Move over, Swee Choon. We’ve just discovered a dim sum eatery that’s not only open 24/7, but also ridiculously affordable. Just like its name describes, Kuai San Dian Xin (kuai san translates to $1.30 in Mandarin) offers everything on the menu for (you guessed it) $1.30. That means a basket of siew mai or har gow will cost the same as a plate of char siew pau or fried carrot cake — which is a pretty good deal, considering most other eateries and restaurants charge double or triple that price.
Tucked away at a coffeeshop in Primz Bizhub, the Woodlands branch of the stall will satisfy your cravings come day or night, with its line-up of over 20 items, including century egg pork porridge, chicken feet, custard pau, and chee cheong fun. (If you’re looking for dim sum in the wee hours of the morning, you’d best avoid the Lakeside outlet, which closes at 10pm.)
But let’s be practical here. When things are so cheap, they usually come with a caveat — and here it means that not every dish will taste as great as you hope, simply because, well, you just can’t expect too much when you’re forking out so little. Plus, just like Daiso and any other $2 store, some items will inevitably be more worth it than others.
Our suggestion: Either order dishes that are more value-for-money, or check out reviews of the place before you head over, so you know which ones to avoid. From what we could gather, it seems like the siew mai, chicken feet, carrot cake, char siew pau and spring rolls were recommended, while the fried taro puff and custard pau left more to be desired.
But hey, with 10 dishes going for $13, perhaps that’s reason enough to check it out. Even if it is in a quiet industrial district in a far-flung northern town.
Kuai San Dian Xin is at L1, 21 Woodlands Close, open 24 hours; and #01-01, Blk 346A Kang Ching Rd, daily 6am-10pm.
