If you are a child of the 60's and 70's, lunch at the Red Star restaurant will transport you back to the days when the only stress was whether you get to be chosen for the soccer team during recess time.
Red Star is the kind of restaurant that some people would love while others would complain that the food just cannot make it. It is old school Dim Sum served on trolleys and the only Dim Sum I knew of when I was growing up. Truth be told, the taste and style of the Dim Sum probably wouldn't appeal to the new generation of Singaporeans who have grown up eating Dim Sum picked from a menu. But for the old boys and girls, this is the kind of place where you go to reminisce about the good old days and Mommy, Daddy, Ah Gong and Ah Mah.
From left: Chef Hooi Kok Wai, Chef Sin Leong, myself
The men we have to thank for preserving this piece of Singapore Heritage are none other then Grand Masterchefs Sin Leong, and Hooi Kok Wai, two of the remaining members of the Legendary Four Heavenly Kings of Cantonese Cuisine. You might not have heard about the Four Heavenly Kings, but I am sure you are familiar with some of the dishes that they created viz: Chilli Crab, Yam Ring, Yu Sheng (Raw Fish Salad) and USA Duck.
Master Chef Luo Chen still being remembered at Red Star
So how did these Four Men of culinary legend come to be? Well, they were all disciples of Hong Kong Master Chef Luo Chen who was the Head Chef at Cathay Restaurant in the 50's. Those were the days when eating at a Restaurant was a big deal as there weren't many around, and the Cathay was the Grand Dame of Cantonese Cuisine. These four Singaporeans started training under Chef Luo as apprentices and worked their way up to be Chefs. When the master felt that their Culinary Kung Fu had reach the limits of what could be achieved in his kitchen, he sent them out to spread Cantonese Cuisine to a wider audience. And so they did, but not as competitors, but as a band of brothers. They made a pact such that their restaurants would each serve their own signature dishes so that they don't compete with each other.
Chef Sin Leong started out with a Mobile Teaching School called the Sin Leong Chinese Cooking Institute in 1965 (due to lack of capital) and eventually opened Sin Leong Restaurant in 1971. Sin Leong Restaurant would eventually be sold to his Godson, Roland who renamed it Roland Restaurant. Chef Hooi, opened Dragon Phoenix Restaurant and was responsible for modifying Mdm Cher's original Chilli Crab (Palm Beach Seafood) recipe by adding eggs into the recipe, thus creating the familiar Chilli Crabs we have today. The late Chef Tham Yew Kai was the head Chef and co-owner of Lai Wah restaurant which was most famous for the popularization of Yu Sheng (Raw Fish Salad). (I say "popularization" because Yu Sheng was something which the four Heavenly Kings concocted during one of their frequent gatherings. In fact they all had minor shares in each other's restaurants). Chef Lau Yoke Pui was the one who headed Red Star which was eventually taken over by Chef Sin Leong and Chef Hooi upon his passing.
Every weekend, the restaurant would be bustling with extended families lining up for Dim Sum. It is a huge restaurant which can easily be used to hold wedding banquets and it was great to see the ladies pushing their carts around and kids running around playing catching. The decor is dated, but that is precisely what you are going for. There are some gems to be found amongst the Dim Sum. The Custard Puff is one of them. I was told that the flaky custard puff was an invention of Chef Hooi who modified the Portugese Egg Tart to this version without the blackened top. Rocket Girl said it was one of the best Egg Tarts she has ever eaten. 4.25/5.
Aside from that, I honestly felt that the other Dim Sum were nothing to shout about. I would rate most of them between 3/5-4/5 I am not sure if it is because they are just old school recipes which have not changed over the years or whether it is because the kitchen is now helmed by younger chefs. If you have been eating at Red Star for years, perhaps you can share your own experience?
Speaking of Dim Sum Trolleys, I really feel that it is time for them to make a comeback. There must be more Gen Xers like myself who have grown up eating off the Dim Sum Trolleys who would love to see them again in Singapore. They are, after all, still commonplace in Hong Kong and Australia, so they should be practically feasible.
Conclusion
The Legend of the Four Heavenly Kings is slowly fading but the stalwarts and keepers of the Legend are still fanning the flame at the Red Star. I think the Dim Sum must have been better in the past, but that is beside the point. You go there for the Dim Sum Trolleys, the 80's decor and to teach your kids about what it was like when you were growing up. To further embellish the experience, start the Heritage tour by playing some Abba and Bee Gees on the way there! Such places are rare in Singapore and I hope it never changes.
Blk 54 Chin Swee Road
#07-23
Singapore 160054
Tel: 6532 5266 / 6532 5103
Daily: 7.00am - 3.00pm / 6.00pm - 10.30pm
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22 comments:
It's a really nice and nostalgic experience dining at this place, with the family atmosphere, trolleys - including the tricky part of watching them come out of a kitchen like a hungry hawk - so that's gotta be worth something, but the dim sum itself is not what it used to be. And with the price not what is used to be (what is anymore though), the 'value proposition' just isn't there. I feel I'm better of at places like Wah Lok (Carlton) and Hua Ting (Orchard) for traditional dim sum and Cantonese roasts, and Jade (Fullerton) for more modern-style dim sum, where they have a dim sum buffet for 30-ish on Sundays and public hols.
The atmosphere reminded me of malaysian dim sum restaurants. However, the food is generally not tasty and not worth the price.
Maybe the concept is not big here but having tried a few dim sum trolley places, usually some dishes aren't that fresh or tasty after having been steaming for ages on the trolley. Neptune restaurant used to do it quite nicely though.
http://www.getforme.com/previous2006/311206_theneptunerestaurantclosesafter34yearsinbusiness.htm
Oh I think people love the concept! But there are a few hurdles for restaurants to get over in order to deliver it.
The place and Dim Sum are okay, but the service sulks. We waited for nearly 30 minutes before we are served tea and tibits. Their staffs are very good is pushing their responsibility to each others. We left only paying for the tea and tibits
The quality has really gone down IN recent years. Just had a family gathering there last weekend and my family member unanimously agreed that the quality and taste has severely lost its original magic...
Hi Leslie, dim sum carts are actually no longer common in HK now. The only one I know of now is Lien Heung Lau on HK island. Since im now in HK and have been having my fair share of yum cha, I reckon the cart is as rare as Singapore. Pity actually...
If someone here knows of more dimsum cart restaurants in HK pls point them out :)
who
WHO: City's Hall Maxim's Palace
Definitely nostalgia over taste. Just didn't taste as good as it was when I was a kid.
Yeah, can't believe I missed maxim city hall. But that's still 2 out of the thousands of restaurants, so my point is still valid. Pushcarts are very rare here in hk too.
Oh no, Hong Kong also no more push carts? Wonder why the trend when it is obvious most people like the push carts!
There is another good push cart dim sum place in HK -- it's in City Hal -- called Maxim's. Interesting location and the decor defies the food. Walking in you will see elegant white tablecloths, and crystal chandeliers adoring a heavily decorated room with thick drapery along an entire wall of windows that (used to) overlook the harbor -- construction now has changed that..... but unlike the elegant surrounds, the pushcart food is more down to earth -- tradition dim sum items, plus a few more unique. and if you know what you want, you can order specific items a la carte that are o not on the carts. Most importantly, this is not a tourist trap. there are more locals there than foreigners, although all are easily accommodate. It's a pretty good place, mixing street and modern in a typically Hong Kong'ian way.... Check it out.
It is interesting to see the disappearance of trolleys in dim sum. Personally I find it quite disappointing, because the food always tastes better from a cart. Pushcart Dim sum is also quite popular in the USA if you are in an area where this kind of food is easily accessible (sadly, not enough places in the US like that....) NY's Chinatown is, of course, a good place o find pushcarts, but also in Philadelphia's Chinatown there is a very popular, and delicious dim sum joint called Imperial Inn, on 10th and Arch street near the Chinese arch. We used to spend 3 or 4 hours casually drinking tea and picking at dim sum passing by as we would talk about the world's problems. I hoped there would be a lot of that in Singapore, but alas, not so much.... But it is why I love Red Star so much -- it's all about the ambiance.
But as for Red Star specifically, my biggest complaint about Red star is that if you don't get a table in the center area of the room, you have to fight for your food and by the time they get to you it is often cold. People rush to the carts from across the room to get what they want, which is a disadvantage to all others patiently waiting. I think they need more carts or a more strategic way of moving around the room. Still, I love going to Red Star.
push carts should just GO AWAY. the cost of the staff just makes it unfeasible. you end up with crap food. that is why i have STOPPED going to Red Star, for the longest time.
love the kitschy look and feel of the 70s at Red Star. We go there with our dad as it's his regular dim sum haunt, notwithstanding we much prefer the quality of dim sum at crystal jade. it's a one-of-a-kind place, hope they keep the decor as is given S'pore is so full of already chi chi type dim sum places.
My grandparents used to live in Chin Swee, right where Red Star is. I grew up eating there at least once a week till school going age. So that version of coarse dimsum will always be my favourite, yes, even compared to the ultra refined ones in classy hotels.
Thks for the history lesson. Someone should write a proper book to document the history of the 4 heavenly kings. I'll buy a few copies!
Yes, we still have dim sum trolleys in most older establishments here in Ipoh, though the sight of NEW dim sum outlets in the bigger cities doing away with older ladies pushing the cart is a worry that this will soon be done away with.
Nothing beats the atmosphere of breakfast in an old dim sum restaurant, with shouts of 'har gau', 'siu mai' etc and the bustling, noisy environment made up of chatters, chopsticks and tea pots, and old, rickety chairs being arranged.
At least you can still find them in Ipoh! I gotta pay these places a visit soon!
I believe Metropol Restaurant 名都酒樓, 4/F, United Centre, 95 Queensway Admiralty, still serves dim sum in push carts.
ieat, swatow seafood at T.Payoh do have push cart dim sum though it is only in the afternoon. Emailed video clip to you.
Bring back nostalgia memory of the old days with those push carts. Not so much on the dim sum but rather the ambience.
I was there on a Saturday afternoon, they had durian pancakes. IT WAS GOOOOD... you may want to go back when they have it and review it :)
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