Brick Valley

Food

• Beef Meatball
• Braised Mushroom Dumplings
• Black Salted Egg Yolk Lava Bun
• Siu Mai
• Har Gao
• Beancurd Prawn Roll
• Xiao Long Bao
• Sponge Cake

The Good

The Beef Meatball was the standout dish of the session and well worth ordering a second round. Spongy, dense, and properly meaty with no filler texture, it was packed with well-seasoned pork that held together cleanly without turning rubbery—a good rendition of this dim sum staple is harder to find than it looks. The sheet of dried beancurd underneath soaked up the rendered fat without going soggy, which was a thoughtful touch.

The Braised Mushroom Dumplings delivered far more depth than their understated appearance suggested. Encased in a translucent crystal skin that was silky and thin, the filling was concentrated, earthy, and savoury.

The Black Salted Egg Yolk Lava Bun was the best-looking item on the table by some margin, arriving as ink-black steamed buns accented with gold-painted floral crests. It backed up the presentation on the plate: the salted egg yolk lava flowed reliably on the first tear, striking the right balance of sweet-salty richness to justify the drama.

The Mediocre

The Siu Mai was textbook: yellow wonton wrapper, pork-and-prawn filling, and flying fish roe on top for colour. There was nothing technically wrong with it, but nothing particularly interesting either.

The Har Gao fell short on execution. While the prawns were plump, well-seasoned, and had a clean snap, the crystal pastry skin was far too thick, interrupting the texture on every bite. Har gao cannot afford that fundamental mistake.

The Beancurd Prawn Roll was entirely passable. Golden and crisp on the outside, the prawn filling did what it needed to do, accompanied by a reasonable dipping sauce on the side. Decent enough, but not a reason to visit.

The Bad

The Xiao Long Bao was a straightforward failure. The skin was thick and chewy with almost no soup inside—the two cardinal errors an XLB cannot make. Avoid this entirely, especially when better versions exist ten minutes away.

The Sponge Cake was similarly forgettable. While both the plain and pandan variants looked appealing in the bamboo basket, both were cloying with very little complexity underneath.

The Verdict

Brick Valley is a fundamentally confused venue—unsure whether it’s selling Lego displays or yum cha, and the whole concept feels a bit weird. It is at its best when it leans into the spectacle: the black salted egg yolk lava bun is a genuine reason to make the trip, and the beef meatballs hold up against anything in the area. The dim sum fundamentals, however, are inconsistent: the xiao long bao is a straightforward failure, and the har gao is let down by the one variable that defines the dish. Come for the showpieces, build your order around the meatballs and the lava bun, and treat the XLB as if it simply doesn’t appear on the menu.

Would Penguin Eat Again?

Maybe. If in the area, strictly for the lava buns and beef meatballs, but skipping the traditional dumpling staples.

Penguin Rates