One of our ultimate guilty pleasures in life is Salted Egg Yolk Custard Buns, or more commonly referred to as Liu Sha Bao. Mad props to whoever invented this decadent steamed delight because it is a work of pure genius and we are sure that many would agree.

The moment you burst open the Liu Sha Bao and molten salted egg yolk come oozing out; that is the epitome of bliss.

Here is our list of 13 Best Salted Egg Yolk Custard Buns (Liu Sha Bao) in Singapore.

#1 ASIA GRAND CHINESE RESTAURANT

Despite the tough competition in Singapore’s food scene, Asia Grand at Odeon Towers remains one of the go-to places for businessmen to entertain their clients, as well as families to have their weekend yum cha. The place is not fancy, but the food is always of high standards.

And of course, how can you go to Asia Grand and not try their liu sha bao?

331 North Bridge Road
Odeon Towers
Singapore 188720
Tel: +65 6887 0010
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 3pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Sun: 10am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

#2 CRYSTAL JADE GOLDEN PALACE

Crystal Jade Golden Palace at The Paragon is an all-time favourite dim sum place in Singapore. We love Crystal Jade’s steamy hot basket of custard bun. The ones here are orange in colour, because the skin is infused with carrot juice.

290 Orchard Road
#05-22 The Paragon
Singapore 238859
Tel: +65 6734 6866
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sat: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sun: 10.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

#3 IMPERIAL TREASURE FINE CHINESE CUISINE

The Imperial Treasure name is synonymous with high quality and exquisitely fine Chinese food. The prices may be hefty, but considering their use of premium ingredients and the impeccable service rendered to us each time we visit, there is zero reason for us to complain.

We really love it there, and of course, it is also because we are such huge fans of their custard buns. Honestly, we could easily finish a basket each.

#L2-04, Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018972
Tel: +65 6688 7788
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Sunday: 11am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Bayfront

#4 MAN FU YUAN

Serving up a myriad of classic Cantonese dishes in a lavish setting, Man Fu Yuan never fails to leave an impression.

Their dim sum offerings are simply divine and we make it a point never to miss out on their Salted Egg Custard Bun. Here, you can opt to have these glorious buns steamed or deep-fried.

80 Middle Road
2F Intercontinental Hotel
Singapore 188966
Tel: +65 6825 1008
Mon to Fri: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Bugis

#5 MIN JIANG AT DEMPSEY

Going against the norm, Min Jiang prides itself with its custard bun that exudes a charcoal-black hue.

Of course, the charcoal does not add much to the bun’s taste, but we can all agree that it looks a whole lot better especially after the golden salted egg yolk custard comes spilling out of it.

7A & 7B Dempsey Road,
Singapore 249684
Tel: +65 6774 0122
Daily: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Commonwealth/Queenstown

#6 MITZO RESTAURANT & BAR

Mitzo Restaurant & Bar ranks pretty high on our list of top dim sum restaurants and it is only right that we make a special mention about their stellar charcoal custard buns. Decorated luxuriously with edible gold lychee liqueur, this humble custard-filled bun surely is an eye-opener.

We love that the charcoal adds a subtle smokiness that complements the creamy, luscious salted egg yolk centre incredibly well.

270 Orchard Road
Level 4 Grand Park Orchard
Singapore 238857
Tel: +65 6603 8855
Daily: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Orchard/Somerset

#7 PEACH GARDEN

Dining at Peach Garden always promises a satisfying meal courtesy of their huge range of tasty dim sum delights, but the one thing we cannot do without are their custard buns.

Not to sound overly dramatic but believe us when we say that Peach Garden has one of the best custard buns in Singapore!

401 Havelock Road
Hotel Miramar, Level 3
Singapore 169631
Tel: +65 6736 3833
Sun to Thu: 11am – 3.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown

#8 SONG GARDEN

No dim sum meal would be complete without some form of stuffed bao. For a sweet treat, we recommend getting the Steamed Custard Bun that oozes out molten salted egg yolk. Be sure to have your phones at the ready to snap a video of that luscious filling spilling out!

122 Middle Road
Mercure Singapore Bugis
Singapore 188973
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Bugis

#9 TASTE PARADISE

The next time you find yourself wandering aimlessly around Ion Orchard in search of food, stop by Taste Paradise for their amazing dim sum offerings and of course, their stellar custard buns.

2 Orchard Turn
#04-07, ION Orchard
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6509 9660
Mon to Fri: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 11am – 4.30pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

#10 WAH LOK CANTONESE RESTAURANT

Offering beyond just the usual Steamed Custard Bun, Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant also has a slightly different rendition—a Baked Custard Bun with warm custard.

Although it does not come with molten custard lava, it is still an interesting option if you are looking for something different.

Level 2 Carlton Hotel Singapore
76 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189558
Tel: +65 6311 8188
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Sun & PH: 11am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

#11 WAN HAO CHINESE RESTAURANT

With doors opened since 1995, Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant is one of luxurious Chinese restaurants along Orchard Road that serves classic Cantonese delicacies.

The restaurant serves an assortment of dim sum during lunch, but the one that you must try is the Steamed Charcoal Bun With Salted Egg Custard.

320 Orchard Road
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
Singapore 238865
Tel: +65 6831 4605
Mon to Fri: 12pm to 3pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Sat, Sun and PH: 11.30am – 3pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

#12 XIN CUISINE CHINESE RESTAURANT

While Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant may not be the poshest restaurant on this list, we always look forward to the next visit because a meal here will never disappoint. Whenever you are popping by for their dim sum, do give their Custard Bun with Salted Egg Yolk a try.

#04-00 Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium
317 Outram Road
Singapore 169075
Tel: +65 6731 7173
Daily: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown

#13 YAN TING

The luxurious St Regis Singapore has no lack of good restaurants, and we have been fans of Yan Ting for years. Drop by for lunch at Yan Ting and do not skip their Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Buns if you are going for their dim sum menu.

29 Tanglin Road
The St. Regis Singapore
Singapore 247911
Tel: +65 6506 6887
Daily: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm
Weekend Dim Sum Brunch (Sat, Sun & PH): 10.30am – 12.30pm, 1pm – 3pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

I love custard buns. It is not a secret that I have been on a quest to find the best custard buns in Singapore.

A good custard bun (also known as Liu Sha Bao) has soft pillowy dough which is filled with egg custard and salted duck egg’s yolk. There are plenty of dim sum restaurants in Singapore that serve it, but most of them are mediocre. Where can you find good custard buns? Where can you go to satisfy your cravings for this popular dim sum?

Here’s my list of the Best Custard Buns in Singapore.

Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine

The Imperial Treasure name is synonymous with good quality and consistently good Chinese food. My girlfriend and I frequent Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine at Marina Bay Sands, and whenever we dine there, it is a must for us to order their Custard Bun.

It is one of my to-go places and this one does not disappoint with the combination of soft bun with very addictive custard filling.

#L2-04, Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue
Tel: +65 6688 7788
Daily: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Bayfront

Jiang-Nan Chun

Jiang-Nan Chun at Four Seasons Singapore is known for serving classic Cantonese cuisine in a luxurious setting. While everything on the dim sum menu is absolutely perfectly prepared, my favourite at Jiang-Nan Chun is without a doubt, the Custard Buns with salted egg yolk.

190 Orchard Boulevard
Four Seasons Hotel
Tel: +65 6831 7220
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sat & Sun (Dim Sum Brunch): 11am – 1pm, 1.30pm – 3pm

Man Fu Yuan

There are many Cantonese restaurants in Singapore, but Man Fu Yuan at Intercontinental Singapore stands out for offering a unique tea pairing service. Here, you can enjoy a range of Chinese tea to go along with the signature dishes and dim sum.

Fans of custard bun will be happy to know that Man Fu Yuan serves two kinds of custard bun ($12 for 6) – deep fried and steamed. Both are equally good, but I prefer the latter.

80 Middle Road
2F Intercontinental Hotel
Tel: +65 6825 1062

Paradise Pavilion

What I love about Paradise Pavilion’s custard bun is that it is always consistently good. I’ve had it on many occasions, and it is always so satisfying. This is the easily one of the best, if not, best custard buns in Singapore. Besides the usual custard bun, they also have a Crispy Custard Lava Man Tou ($8.80) served with vanilla ice cream. It is heavenly.

8A Marina Boulevard
#02-01 Marina Bay Link Mall
Tel: +65 6509 9308
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 4pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place

Peach Garden

This should go without saying, but I will reiterate the obvious: Peach Garden has, hands down, one of the best custard buns ($4.20) in Singapore. Besides their signature Wasabi Prawn and X.O. Carrot Cake, the custard bun is the must-order dish when you are at Peach Garden.

65 Chulia Street
#33-01 OCBC Centre
Tel: +65 6535 7833
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm
Sun & PH: 10.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place

Royal China Restaurant

Another of my favourite in town is the custard buns at Royal China. Its rendition was packed with a generous filling of the molten salted egg yolk custard and it had a certain “oomph“ to elevate it to something truly special.

1 Beach Road
#03-09 Raffles Hotel
Tel: +65 6338 3363
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Sun & PH: 11am – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

For more recommendations, read our guide to the best dim sum places in Singapore

It’s no secret that I love dim sum. I’ve been on a quest to find the best dim sum in Singapore and I’m happy to introduce you to my new favourite dim sum restaurant – Paradise Pavilion at Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC).

If Taste Paradise is a gorgeous fine dining Chinese restaurant with oriental decorations, Paradise Pavilion would be its westernised sibling, with a stunning French-inspired neoclassical ambience.

The restaurant on level 2 of the Marina Bay Link Mall also has an excellent view of the Marina Bay area, making it a great place to watch fireworks.

When you ask around which restaurants serve the best Beijing Roast Duck in Singapore, chances are, people will reply either Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck or Paradise Pavilion. It comes as no surprise as the latter actually constructed the wood fired ovens using apple wood from China. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try the famous Peking duck as there was only two of us during both visits, so I can’t tell you whether Paradise Pavilion indeed has the best Peking duck in Singapore.

What I can tell you is that they have good dim sum, and the lovely interior makes the food even better. You’d think that I’m an expert judging from all the dim sum places that I’ve been to, but no, I’m actually quite ‘safe’ when it comes to dim sum. When I like something, I’ll keep eating it. It’s quite clear by now that there are certain items that I’d always order when I eat dim sum – custard bun, char siew sou, egg tart, custard bun, char siew sou, egg tart…

But I am getting better at trying new things. I figured that it’s probably quite weird if I go into a restaurant and just order baskets of char siew sou, egg tart, custard bun and nothing else.

Under the dim sum menu, there are eight items under “recommended dishes” section, which I believe is a list of dim sum items that are exclusive to Paradise Pavilion. Unless I am mistaken, most of the other dim sum dishes are also available at Taste Paradise.

Among them, I’ve tried the Pan-Fried Bun with Sliced Peking Duck, Bacon & Pineapple ($5.6), Siew Mai Skewers ($5.8), Black Truffle Chicken Pie ($6), Sesame Pastry with Sauteed Peking Duck ($6) and Crystal Dumpling with Peking Duck ($4.8). I’d highly recommend the Pan-Fried Bun with Sliced Peking Duck and Siew Mai Skewers.

There was silence when the Siew Mai Skewers arrived at the table. Siew Mai on a stick looked mightily impressive. Wow. It tasted even better. The Pan-Fried Bun with Sliced Peking Duck, Pineapple and Bacon was also very good! It was simple, yet very satisfying.

My dining companion was quite taken with the Crystal Dumping with Peking Duck ($4.8), but I thought it was a tad too salty. In any case, it is one of the three dim sum dishes that has Peking Duck.

From the recommended dishes, the Dragon Beard Flaky Roll with Eggplant ($5.6) sounds really interesting, but we had too much food on both visits, so we skipped that.

I like Cheong Fun. Really, I do. But I find it a little disturbing to stuff Cheong Fun with deep-fried veg spring roll ($5.8), so we skipped that and went for the normal Steamed Cheong Fun with scallop filling ($6.3).

I know I shouldn’t judge a dim sum by its name, but I thought it was puzzling to list the Original Steamed Carrot Cake ($4.8) as one of the recommended dishes. Maybe the chefs at Paradise Pavilion have found a way to master steamed carrot cake. In that case, shouldn’t they name it as the ‘Best‘ Steamed Carrot Cake instead of ‘Original‘ Steamed Carrot Cake?

Another dim sum that came with Peking Duck was the Sesame Pastry with Sauteed Peking Duck ($6). Even though I love duck meat, we couldn’t finish the dish.

We were intrigued by the name of the Black Truffle Chicken Pie ($6). I know, we are such superficial creatures. Put anything-black-truffle on the menu and you can get our attention. Sadly, the chicken pie filling wasn’t exactly out-of-this-world good. The puff pastry, on the other hand, was amazing – it felt as though we were in pastry heaven.

The Baked BBQ Pork Pastry was good, as expected. I’ve said it before, and I shall say it again – Paradise restaurant has the best char siew sou in Singapore.

Paradise’s Steamed Custard Bun ($5.50) is one of the best, if not the best in Singapore. If you haven’t tried the custard buns before, you must make a trip here.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Paradise Pavilion
8A Marina Boulevard
#02-01 Marina Bay Link Mall
Tel: +65 6509 9308

For more recommendations, please read my list of best dim sum in Singapore

By now, I am sure you’d have seen the colourful xiaolongbao from Paradise Dynasty on advertising billboards along Orchard Road as well as the other Singapore Food Blogs that have written about it before.

Paradise Dynasty is one of their newer ventures, and it is conveniently located alongside Taste Paradise on Ion Orchard level four. The question on everyone’s mind: are the colourful creations from Paradise Dynasty the best Xiao Long Bao in Singapore?

The Paradise group of restaurants has been growing rapidly in recent years and they are definitely giving the other Chinese restaurant chains like Crystal Jade, Imperial Treasure, Din Tai Fung a run for their money.

I don’t know about you, but the colourful xiaolongbao with exotic ingredients sound like a marketing gimmick to me. In any case, I decided to drop by and see what the fuss is all about.

Okay maybe It is not exactly fair to compare restaurants directly, but to give you a better picture, Paradise Dynasty is the equivalent of Crystal Jade’s La Mian & Xiaolongbao.

Stepping inside Paradise Dynasty through the narrow entrance, the restaurant interior is not what you’d expect from a causal dining restaurant. And given the fact that most of the items on Paradise Dynasty’s menu are priced reasonably, it is not difficult to understand why they have been doing quite well.

We were here for the colourful xiaolongbao of course. Okay, maybe I need to stop calling them colourful xiaolongbao, let me try again. Paradise Dynasty has 8 signature xiaolongbao flavours: Original, Garlic, Ginseng, Foie Gras, Black Truffle, Cheese, Crab Roe, and Szechuan.

The original starts from $9.8 for a basket of 10, while the exotic premium xiao long bao like the black truffle, foie gras and ginseng are $19.80 for a basket of 10. Since it was our first time here, we went for the sampling basket ($13.80 for the 8 flavours). There were hits and misses. I thought that the Crab Roe and Cheese were surprisingly good, while the Ginseng and Foie Gras were rather bland and I couldn’t really taste anything. The other flavours were decent, but not rock-your-socks-off good.

Besides the steamed pork dumplings, we also had the la mian from Paradise Dynasty.

Why is Japanese ramen more popular than Chinese La Mian?

This question has been on my mind for some time, and I honestly don’t get it. Japanese food is a very popular cuisine, and there are so many Japanese ramen restaurants in Singapore. But when it comes to Chinese La Mian, we do not have many choices, and most people seem to prefer having ramen anyway.

The irony is Japanese ramen originates from Chinese La Mian, yet it is often more expensive. A bowl of ramen is at least $12-$15, while La Mian on the other hand, is usually priced below $10 at most Chinese restaurants.

Anyway I digressed. What I wanted to tell you is the La Mian with braised pork belly ($10.80) from Paradise Dynasty. The broth was rich and flavourful, the noodle springy and the pork belly sublime – in short, it was pretty fantastic. I definitely feel that this bowl of La Mian will not lose out to any ramen.

It is not easy to find a restaurant in Orchard road that serves decent food at affordable prices. Paradise Dynasty fits in very nicely in the local food scene, and I like the fact that the Paradise Group is keeping the other Chinese restaurant chains on their toes.

Paradise Dynasty is definitely a good option if you want to have Chinese food in Orchard road. It is a plus that they are an all day dining restaurant, which means that you can even go there during mid afternoon to have dim sum for high tea. But are the colourful xiao long baos with premium fillings really better than the original one?

I am not convinced.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Paradise Dynasty
2 Orchard Turn, #04-12A
ION Orchard Singapore
Tel: +65 6509 9118

Operating Hours:
Weekdays 11am to 10pm
Weekends 10am to 10pm

For most people, it seems almost like an annual ritual during the Singapore Mooncake Festival to visit the Takashimaya Mooncake Fair as you can find all the mooncakes by the different restaurants and hotels there. Be it buying mooncakes, or just hanging around to try the various new mooncakes flavor for 2010, the response to the Takashimaya Mooncake fair is always overwhelming.

But if you hate to squeeze with the crowd just for a box of mooncake, go to Raffles City level 3 – there’s a smaller Mooncake fair with 22 participating retailers.

I know this post is kind of late since most newspapers, magazines and food blogs have written on some of the must-try new mooncakes flavors for 2010. Nonetheless, I decided to share a list of the interesting mooncakes flavors that I want to try during the Mooncake Festival 2010. So lets find out which are the best Mooncakes in Singapore 2010.

Goodwood Park Hotel Mooncakes

Goodwood Park Hotel has a strong reputation for its durian pastries and desserts, with the durian puff and cake among the most popular items on it’s menu. Naturally, one of the signature mooncake of Goodwood Park Hotel is the D24 Durian Paste Snowskin Mooncakes ($50 for 4 pcs). Their mooncakes are definitely a must-try if you like durian, but please stay 10 feet from me after you have them.

22 Scotts Road
Tel: +65 6730 1786

Marriott Hotel Mooncakes

I’m not sure about you, but I prefer the traditional baked mooncakes to the snowskin mooncakes. The white lotus seed paste with single yolk ($49 for 4 pcs) from Marriott Hotel may sounds boring, but I think it is exactly what I need for the Mooncake Festival 2010. How many yolks do you like in your baked mooncakes?

320 Orchard Rd
Tel: +65 6735 5800

Raffles Hotel Mooncakes

52 bucks for a box of 8 ridiculously tiny snowskin mooncakes? I must be mad to pay for this. Tell me again: why am I doing this? Oh, it’s champagne truffle! Right. Everybody knows about the famous Champagne truffle mooncakes from Raffles Hotel. Enough said.

(North Bridge Road Entrance)
1 Beach Road
Tel: +65 6412 1122

Paradise Group Mooncakes

Being a fan of the Chinese cuisine at Taste Paradise, I must say I’m quite curious how their mooncakes fare against the more experienced hotels and restaurants. Some of the creations from Paradise Group include: Golden Pomelo, Fragrant Black Sesame, Sweet Custard with Cashew Nuts, and at just $38 for a box of 8, their mooncakes are priced slightly lower than the ones from the hotels.

Any Paradise Restaurants in Singapore
Tel: +65 6288 8961

The Regent Singapore Mooncakes

Consumers are a very fickle-minded bunch, and we want novelty.

Every year, the chefs from the different hotels and restaurants will think of new creations to satisfy the consumers’ growing demand for different flavors. For the Mooncake festival 2010, The Regent Singapore came up with Baked Ham & Pork Floss with assorted nuts and the Ginger Paste with Pine Nuts snowskin mooncakes. Personally, I feel that it’s really an acquired taste, but by all means go ahead if you are game enough to try the exotic mooncakes.

1 Cuscaden Road
Tel: +65 6733 8888

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Which are the best mooncakes in Singapore 2010? Let us know which mooncakes have you tried, and which are the ones that you are tempted to get! Have a good Mooncake Festival 2010 indulging in all the different mooncakes!