Woke up Wednesday craving proper dim sum after binge-watching street food videos all night. Decided on Man Fu Yuan ’cause folks kept tagging me about it. Grabbed my phone around 11 AM – mistake, peak lunch rush. Tried calling their number. Busy signal. Twice.
The Phone Struggle & Price Hunting
Waited 20 minutes, tried again. This time some poor guy answered sounding like a stampede happened behind him. Straight up yelled: “Yo! How much for the weekend yum cha buffet?” He gasped back, “Adult $58++! Kid half price! Weekend only!” Before I could ask the ++ thing, the line cut dead. Classic. Messaged my foodie group chat: “Anyone knows what ‘++’ even means here?”
Mike pinged back: “Tax plus service charge lah. Probably adds like $8?” Annoying, but okay. Checked my wallet app – payday tomorrow vibes. Budget felt tight but work stress demanded prawn dumplings.
Taking the Plunge & Facing Reality
Drove down Saturday noon sharp. Place looked swanky – marble floors, big red lanterns. Hostess showed us the buffet spread with a sweep of her hand like Vanna White. Cold plate section: Jellyfish, soy chicken, roasted pork belly. Grabbed a plate instantly. Pork belly skin? Crisp heaven. Jellyfish? Pretty okay.
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Hot Stuff We Scarfed Down:
- Har Gow: Skin not too thick, prawns decent. Ate like five.
- Siew Mai: Fat porky ones. Good bite.
- Char Siew Buns: Fluffy cloud outside, sweet pork inside. Best thing there.
- Egg Tarts: Tiny but crust crumbled just right.
- Fried Squid: WAY oilier than my gym trainer would allow. Had seconds anyway.
Noticed prawn cheung fun sitting too long under the heat lamp. Sad rubbery texture. Told the server – he kinda shrugged. “We replace when batch finish.” Yeah. Didn’t see a refill.
Worth the Hype & Cash?
Stuffed our faces for nearly 90 minutes. Tried the sweet soup – lukewarm almond stuff. Pass. Final bill hit $62.90 per person after the ++ nonsense. Honestly?
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For $63:
- Yes if you wanna gorge on har gow and char siew buns non-stop.
- No if lukewarm cheung fun makes you wanna flip tables.
- Maybe just come off-peak and order a la carte.
My belly was happy. My wallet lighter. Went home, took a fat nap. Dreamed about steamed baskets.