Yauatcha

When someone trumpets the oft-used phrase ‘good things come in small packages’, there’s usually a skeptical groan in response from the listener. When our waiter says it to us at Yauatcha, however, the only audible sound comes from our bellies, rumbling in anticipation.
Created in 2004, Yauatcha is a modern Chinese teahouse that offers diners ‘an all-day grazing experience’. While Yauatcha has a full a la carte menu, its specialty is dim sum and it is these tasty morsels that earned the restaurant its Michelin star in 2005.
With over 50 types of dim sum on offer, we linger over the menu, relishing the evocative ingredients--duck egg, cloud ear and black fungus, just to name a few—on display. After soliciting a few recommendations from our waiter, we choose taro lotus wraps, winter melon dumplings, jasmine tea smoked ribs, roasted duck pumpkin puffs, and Chinese pear and taro croquettes.
While previous experiences of dim sum have always been a bit same same, Yauatcha doesn’t disappoint. The serves are generous and beautifully presented, and each dish has a unique combination of flavours and textures. The pear and taro croquettes end with a light touch of cloves, and the tea smoked ribs fall apart perfectly.
Handmade chocolates and macaroons tempt us from the dessert menu (and elaborate cocktails tempt us from the drinks menu) but we are too full to eat any more, so we opt to finish with a tea instead. While we sip our green and blue Taiwanese tea, we agree that it encapsulates our Yauatcha dining experience – sophisticated, delicate and delicious.