Taste Paradise @ Ion Orchard

I was teased by the piglet shaped red bean bun whilst loitering around Ion one visit. Taste Paradise is its name but the piglet was nowehere to be found. Dimsum seems to be available for most part of the day, last orders are at 330pm so that suits high tea timing really well.



Posh surroundings, matches that of Paradise Dynasty a couple of doors away. Yumcha seems to be a favourite pastime of Singaporeans (eating is..so that includes every conceivable meal)..even past 3, it was filled quite nicely.



Lovin' the china!



Pickled cucumbers to start off the meal. I actually liked nibbling it.

In usual order your dimsum manner, you've got to tick your choices on the sheet.



Steamed BBQ Honey Pork Bun ($3.90)

Nothing to fault but nothing too out of the world either.



Steamed Pork Dumpling "Siew Mai" ($4.80)

Always a must order to prove I had dimsum. Yums.



Steamed Chicken Claw in Black Bean Sauce ($3.80)

Not a fan nor friend of this, skipped it.



Steamed Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf ($3.80)

Fragrance is its middle name with soft chewy sticky grains and a smatter of ingredients though it really did seem that there was more rice than ingredients.




Baked BBQ Pork Pastry ($3.90)

Light flaky pastry makes this always a must order too.



Steamed Shanghai Pork Dumpling ($3.80)

As good as Din Tai Feng, much better than Paradise Dynasty. But isn't Paradise Dynasty under the same group as Taste Paradise?



Pan fried Pork and Green Bean Dumpling ($3.80)

Did not try but it was gone before my chopsticks could react.



Steamed Scallop and Scrambled Egg White Dumpling ($4.20)

Unassuming looking vegetarian dumpling. A refreshing combination of scallops and scrambled egg whites, I thought it was unique and reminded of a vegetarian dumpling..still.



Pan fried Pumpkin Pastry ($3.20)

These reminded me of the fried pumpkin ball fritters at Maxwell Market.



Chewy dough with red bean filling, it's really as simple as it sounds. Simply, good.

The Unforgettable



Steamed Prawn Dumpling "Har Kau" ($4.80)

The sexy four striking a pose.



Smear on a dash of chilli paste...it's ready to go.



Succulent plump prawns with diced vegetables, I loved the pairing! Who ever said har gaos had to be just prawns? The other part of it that stole the thunder, the insanely thin skin!



Century Egg and Pickled Ginger in Chestnut Roll with Wasabi Mayo ($4.20)

It was ordered out of a whim and it was one of those things that threw you off guard in a positive way. Hidden dragon, crouching tiger I say. Never ever underestimate pickled ginger. Eaten on its own it really is a love-hate. Yet when it meets a fellow strong tasting century egg, the pickled ginger was much subdued...infact, the results are queerly complementary.

The same kind of thin paper wrap here...it felt somehow like Vietnamese rolls.

 

Plates of gluttony to prove how huge a fan I am of their cheong funs. The same nifty fingerwork could be detected in their cheong funs too!



Steamed Cheong Fun with Fresh Shrimp Filling ($5.50)



Steamed Cheong Fun with Barbequed Pork Filling ($4.80)

I found it hard to choose a particular favourite of the two after being so in loveeeee with the silken cheong fun. Unlike the readymade ones these are smooooooooth like beancurd. I kid you not. Down with those that serve up pasty and firm rice rolls!



Deep Fried Taro Puff with Prawn ($3.80)

The calorie piling starteths with deepfried items.  Try as I might to avoid deepfried dishes during a dimsum meal as you get filled so fast!




Yum, yum, yummmmmm! This was really quite good with the crispy yam and buttery yam paste within. Pity the prawn was barely there but for a hardcore yam fan, this has to be it. It is seriously quite hard to avoid the cloying factor for deepfried anything so was pretty pleasing that this was barely cloying!



Steamed Custard Bun ($4.20)

The only few times I will ever allow my plate to get all messy and dirty are for crabs and possibly steamed custard buns. Staring at it spill over is  pure decadence much less slurping up the mess.



More of the yummmms. The filling tends to be a tad sweet but loved the salted egg and custard combination, droolworthy, slurpworthy...no wonder I was clamouring for seconds and even thirds. I wanted it so bad I had the kitchen squeeze in another order though they were nearly closing the kitchen!

My kind of custard bun. Thinking about it gives me a bad mood....I want to be back already!



Mini Egg Tart ($3.60)

Mini babies of pure delight. The same kind of wobbly delight as Tai Cheong's though the sin-factor was clearing missing. It tasted quite like L.E. Cafe's soyabeancurd tarts too.

Not a fan




Steamed Custard Cake ($3.60)

Read otherwise as Ma Lai Goh. The first disappointment of the table with stiff tasteless cups of cake.

Portions come in 3's or 4's but generally each item is slightly over a dollar. Yumcha at a bang for your buck. Loved how value for money the whole meal came up to, quality and quantity achieved.  Service is attentive and prompt. I trust I'd be back sooner than I think!

Taste Paradise
Ion Orchard
4th Floor