After reading a million good things about P!ng, I finally landed up there for lunch on a Saturday. I had made reservations the night before through their online reservation system, but having received no confirmation, I called them the following morning. (Tip 1: Forget the online reservation system and just call to reserve a table.) We reached 30 minutes early, but perhaps because that day was Diwali, there were no other customers and we were seated immediately.
The first thing that struck me about the place was there was nothing Chinesey or even remotely East Asian about it. The entrance is a pathway through the garden leading into a clean cut aqua and chocolate space. Inside, there were no Chinese lanterns hanging above us or Chinese music in the background. My suspicions were put to rest when the menu was handed to us - it was dim sums galore!
I have to admit at this point that we never went beyond the dim sums. So this is going to be a rather biased review. We started with a Hot n Sour Soup which was just rightly hot and sour. Then came the mixed dim sum platter which had both veg and non veg dim sums, steamed, grilled and pan fried. (Tip 2: Not all the dim sums on the menu are served in the platter, so if you want to try certain dim sums [such as the Ginger and Lamb Wotip], just ask for those.) My favourites were the prawn tail, chicken and veg buns. The buns reminded me of the Singapore street food called Baos which are steamed buns made of rice flour stuffed with either chicken or veggies. (The P!ng buns were pan fried.) The dim sums were served with an assortment of dips/sauces, each better than the other! The Threaded Crab dim sums were served with a mayo-Wasabi dip. Who would have thought the humble mayo could look so green and yet taste so delish?!
The staff was very helpful and recommended dim sums according to what we liked on the mixed platter. However, not having had enough of all the dim sums, we just asked for more varieties on the mixed platter.
We then moved to the dessert. P!ng has a separate dessert menu, but here's a word of warning. Though the descriptions on the menu are tantalising, what is eventually served to you may be different. We ordered for a sizzling brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, but the brownie wasn't sizzling - it was served on a boring plate! When asked, the staff said they hadn't started the sizzling bit yet! Why we weren't told this when we ordered for the item is a mystery, and the only reason I give P!ng four out of five stars.
Finally, I would definitely ask all dim sum devotees to please P!ng this shrine! Skip the desserts as of now though. Instead, have the main course - I am sure it will be worth writing about!
shefalish
Replied by: Culinary Connoisseurs, Management , on Oct 23, 2009 Flag this
Thanks a lot of behalf of the entire team at P!ng for your wonderful feedback that you have shared with us as well as with your fellow burrpers
We would like to, first apologise for the twin issues - about he online reservation and about the sizzling brownie. We are working on both these aspects and you will find your experience much better the next time around.
And we hope that the "next time around" is soon in your case. There are two reasons why we would want you to visit us soon. First, starting this Monday we have started the Yum Cha @ P!ng - an unlimited Dim Sum only set lunch on weekdays. You can choose five Dim Sums from a total choice of 16 and they will be served with complimentary soup, desserts and tea. Since you have liked our Dim Sum, I trust you will enjoy the Yum Cha @ P!ng
Also, we shall be introducing a far more elaborate dessert menu with a dozen new varities that, we hope, will leave you dazzled
Thanks again for your review and we will always endeavour to make your every visit as memorable