Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao Review: Fresh Dim Sum From $1 In Bishan

Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao is a stall in Bishan

Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao is a relatively hidden stall as it’s tucked away in a quaint coffeeshop at Bishan Street 11. They have a wide selection of 31 items on the menu, with prices starting from just $1—no wonder the stall attracts a loyal crowd from the area. Slightly intimidated by the sheer variety of dishes on the menu, I settled on the stall’s most popular dishes.

The staff start their day in the early hours of the morning to make everything from scratch, including the dough, the various fillings, and the pastes. 

Food at Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao

As the stall name suggests, handmade bao takes centre stage here. And after trying a good variety of their bao, I came to a conclusion regarding the debate of which is more important to making a good bao: the skin or the filling, which I’ll get into soon.

I had to try the Red Bean Bao and Lotus Paste Bao which were the most affordable items on the menu, priced at just $1 each. Although I usually prefer my bao savoury to sweet, I enjoyed both flavours. Despite the affordable prices, I was pleased that they did not skimp on their house-made fillings.

The red bean paste was not too sweet and was also one of the smoothest bean pastes I’ve tried, making it all the more easy to savour. I thought the same for the lotus paste bao, and thought fans of lotus mooncakes would surely enjoy this especially since the Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner!

The other sweet bao we tried were the Coffee Bao ($1.10), the Shou Tao ($1.30), and the Egg Custard Bun ($3.60).

For the uninitiated, Shou Tao is a longevity bun eaten on special occasions. It has the same filling as the Lotus Paste Bao except that its exterior resembles a peach. 

I could see why the delightfully gao Coffee Bao was a crowd favourite. It was like having a cup of kopi in a bao form, and the bittersweet paste had the perfect kick of caffeine I was looking for.

The Egg Custard Bun oozed with a yellow custard when we tore it open. It was neither cloying nor eggy and still retained a smooth custard creaminess. I was also glad that they offered sweet egg custard instead of salted egg custard, which was ubiquitous in several other dim sum places in Singapore.

Besides the Coffee Bao, I also recommend the Char Siew Bao ($1.10). The char siew filling leaned on the sweeter side with a distinct caramelly taste. But thankfully, the sweetness was quelled thanks to a strong and smoky roasted meat flavour!

We also got to try the Braised Meat Bao ($1.80), filled with sweet-savoury braised pork. Although the meat was relatively tender and well-marinated on its own, I found it a bit hard to chew when paired with the bun as there was a conflicting combination of textures between the chunk of meat and the extremely soft bun. 

The Big Pork Bao ($2) is not just big, but huge as it’s twice the size of a regular bao. This makes for the perfect breakfast when you are feeling extra peckish as it’s packed generously with all kinds of delicious ingredients: tender pork meat, onions, hard-boiled egg and more. 

Moving on to their selection of Dim Sum, prices range from $1.20 per piece for fried to $2.60 per piece for steamed. We started off strong with the classic Siew Mai, a delicious harmony of minced pork and shrimp within a velvety dumpling. It tasted even better fresh off the steam. 

We then tried the Fried Beancurd Skin Roll ($2.60), which was like a ngoh hiang with a soft fish cake-like filling encased within a crispy fried beancurd skin. 

We also enjoyed the Prawn Chee Cheong Fun ($3.50), a silky steamed rice roll bathed in a light soy sauce, filled with prawns and usually eaten with chilli. Although all the dim sum we tried was delicious, the Siew Mai was an easy win in our books.

Ambience at Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao

I went slightly before lunchtime when the crowd in the coffee shop had died down. It’d be helpful to note that the stall sees a queue in the morning as shutters open at 5:30am every day. Since each item is steamed to order, it might take a while to get what you ordered. 

The stall is located near Bishan MRT Station and Braddell MRT Station, but I recommend taking a bus as it’s quite a walk from the train stations. 

The verdict

Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao is a great place to head to for breakfast. Additionally, they make everything fresh from scratch daily, which we don’t take for granted.

Overall, their bao strikes the perfect balance of soft skin and hearty filling. We appreciated the generous amount of house-made filling and liked that the soft steamed bao skin was not too thick or thin, allowing the flavours to shine through. Back to the question of whether the skin or filling is more important: this may sound cliche, but both are equally key in making a good bao.

Since I live in the area, I’ll definitely head back for their Char Siew Bao and Siew Mai, or even try the other items on the menu! For those living closer to Ang Mo Kio, they have an outlet there as well. 

For more eats in the area, read our Bishan food guide. Alternatively, read our Xiang Yu Pan Fried Bun review, a stall run by an ex-restaurant chef in Jurong.

Address: 150A Bishan Street 11, Singapore 570150
Opening hours: Daily 5:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 8358 4590
Website
Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Maisie Chong.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg