Chao Yue Xuan 潮粵轩 is one establishment that should not be a stranger to the local F&B scene here — having first started its operations within a shop unit that is located at Junction Nine in Yishun, Chao Yue Xuan has recently made the announcement that they will be moving out of their Yishun location which they had been operating since 2021, and relocating to a larger unit at Capitol Piazza taking over the former premises of Am I Addicted; a Korean pottery studio which had since made its move to Orchard Central instead. Chao Yue Xuan has first garnered quite a bit of attention on social media mainly due to the credentials of the chef-owner behind the name. Opened by Chef Vanness Chai and Chef Sean Chai, both chefs have already clocked nearly three years in the F&B industry till date individually; Chef Vanness Chai also having worked at The St. Regis Singapore and Marina Mandarin Singapore previously. Now being located at Capitol Piazza, it does seem that more emphasis has been placed in the decor of the space; whilst the previous location at Yishun does appear to be more of a casual eatery, it’s Capitol Piazza outlet does look more grand and luxurious — almost akin to that of a Chinese restaurant that even comes with private rooms. Given the bigger space that it now operates from, Chao Yue Xuan also serves up a menu boasting of a bigger variety of items now; there is quite a spread of dim sum that is available still, though the menu now sees categories dedicated to Chef Recommendations, Cantonese Dim Sum, Northern Dim Sum, Cantonese Noodles, Appetisers, Cantonese Congee, La Mian, Fried Rice, Cantonese Cheong Fun, Cantonese Steamed Rice and Dessert — items being listed on the Appetisers, La Mian and Fried Rice menus mostly being new additions apart from some other dishes that are slipped into the other sections of the menu. For those looking for a beverage, Chao Yue Xuan offers a variety of homemade drinks (think Signature H.K. Milk Tea, Honey Lemon etc.) as well as canned drinks, Chinese Tea and beer for patrons to choose from.

Considering how extensive the menu at Chao Yue Xuan is, we were really spoilt for choice when it came to the selection of dim sum which we wanted to go for. One thing we knew right from the start as we were skimming through the menu was that the 'Snow Pear' Dumpling With Honey BBQ Pork is something which we were especially keen on trying. Whilst this was similar to a dish that was being served at Chao Yue Xuan during their days at Junction Nine, it seems that the dish had been given a slight refresh with their move to Capitol Piazza — the 'Snow Pear' Dumpling used to feature a dried shrimp and minced chicken filling when the dish was served at Junction Nine, while the version served up at Capitol Piazza comes with a Honey BBQ Pork (i.e. Char Siew) filling instead; it is also noted that the 'Snow Pear' Dumpling has a more pronounced aesthetic at Capitol as opposed to a stubbier look during Chao Yue Xuan’s days at Junction Nine. Served atop a black plate with gold trimmings around the side, the presentation of dish can be described as exquisite — a serving portion consists of three pieces of the 'Snow Pear' Dumpling. Going straight for one of the three pieces of the Snow Pear Dumpling, we notice how it comes in crusty skin on the outside; chewing into the dumpling, the dumpling reveals a chewy Mochi layer that is being hidden within. Whilst being chewy, we also noted how the Mochi wasn’t sticky to the tooth; pretty well-executed there. One would also find the Honey BBQ Pork filling encased within the Mochi layer — the Honey BBQ Pork filling would be the same as what one would find in their Steamed BBQ Pork Bun; chopped up chunks of pork that is smothered with a sweet-savoury sauce that was oh-so-good; a deep, earthy and sweet note from the honey and XO sauce that just flavours up the entire dumpling, while the chunks of pork was a good mix of fatty and slightly leaner pieces that did not carry any undesirable stench with no effort required to chew through. Needless to say, this was one dish that we absolutely cannot get enough of.

Having visited Chao Yue Xuan at Junction Nine previously, it is needless to say that we were impressed by their quality of dim sum so much that we found ourselves being excited to give them a revisit when they had opened at Capitol Piazza. Apart from the 'Snow Pear' Dumpling With Honey BBQ Pork, we had also given a few of their other dishes that are spread across different categories of the menu a go as well. Other notable dishes that we have had and loved at Chao Yue Xuan during our visit to their Capitol Piazza outlet includes the Steamed Goose Liver Dumpling with Black Garlic, the General TSO’S Crispy Chicken and the Crispy Banana Red Bean Pancake — the Steamed Goose Liver Dumpling with Black Garlic comes with an aesthetic that is similar to that of the Siew Mai that we are pretty used to seeing at other dim sum establishments, but it is how amazingly umami the black garlic element was in the Steamed Goose Liver Dumpling with Black Garlic that got to us. Meanwhile, the General TSO’S Crispy Chicken is an American Chinese dish that is absolutely rare to find in Singapore — one place that is known to serve up this dish on the island would be Seletar Hill Restaurant at Jalan Selaseh. The rendition here is similar to that of boneless Korean Fried Chicken chunks stir-fried in a sticky sauce that carries an earthy, soy-like notes at the start, with a suitably sweet ending to round it off. The Crispy Banana Red Bean Pancake is a great way to end the meal here; the pancake is crisp, yet encases a sweet and earthy red bean paste and caramelised banana within — did not feel greasy at all as well. It is noted that the prices for dim sum had increased at their Capitol Piazza location; the prices of the dim sum now ranges between $6.80 and $15.80, though this is in part likely due to the rental, as well as the labour and produce that goes into the making of the dim sum. That being said, trip to Chao Yue Xuan is a must for dim sum junkies out there; we were definitely impressed even at its current price range — looking forward to be back to give more of their other items a go!