Yuen Kee Dumplings is one of those places that we got to learn about whilst going around Fortune Centre when being in the ‘hood; these folks had recently opened their doors, taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Atas Turkish Kebab that had been operating within the building for a while. Whilst seemingly new to the local F&B scene in Singapore, Yuen Kee Dumplings mentions that they do have overseas operations — that being said, we weren’t able to find information pertaining to that. Situated beside the outlet of Wawa Lala Bee Hoon there, Yuen Kee Dumplings seemed to have done quite a fair bit of work to the space; the shop facade now features a green-coloured theme with brightly lit signboards — there is also a display shelf the showcases all of the dumplings and wantons that they have to offer as well. Inside the shop unit, much of the seating layout has been retained; that being said, the use of wooden furniture and fittings does give the space a little bit of a more upscale vibe which is also cosy at the same time. The menu at Yuen Kee Dumplings is split across categories such as Dumplings, Wantons, Noodles, Side Dish and Desserts — though much of its core focus does seem to revolve around the selection of dumpling and wantons that they have to offer. Beverages available at Yuen Kee Dumplings would include house-made concoctions such as the Monk Fruit “Luo Han Guo” Herbal Tea, Homemade Barley Drink and Ginseng Chrysanthemum Tea — just to name a few.

Whilst Yuen Kee Dumplings does have quite a number of dumplings and wantons that they serve handmade on the spot — that being said, the only items that is being marked as their signature offering would be their Shrimp and Crab Roe Pork Wonton. Yuen Kee Dumplings interestingly serves their Shrimp and Crab Roe Pork Wonton in serving sizes of ten (10) pieces per serving; this is as opposed to the serving size of twelve (12) or (15) pieces for the other Wonton dishes that they have to offer. They also do allow patrons to choose of have their wantons or dumplings to come with Cantonese Style Soup, Viral Mixed Sauce with Chili Oil, Peanut Sauce and Fiery Spicy & Tangy Soup — our choice was for the Viral Mixed Sauce with Chili Oil. The Shrimp and Crab Roe Pork Wonton are packed a little more generously than the other wanton offerings that they have on the menu; they also do have an aesthetic that loosely resembles that of Mainland Chinese Siew Mai to a very small degree. Considering how they are so generously packed with filling, they are traces of chunks of shrimp that provided a good bite with a natural sweetness that went well with the brininess of the crab roe that gives a bit of a popping sensation with every bite. Opting for the Viral Mixed Sauce with Chili Oil, we found out that the sauce was a mix of their Peanut Sauce and the standard Chili Oil that one would usually find in Sichuan Spicy Wonton in Chili Oil (i.e. 红油抄手); the creamy peanut sauce giving a nutty twist to the savoury and slightly smoky Lao Gan Ma-esque chili that comes with crispy bits — suitably spicy for those tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness.

During our visit, we had also went for the Braised Beef Brisket Dry Noodles — there is apparently a choice to add Ramen or Egg Noodles (both of which being at an additional top-up of $2), though the bowl of noodles will come with egg noodles be default. Digging into the bowl of noodles, the egg noodles are done in a way similar to how one would expect Hong Kong-style wanton noodles would be; there is a slight note of lye around, though the savoury sauce tossed with the noodles makes that seem more complimentary to the entire experience rather than being a flavour note that stuck out like a sore thumb. We also liked how the noodles were also springy, and that the cuts of beef brisket included with the noodles were a good mix of gelatinous fatty parts and lean meat as well. There is a slight gaminess with the braised beef brisket, though this is a rather manageable one that provides more contrast of flavours than being anything unpleasant. The Fried Prawn Roll was quite an oddball in the menu considering how most of the items that are being served up at Yuen Kee Dumplings are more Cantonese-inspired. Whilst the Fried Prawn Rolls here aren’t quite as crispy as the ones that we would usually come across at zichar-style establishments located in the coffeeshops, food courts and hawker centres, we do like how the variant here is tightly-packed with prawn fillings which gives it a slight sweetness — we also found chunks of chestnuts within that gave the Fried Prawn Rolls a bit of a crunch factor amidst the firm bite of the fillings.

Yuen Kee Dumplings does seem to serve up dumplings and noodles of a pretty good quality overall; the fact that they serve up handmade dumplings considering the variety of dumplings that they have to offer is actually quite a feat on its own — these folks were still busy churning out dumplings to a fully-seated establishment even late at night when we left at around 8pm after our meal. The only qualm is how the operations aren’t exactly well thought out; the self-service POS system being meant for takeaway orders but there aren’t any signages clearly indicating so — queue numbers indicating orders being ready for collection are also oddly displayed only within the establishment when there isn’t sufficient space to wait for takeaway orders inside the space as well. Prices of their dumpling and wanton offerings start from $7.80 to $10.80 — all of which coming in portions of ten (10) to fifteen (15) pieces each, while their noodle offerings are priced from $5.50 to $9.50. Apart from minor things that they probably need to get sorted out for their operations, Yuen Kee Dumplings does seem like an interesting dining option to go for whilst being around Fortune Centre with generally good quality and generous portions to boast — we are likely to find ourselves to return some day to give their other dumpling / wanton options a go.