Social Place

The first time I heard about dim sum at Social Place was in 2020 when my friends flocked to the restaurant for dim sum due to the hype on social media. Opened in 2019, Social Place in Forum Shopping Mall is the first overseas outlet from their original restaurant in Hong Kong

I never visited them as my friend’s visit in 2020 was not positive but I recently decided to give them a try after reading more reviews about the restaurant. Their dim sum menu also enticed me to give them a 2nd chance

Located on the 1st floor of Forum Shopping Mall, the restaurant has a modern chic design with a mix of traditional mosaic tiles. The elements of Hong Kong culture were subtly represented by the wall of Mahjong tiles. The entire atmosphere of the restaurant was comfortable and refreshing like the usage of a ping pong table as one of the group dining tables

Opened in 2014 in Hong Kong, Social Place offers popular Cantonese cuisine like roasted pigeon, beef brisket, baked pork chop tomato rice and crispy taro and turnip cake. The Singapore outlet offers the same dishes except roasted pigeon which is replaced by quail due to licensing. Their menu also features modern fusion dim sum items which are both familiar yet exciting. The interesting concept of ants and flies in their plates and cutlery is also replicated in the Singapore outlet

For steamed dim sum, we ordered some unusual items like the scallop siew mai, yam-filled pig buns, steamed rose floret bun and golden chicken bun which were all so cute and pretty to eat. The character buns were almost SGD 4 per bun so we only ordered 1 each for pictures and taste testing. The scallop siew mai was crunchy and juicy while the buns were mostly all filled with a sweet paste which was smooth and not too sweet. The texture of the buns was soft and fluffy but I personally would have enjoyed them more with more fillings

I ordered 2 of their special menu items which are the roasted quail and abalone tart. The roasted quail was a replacement item for the original roasted pigeon served in their Hong Kong outlet. The quail itself was full of flavour but was slightly dry and bony. There was not too much meat since the bird was small in size but biting and chewing on the bones was still enjoyable due to the deep flavour. The abalone tart cost SGD 16 for 3 small tarts but each tart had a baby abalone on top of a buttery cream tart which was savoury and delightful to eat. The abalone is chewier and might be tough for the elderly to eat

I also ordered scallion noodles and deep-fried eggplant with pork floss to fill our stomachs. The noodles were plump, topped with scallions and dried shrimp with a light soy-based sauce. The noodles were chewy in texture and the sauce helped to cover the flour dough taste in the noodles. There is nothing too fancy about the noodles but it was delicious in a simple way. The deep-fried eggplant was crispy and non-greasy which was great as a snack. The pork floss topping gave the dish a meaty savoury flavour

Last but not least was the desserts and we ordered some of the specially designed items like the small pig pudding and mahjong jelly. When the desserts were served, they were so adorable and we could not bear to eat them. The pig pudding was milky and creamy and tasted like condensed milk pudding. The mahjong jelly was harder in texture compared to the pudding and had no specific flavours other than being sweet. The pudding was much better tasting in comparison. I also ordered a Hong Kong Yuan Yang which has a strong coffee aroma and milky tea flavours

Overall, the meal at Social Place was good with a modern and comfortable environment and innovative menu. Some items were interesting for pictures while the taste was pretty general and some items were delicious but rather pricey. I did not experience the negatives as mentioned by my friend 2 years ago so I believed it was a one-off situation. Overall, Social Place is a nice place to visit if you are feeling extra generous for a meal

Address: Social Place Singapore FORUM The Shopping Mall, Orchard Rd, #01-22 583, 238884

Operating hours: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm