Tang Tea House (Jalan Kayu)

Tang Tea House (Jalan Kayu) is a casual Chinese restaurant at 242 Jalan Kayu, in the north-east of Singapore. It serves dim sum alongside zi char, the cooked-to-order dishes that Singapore families share at dinner.

The branch belongs to a local group that opened its first restaurant in Simpang Bedok in 2005. The group now has several outlets around the island. A central kitchen makes the dim sum, sauces and dips, so the signature dishes taste the same at every branch.

What to order

The menu is long, so it helps to know the house favourites. The restaurant names these as its best sellers:

• Pan-fried crispy bee hoon: thin rice noodles pan-fried until they set into a crisp, flat disc. Dried shrimp, bean sprouts and the house sambal chilli go on the side.
• Roasted chicken rice: roast chicken and chilli with rice that has been cooked with ginger, lemongrass, sesame oil and soy sauce.
• Golden sand bun: a steamed bun with a runny salted egg custard inside.
• Rojak: a local salad of cut fruit, vegetables and pieces of fried dough (youtiao), mixed in a dark prawn paste dressing with crushed peanuts.
• Super Cooler: a drink made from coconut juice and wheatgrass.

The dim sum list covers steamed classics such as har kow (prawn dumplings), siew mai and lo mai gai, a sticky rice parcel with chicken. Zi char dishes include chilli crab or salted egg crab, prawns fried with oats, hotplate tofu and sambal kang kong (water spinach). There are also noodle and rice plates for one, plus set menus for groups.

The chicken rice comes roasted or steamed. Our guide to roasted vs steamed chicken rice explains the difference.

Good to know before you go

• Late hours: the branch stays open late every night, and later still at weekends, so it works well for supper.
• Vegetarian dishes: there are a few meat-free choices, such as vegetarian fried rice (with or without egg) and vegetarian samosas.
• Groups: set menus serve from two people up to about ten, which makes ordering easy for families.
• Delivery and catering: the group delivers through Foodline and caters for events.

Menus for each branch are on the Tang Tea House website.

Nearby

Jalan Kayu has a short run of casual places to eat. Thohirah Restaurant serves roti prata on the same stretch, and Jerry's BBQ & Grill is further along the same road. See all restaurants in Seletar and Jalan Kayu, or browse more Chinese and dim sum restaurants.

If you are basing yourself outside the city centre, our guide to staying in the Singapore heartlands explains what to expect.