Unlike the boisterous old-school Hong Kong dining halls pregnant with the rustle of morning papers and rhythmic trundling of dim sum trolleys, the dining experience at Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant is a far more elegant affair. The 25-year-old stalwart of Cantonese cuisine might have history inked onto the books, but its face has not wrinkled one bit. Following a timely renovation at the tail end of 2012, the interior of the restaurant is now evocative of a modern Chinese courtyard as imagined by Hirsch Bedner Associates.

The service we encountered was equally charming. Picking up on the sight of our shivering bodies and cries for warmer environs, the wait staff brought us a shawl each and filled our cups with hot tea while we placed our orders.

Dim sum is only served here at lunch, and the same menu carries across Monday through to Sunday. Executive Chef Ng Wai Tong hails from Guangzhou, arguably the birthplace of dim sum, and honed his culinary skills in Hong Kong prior to joining Wah Lok in Singapore. With a team of Hong Kong chefs behind him, Ng turns out some dim sum classics that are thoroughly enjoyable. Har gaos boast translucent skin that’s just the right thickness, then sealed with fresh, juicy prawns. The baked barbecue pork buns are excellent too – sweet and crusty on the top, pillowy at the base, and generously stuffed with char siew peppered with crunchy sweet onions.

The month-old additions to the dim sum menu seemed to drift from traditional dim sum litany. Deep-fried rolls with seafood, sea cucumber, and mushrooms were well crisped, not greasy, and delicious to tuck into. There were also steamed vegetarian beancurd skin rolls, essentially the classic ‘luo han zhai’ (mixed vegetables) bundled in beancurd skin fashioned to resemble little money bags fastened with julienned carrots. The deep-fried crabmeat and scallop balls impressed with a crunchy batter while the accompanying chilli crab sauce tingled with hints of assam curry. It’s a valiant take on the classic Singaporean chilli crab that — thankfully for Ng — pays off.

With such an impressive line-up, we didn’t expect the roast meat platter to falter with char siew that was dull, slightly tough, and too sweet. Likewise, the XO carrot cake lacked a discernable hit of XO. Nevertheless, we’ll certainly be marking Wah Lok as a regular dim sum spot in our little black books.  

Level 2, Carlton Hotel Singapore, 76 Bras Basah Road. Tel: 6311 8188