Tiny SG: 翠華 Tsui Wah Orchard – HK Cafe at Robinsons Heeren

We had lunch at Tsui Wah Orchard in the Heeren and found out what the hype was all about. The popular tea restaurant or cha charn teng from Hong Kong had teamed up with the Jumbo Group to expand to Singapore. The Orchard Road outlet (next to Robinsons Heeren) is their second outlet.

翠華 Tsui Wah Orchard Heeren Singapore — Tsui Wah Orchard – 翠華

I recall that Tsui Wah Singapore’s first outlet at Clark Quay received a very enthusiatic response from Singaporeans. Long queues and waiting times were the norm. When we saw the quiet entrance to Tsui Wah at street level on Orchard Road, we thought we were in luck. Was it because of COVID or had the hype died down? Neither. We soon discovered that the outdoor dining area was not in operation. Only the indoor air-conditioned area at level 2 was in use. There was no physical queue to get in – but there was an electronic one. Register your handphone number and they will call you.

We had 20 minutes to browse the nice things at Robinson’s before the electronic voice called us and informed us to report at the restaurant in five minutes. We obediently proceeded there. Tsui Wah can be directly accessed from Robinson’s on level 2.

翠華 Tsui Wah Orchard Menu

With the safety measures in place, there was no physical menu. We scan a QR code and read the menu online. We placed our orders on the order form. Here are pictures of some portions of the 翠華 Tsui Wah Singapore (Heeren) menu and order form.

翠華 Tsui Wah Orchard Heeren Singapore Menu

Our Lunch at Tsui Wah 翠華

Lunch started with cups of the famous Tsui Wah milk tea ($3.50 each) and deep-fried wanton ($6 for six pieces). These are very common dishes but there seemed to be something different with these. The tea is stronger and has a deeper taste than the usual coffeeshop variety. The wantons were wrapped in skin thinner than usual that were very crisp.

Signature Dishes

We tried two of the several dishes listed in the Signatures section. The Beef Brisket Curry with Steamed Rice ($15) looked ordinary. It may look like Japanese beef curry. But the taste of the curry is completely different. This is quite a spicy curry – both in terms of the spice flavours and also the heat. I think it is a combination of chilli and peppery heat which made it so appealing. It is quite addictive. We were left wanting more when we finished our meal.

We tried two of the several dishes listed in the Signatures section. From the side the Tsui Wah Signature pork chop bun looked like a hamburger (picture above), such as one from Shake Shack. The differences lie in the bun (which had been lightly toasted to give it a mild crusty surface) and the meat (which was a nicely seasoned piece of pork). The bun was pulled back to reveal the pork chop in the picture below.