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Alexandra Village Food Centre: Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Bao – Crystal Clear This Is the Best Crystal Dumpling

Rating:

By Veron Ang

Lately I’ve been discovering a number of gems at Alexandra Village Food Centre. I used to go there only for the awesome grilled stingray. But with new finds like claypot laksa and teochew snacks, there are actually many more reasons to make a trip there.

Even more recently, I stumbled upon my newest find of these little buns of heaven at Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Bao — crystal dumplings! (If you’re wondering about the name, this stall used to be at Tiong Bahru Food Centre.)

Crystal dumplings are so called because the filling is encased in a delicate translucent skin, through which the colour of the contents shows through clearly. Each dumpling has a glossy texture. Here, you have 3 options for the filling — yam paste, sweet bean or vegetables, no doubt the best-seller.

Crystal dumpling

Crystal dumpling
S$0.60 per piece
Rating:

The steamed crystal dumplings here sell out so quickly, new batches have to be made every hour. Business is so brisk, they even had to put up a sign written in Chinese, “please order in advance”! I got a first-hand experience when I, along with many eager customers, was told I had to make a reservation for my dumplings and come back in an hour for the new batch to be ready (!!).

Not that I minded much; the dumplings were good! Served with a tasty chilli paste, these bite-sized buns go really easy on the tummy. And because they are so yummy, it’s really hard to resist popping these bite-sized buns one after another! I like the vegetable filling that is crunchy and fragrant with a nice shrimp flavour. The skin is not too thick, with a chewy texture that doesn’t get rubbery.

Sweet bean crystal dumpling

Sweet bean crystal dumpling
S$0.70 per piece
Rating:

Though being labeled as secondary offerings, the sweet bean and yam paste fillings fare very well too. They aren’t too sweet, and make good desserts after a big meal.

Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Bao

Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Bao
Alexandra Village Food Centre
120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-10
Singapore 150120
Tel: +65 6274 5561

Bus services: 14, 33, 51, 93, 100, 195, 197
Nearest MRT: Queenstown

Opening hours: 9am – Sold out

If you are looking for a nice and economy breakfast meal, check out these crystal dumplings. Just be sure to go early lest these babies are sold out!

Know of any similar nice and cheap breakfast? Let us know!

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About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

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Responses Leave a comment

ladyironchef
10 comments

woo, u have been exploring abc and alexandar village recently? so many posts on them, u eat all one shot or on separate days? haha
Reply
Posted September 17, 2008 at 10:21 am
Veron
3439 comments

Haha I have been going there on multiple occasions recently. It helps that the location is pretty convenient for me.
Reply
Posted September 17, 2008 at 12:54 pm
James
1 comment

Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
Reply
Posted September 18, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Jessie
3 comments

u just reminded me that I haven’t been eating this for the longest time. Used to eat it very often even before the revamp of Tiong Bahru Market. I should go find this stall soon. hehe
Reply
Posted September 25, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Hehe, that’s a good idea. Just note that the stall is now at Alexandra Village and not at Tiong Bahru anymore :)
Reply
Posted September 25, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Jessie
3 comments

yup yup. Saw the address in your post. It’s so near my house. haha
Reply
Posted September 26, 2008 at 10:14 am
Tjhin
1 comment

I was delighted to see this post. Used to eat it often at Tiong Bahru market when my office was at Bt Merah. That was before my eldest son was borned (>14 years ago!) Photos well taken.. Info very useful. Thank you. Keep up with your good work. Cheers !
Reply
Posted October 14, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Wow, thanks for sharing! I never knew the stall has such a long history. Now that you know its current location, perhaps you can bring your sons to check it out! :)
Reply
Posted October 15, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Jack
1 comment

Hi, saw your post and I went down the next day to try out. When I wanted to place an order with the stall owner, he gave me a very arrogant look and told me that I need to wait for 2 hours. Later, when I asked for their name card for future order, he pointed to the box of name card which was placed at one side and told me in a very rude manner that they do not give out name card unneccessarily. This is the most arrogant and rude hawker which I have come across! I won’t ever go back to this shop to eat again.
Reply
Posted August 10, 2009 at 11:32 pm
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  Oh dear I’m so sorry to hear that! I know how bad attitude/service can really wreck the whole dining experience. For me, if the service is poor, I would never return to the same place no matter how good the food is.
  Unfortunately, I find that many hawkers have the so called “attitude problem”. Some of the more popular stalls are run by arrogant hawkers that can’t care less about their customers, simply because they become complacent overtime. Sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience.
  Reply
  Posted August 11, 2009 at 12:11 am
Chipster_wes
1 comment

Randomly stumbled onto your blog while searching for good food to eat in Singapore. Am currently on poly attachment in the UK now and I’m DYING to have a taste of Singapore food. I used to go to Tiong Bahru to eat every week, and my parents would always order this, as well as the chwee kueh and black chai tow kuey (which is really awesome, but they only sell it in the morning i think). Nice blog ^^
Reply
Posted April 8, 2010 at 5:26 pm
- Veron
  3439 comments
  
  Thanks! I LOVE dark carrot cake! Thanks for reminding me that I haven’t had it in a while. Hope you get your fix of Singaporean food soon! (My friends in the UK tell me they make satay sauce with creamy peanut butter. What travesty!)
  Reply
  Posted April 9, 2010 at 12:18 am
James Tan
1 comment

To those who love the Tiong Bahru (Alexandra) Crystal Dumpling, I too loved it but sad thing, Alexandra Market is undergoing upgrading…anyone know where the store shifted to?
Reply
Posted August 18, 2010 at 1:55 pm