Tai Ze Heen's visit was prompted by Ezel on a lazy Sunday morning and we dragged out butts out of bed to have a taste of their all-you-can-eat halal dim sum buffet. Yes, another halal dim sum outlet! This is the second halal dim sum outlet I've visited, the first being MinMax Restaurant at PNB Darby Park.
They may not have a large selection but their items are made to order which is the main plus point of dining here. Thank you Juin for the photo of the menu.
Here are our hits and misses.
The Good
Crystal Dumplings Filled with Dried Sole (Har Kaw)
The Har Kaw (虾饺) was beautifully made with thin translucent skin and a whole prawn nestled within it. I could have ate lots and lots of these.
Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings with Mushrooms (Siew Mai)
The Siew Mai (烧卖) tasted a lot like the Har Gaw if not for the skin and the mushroom mixed into the meat filling. It was well-seasoned and was something different for a change.
Glutinous Rice with Chicken & Mushroom
Soft grains of rice were tasty and for once the lo mai kai (糯米鸡) actually had a piece of kai (chicken) in it.
Prawn Dumplings with Wasabi Dressing
Tai Zi Heen's version of salad prawn came with a mild wasabi dressing instead of the usual mayonnaise, quite refreshing and the dumplings, adequately stuffed.
Deep-fried Glutinous Rice Balls with Pandan Lotus Paste and Deep Fried Crispy Yam Puffs with Barbecued Chicken and Mushrooms
The jin dui (麻团) was decent here with thin pastry skin but we yearned for a little more lotus paste filling. The wu kok (芋角)was surprisingly good with a sweet chicken and mushroom filling with soft fragrant yam. I almost didn't miss the usual filling of barbecued pork.
Steamed Bamboo Charcoal Buns with Salted Egg Yolk Custard
The lau sar pau (流沙包) was hands down the favorite of the table. We probably had 3 portions per person as they were small and easily gone in 3 bites. The charcoal didn't affect the bun except for adding some color and every bun had a smooth, slightly sweet, slightly salty, molten egg yolk filling. Eat lots of these!
Deep Fried Prawn Salad with Honey Dew and Sesame Seeds
This variation of salad prawns came tossed in a salad sauce and fruits. The batter coating the prawns was not too heavy and when paired with honeydew melon, it was a refreshing dish. Select this instead of the prawn dumplings and wasabi dressing if you want a fresher option.
Deep-fried Sea Grouper Fillet with Thai Chilli Plum Sauce
From the chef's wok, the deep fried sea grouper was fried to perfection and the sweet and sour sauce paired nicely. It's almost like a halal version of 咕噜肉.
Wok-fried Radish Cake with XO Sauce
The chao lobak go (炒蘿蔔糕) had enough wok hei (镬气) but needed more XO sauce in my opinion.
Wolfberry Oesmanthus Jelly
Ending the meal with the oesmanthus jelly was a refreshing delight as these wobbly treats were sweet and sour but hardly filled the stomach. We also had bowls of honeydew sago and iced sea coconut with longan but somehow the bowls eluded my camera. Both chilled desserts were nice and refreshing. We ordered at least 2 portions of both per person. Greedy!
The Not-So Good
Yang Zhao Fried Rice
The fried rice was a little bland but was easily corrected with some soy sauce. If you'd like some carbs, this would be a good order, if not, give it a miss.
Seared Black Pepper Smoked Duck Breast with Shredded Cucumber and Mango Chutney
Even though I was told this is good, the smoked duck breast was too tough for my liking and the mango chutney tasted like mango cordial.
Crabmeat and Prawn Wontons with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
The non conventional dim sum of fried wantan stuffed with crab and prawns were crispy and not too oily but is not much of a big deal.
Deep-fried Beancurd Rolls with Cheddar Cheese and Shrimp
Another unconventional dim sum of fuchuk rolls with shrimp and the western twist of cream cheese turned out to be a pretty delicious pairing but are stomach fillers.
Pearl Grouper Rolls in Lobster Broth
We were attracted by the word 'lobster' in this dish but the broth was rather tasteless - I definitely expected a more prawn-y taste The grouper fish was rolled with chinese cabbage, chewy in texture and the large cabbage leaf made it difficult to eat.
The Bad
Shrimp and Chicken Dumplings with Szechuan Soy Chilli Dressing
The soy chilli dressing was too oily and the dumplings' skin too thick.
Hong Kong Roasted Duck
Like the previous duck dish, this was tough, much tougher. I've had better roasted duck from stalls by the roadside.
The Weird
Barbecued Chicken Puffs with Parmesan Cheese
What was expected to be puff pastry filled with barbecued chicken, the parmesan cheese made this a weird combination. If you're in for something wacky, try this!
Crispy Rice Paper Rolls Filled with Fresh Mango and Tuna
There was no fresh mango in sight in these too thick rice paper rolls which give you a squirt of oil when you bite into them.
Steamed Sea Grouper and Cuttlefish Mousse Dumplings
I should learn from previous experiences that any seafood 'mousse' usually have strange tastes or strange textures. This was no different with a mashed fish and cuttlefish mixture which gave some of us the geli feeling.
Tai Zi Heen turned out to be a pleasant experience despite the misses. Whether you're into the standard dim sum fare or would like to try more fusion ones, there's something for everyone here and you get to eat to your heart's content prepared a la minute. The dim sum buffet are only for weekends and public holidays, from 11.30am to 2.30pm. Per person, it is RM52++ and an order of tea is charged separately per person.