Because the trainee manager, Ann, was so easy to talk to, we chatted quite a bit, with my first question being rather bimbo – I asked him if Mister Wu is the boss’ name.
Turned out that the shop’s name Mister Wu is actually a homage to the modern tea sage, Wu Jue Nong, who is the best example of someone having dedicated passion in something. His love for tea and his country helped preserve Chinese tea culture in the mid 1900s.
I’m not a foodie and actually do not know or care much about tea but I have to say that the teas served in Mister Wu are all so delicious that I can understand why Wu Jue Nong was so passionate in tea production and preservation.
My friends and I were at Mister Wu, Chijmes on a Tuesday evening to try their dinner buffet (weekdays 6pm to 10pm, $36+ per pax) after watching some promotional videos about this place.
When eating buffet as an older adult, I know I can’t wipe down everything on the menu like when I was a younger kid going through puberty. I had strategically planned what I wanted to eat before I reached the place, but unfortunately, 计划赶不上变化 (plans can never keep up with the faster pace of change) , and I was presented with a different menu from the one I was referring to online!
They also have a new additional menu for the buffet!
We ordered quite a bit of food and I’m going to rank our favourites from “Woohoo!” to “Boohoo!”
1. Truffle Chicken Rice, $8 ala carte
This was truly the best of all the items we have ordered. The steamed white chicken was tender and the rice was fragrant and delicious. Who knew that truffle oil and soy sauce can become such great partners in lifting the entire dish of chicken rice? It is as though chicken rice was meant to be eaten with truffle all along! The chili sauce didn’t disappoint as well – it was spicy enough with an interesting tangy kick!
2. Tender Tea Smoked Duck, $15 ala carte
Generous slabs of duck meat with just the right-sized portion of fats. Despite being thick, the duck was tender. The sweet sauce is a perfect match to the smoked duck. The duck meat with and without sweet sauce is as different as how some women look with and without makeup – still nice without, and nicely enhanced with.
3. Osmanthus Honey Char Siew, $12 ala carte
Perfect ratio of fats to meat. The roasted Iberico pork was tender and fats were meltingly soft. Crusty edges were charred wonderfully with a subtle floral sweetness. By this time, I’m wondering if Mister Wu‘s specialty is in meats instead of tea??? Spectacular!
4. Truffle Ice Cream, $5.80 ala carte
This truffle ice cream brought life and excitement to the table!!! It was so interesting and addictive! Portion size is just right – our interest and excitement of it lasted till the very last spoonful and left us very satisfied!
5. Crispy Hakka Pork Chop, $10 ala carte
Has a very traditional Hakka pork chop taste (which means that it has fermented red beancurd as its marinate) which I appreciated but my friends found was an acquired taste. The dish brings credit to its entire name – it is indeed crispy and very hakka.
6. Sweet Honeydew Sago, $4.80 ala carte
Although I’m no foodie, I’m pretty sure that the orange cubes in the coconut-milk concoction are rock melons instead of honeydew? I’ve never fancied rock melons because they are really as their name implies – rock-hard as compared to the softer honeydews. This dessert was nevertheless, refreshing to eat after a hearty meal.
7. Salted Egg Squid, $12 ala carte
Crunchy batter which tasted like Har Cheong Gai (shrimp paste). The Salted Egg part comes from its dip which was saltier than we expected and didn’t really taste like the salted egg sauce we are familiar with. It goes okay with the squid, which was tender despite being deep-fried. We feel that this crispy snack would go well with beer. But I’m really just winging it. I don’t drink beer. Haha.
8. Truffles fries with chilli crab dip, $9.80 ala carte
I think the creator of this dish probably knew that the pairing of truffles and a chilli crab dip has too many things going on, so these two flavours were turned down big time. The truffle flavour for the fries was subtle, almost like an aftertaste. Chilli Crab dip was on the sweeter side. Overall, a safe dish to order for everyone to share.
9. Chilli Crab with deep-fried mantou, $16 ala carte
They serve each diner a pincer for this dish! I don’t eat crabs and only tried the deep-fried buns with the chilli crab sauce. The chilli crab sauce tasted similar to the dip that came with the truffle fries. Very friendly sauce since it wasn’t spicy, but I would prefer a fiery sauce any time!!!
My friends who tried the crab said that the pincers were fleshy but did not taste the freshest. It was edible though and they polished the pincers clean.
10. Assorted Dim Sum, $4.80 ala carte
The dim sum we ordered were just not memorable to us, but if you really want to order dim sum, the abalone siew mai and the crispy scallop yam puff are worth trying! I would ditch the truffle xiao long bao – the skin was thick, there wasn’t much soup to speak of, and we really couldn’t taste any truffle.
Besides this generous buffet going on, Mister Wu actually has much more value-for-money lunch sets and an ala carte dinner menu.
I’ve done the calculations (for you and not for me, I swear haha). If you want to get your money worth, you only need to eat 1 item from each category from at least 3 categories (Dim Sum / Specialty Meats / Seafood / La Mian/Rice / Yu Sheng Sashimi Porridge / Desserts), with one of the items being a really premium dish like the Hibiki Whiskey Seafood La Mian, $28 ala carte or the Yu Sheng Sashimi Porridge, $33 ala carte per pax.
If you are not a big eater or not really interested in the above 2 mains, then ordering ala carte may prove better value for you. Plus, they have such an interesting alcohol menu that my personal recommendation would be to order their food ala carte along with an alcoholic drink. Great place to chill with your friends, family or colleagues after a hard day of work!
Not a fan of alcohol? Then definitely add $4.80 for free-flow tea all night. You can choose from 5 unique stellar teas which my friends and I all think is truly worth its price! Our personal favourites are Mount Wuyi with Osmanthus Flowers, Roasted Oolong with Goji Berries and Young Master Pu Erh with Rosebuds.
I hope my review can help you better decide which items to choose whether you are going there for lunch or dinner! I’m going to end off my post with this very cliche line because I can’t help it; it’s not a very funny and original line either, so I don’t know why I’m making you suffer like this, but is anyone really reading my posts that I painstakingly write every night?!?!?! I have no idea, so here’s my ending line: Wait no more and make a date with Mister Wu today! (On a more serious note, please do make reservations as the restaurant was full house by 8pm when we were there.)
What’s special:
- Modern teahouse serving quality Chinese teas and modern Chinese dishes
- Value-for-money $36+ Dinner Buffet at Chijmes (please make reservations!)
- Interesting selection of alcohol
What to Order:
- Truffle Chicken Rice, $8 ala carte
- Free-flow tea, $4.80 (These 3 teas are my favourites – Mount Wuyi with Osmanthus Flowers, Roasted Oolong with Goji Berries, Young Master Pu Erh with Rosebuds)
- Osmanthus Honey Char Siew, $12
- Tender Tea Smoked Duck, $15
What to Skip:
- Truffle Xiao Long Bao, $4.80 ala carte
Mister Wu, Chijmes
Address: 30 Victoria St, #01-11/12, Singapore 187996
Telephone Number: 8112 0381
Nearest MRT Station: City Hall
Opening hours:
Lunch 11am to 2pm
Dinner 6pm to 10pm
Opened daily