I was sceptical when I tried Halal dim sum. To me, as a Chinese, I take pride in the culture's pork dishes. So I must have pork in my dim sum. But, surprisingly, dim sum without pork can be good as well. Start off with the must-haves such as Steamed Crystal Dumpling. These crystal clear dumpling are wrapped with big juicy prawn giving it a springy touch to the palate and emits a strong sweet freshness of the prawn. I like to have the sweet sauce and spicy chilli sauce to enhance the taste.

The Steamed Red Garoupa with Light Soy Sauce is a must-try. You may be surprised why the fish is served in the common sauce instead of the many fancy dressings available. Do not look down on this simple dish where the light soy sauce accentuates the freshness of the red garoupa. Every bite of the fish is springy in texture and its natural sweetness lingers on the palate that prompts you to a second or third servings.

If duck is not your preference of meat, you could try the Salted Terubok Lemak + Rice. Cooked in coconut milk and fresh juicy pineapples, this dish requires extreme attention as the terubok fish is lethal for its tiny bones. However, the sweet flesh of the fish together with its salty exterior and milky gravy compensate the bone picking experience. Be warned though, this dish requires lots of rice to tone down the saltiness of the fish.

Well, of course you need to try its famous Mee Jawa while you’re here. The big plate holds several condiments that come with the dish – cuttlefish sambal, fried shallots, hard-boiled egg and sliced tauhu. The chewy cuttlefish with sweet spicy sambal is thick and full of kick and best eaten when mixed together with the sourish gravy of mee jawa. The salad topping the dish also gives some crunchy greens to the dish and colour to the overall presentation of the dish.

I believe you’ll be spoilt for choices when you’re at Tao Japanese Buffet. You could pick and choose your own items for teppanyaki styled dishes and there are cold cuts and hot soups. On top of that, you could have unlimited ala-carte dishes, that were prepared upon order. This ensures that the food is at its freshest level. I had the Soft Shell Crab California Roll. I just loved how the crunchy and fragrant soft shell crab melts in my mouth with the crunchy and delicious seaweed enveloping the rice and cucumber slices. I can taste the freshness of the ingredients as everything is done right, without any sogginess.