victor’s Kitchen.
1. MAJESTIC RESTAURANT
VERDICT: 7.5/10. The buns here were bite-sized and I could easily pop the entire bun into my mouth. The skin was fluffy and not too thin, so it didn’t break easily when handled. And while the buns were piping hot when they arrived at my table, I was disappointed that the filling did not spill out when I split them open. Taste-wise, the sweet-savoury blend of custard and salted egg yolk was just nice. It wasn’t too rich, so you can eat a few of these without feeling like it’s too jelak. But considering the bun’s size and cost, it was the most expensive of the lot.
The buns are priced at $6 for three. Majestic Restaurant is located at 31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road, Tel: 6511 4718.
2. CRYSTAL JADE DINING IN
Verdict: 7.5/10. The taste of the salted egg came through the most, compared to the other buns. I liked the slightly grainy, textured filling, too. While the bun was not as warm as the rest when I picked it up, the filling was surprisingly hot and oozy. I felt that the dough could have been a little thinner, though. Size-wise, it’s the most practical – neither too small nor too big – and one bun is enough to fill you up after a meal. The unique orange shade comes from carrot extracts.
The Crystal Jade salted egg custard buns are priced at $3.60 for three. Crystal Jade Dining IN is located at #01-112 Vivocity, Tel: 6278 5626.
3. VICTOR’S KITCHEN
VERDICT: 9/10. Our favourite among the four! We took small bites and the buns really “exploded” in our mouth. The filling was extremely generous and spilled all over our fingers. The custard-salted egg mixture was a tad oily – yellow spills dripped all over the tissue I was holding it with – and eating this was the messiest out of the four. Yet, this bun had the most flavour – pillowy soft skin that encased a rich salted egg and sweet custard center.
These custard buns are priced at $3.50 for three. Victor’s kitchen is located at #01-21 Sunshine Plaza, 91 Bencoolen Street, Tel: 9838 2851.
4. PEACH GARDEN
VERDICT: 8/10. This bun was slightly larger than the one from Majestic Restaurant and its skin felt rather thin. When peeling it off the paper base, I had to be extra careful not to break the skin of the bun. Split into half, the rich yellow centre flowed out – superb ooze factor! The filling was rather substantial and filled the bun nicely. The salted yolk taste was really strong though, and I could barely taste the custard.
Peach Garden’s custard buns are priced at $3.60* for three. The restaurant is located at #01-06 Novena Gardens, 273 Thomson Road, Tel: 6254 3383; full outlet listing at www.peachgarden.com.sg.
All product and pricing information was correct at the time of the magazine’s publication. We advise readers to check with the store for the latest availability and pricing information. PHOTOGRAPHY: WINSTON CHUANG, STYLING: NIKKI HO.
This article was originally published in SimplyHer August 2011.