AUTHENTICITY is a key to the dining experience at Wah Lok, a first-generation Hong Kong-style Cantonese restaurant that has maintained admirably high standards since it opened just over 20 years ago, with a large and loyal local following. In the early days, it ruled the culinary roost for Cantonese food, along with restaurants like the original Lei Garden, but even in the face of increased competition and savvy rival operators, Wah Lok has stood firm.

The consistency of the cuisine can be attributed to the fact that executive chef Li Kwok Kwong has been in the kitchen at Wah Lok for the last 18 years or so. There is a certain comfort factor that comes with dining at Wah Lok, and having a meal there is more like visiting a trusted old friend - with none of the anxieties or unwanted surprises that may come with meeting someone new.

Dim sum is the name of the game here, but everything at Wah Lok, from the double-boiled soups and the vegetarian dishes to the roasted meats and steamed Soon Hock, should also be up to scratch. In the dim sum category, a few standard items stand out, including the steamed carrot cake, steamed chive dumplings and deep-fried dried bean curd with prawn. The po lo bao, a baked muffin-like bun filled with lean barbecue pork, is an undisputed star of the show.

A la carte items like fried carrot cake with XO sauce, braised home-made tofu, baked pork ribs and a house specialty - a duo of deep-fried seaweed with minced scallop and deep-fried prawn wrapped with shredded potato - will combine perfectly well with the dim sum. The dinner crowd might be more inclined to go for traditional dishes such as braised abalone and steamed fish head casserole.

The atmosphere at Wah Lok is one of jaded opulence and looks a little dated compared to the slick modernist interiors that have been introduced in many of the newer restaurant spaces around town, but then again, nobody ever comes here for the decor.

WAH LOK CANTONESE RESTAURANT
76 Bras Basah Road
Carlton Hotel Singapore, 2nd Floor

Tel: 6311-8188