Pan-fried bun specialist Ging Sun Ho from Hong Kong arrives in Singapore

Move aside XLBs, there’s a new name in town that promises crispy pan-fried pork soup buns with loads of flavour and soup, to boot. 

Ging Sun Ho King of Bun is a new Shanghainese eatery from Hong Kong launching in Singapore tomorrow (September 4) at Tampines Mall. (Editor’s note: We understand that the outlet is slated to open in end-September instead. Do check its social media channels for the latest developments.)

The brand is founded by former Hong Kong singer Oscar Siu, who some might recognise as TVB actress Elanne Kong’s husband. A pan-fried dumpling lover, Oscar spent three years honing his skills in traditional dumpling-making in Shanghai between 2007 to 2010. 

He later opened King of Sheng Jian, which was subsequently renamed to the Ging Sun Ho King of Bun name you see today. 

The newly minted outlet in Singapore’s east marks the brand’s first international outpost and is a modest outfit, situated at the mall’s bustling basement food area, and can seat 46 diners comfortably. 

The menu at Ging Ho Sun is comprehensive given the small kitchen space it has — there’s its signature buns, dumplings, appetisers, a handful of stir-fried dishes, soup, noodles, and rice mains. 

While the menu is mostly similar to its HK counterpart, Ging Ho Sun has also added items well-loved by the local crowd, including spicy boiled fish with picked greens (S$29.50). 

Trying out Ging Sun Ho’s Singapore menu

Before we dug into its signature pan-fried pork soup buns (S$5.80 for three pieces), we were cautioned several times by its attentive service crew about the potential hot soup explosion we might experience. 

We’ve had our fair share of xiao long baos so we thought to ourselves, how “bad” could it be?

We clearly thought wrong — each piping hot bun was extremely loaded with soup and meat, true to the caveat by the well-meaning staff. Coupled with the crispy pan-fried flour base, it made for a very delicious and addictive morsel. 

Ging Sun Ho dishes out its pan-fried buns in servings of three, which is not only perfect for the solo diner — there’s even steamed pork soup dumplings which go for two for S$3.80 — but great if you’re looking to try other dishes, too. 

We also got to try its signature pork chop (S$13), which comes with a choice of white rice, Veg-rice or noodles in soup. If you’re like us and always struggling to get fibre in your diet, the Veg-rice, which comes with what appears to be nai bai (milk cabbage) mixed in, is a good option. 

The signature pork chop was tender, slightly sweet and extremely fragrant — we only wished we had ordered the deep-fried Shanghainese pork chop (S$11.50), too, as the texture would have gone so well with a fry batter. 

If you’re a noodle person and can’t quite choose, its Ging Sun Ho dan dan noodles (S$9.80) are the clear standout. The noodles are slippery-soft with a nice bite but really, it was the soup that won us over — aromatic, creamy with a hint of nuttiness. We were stuffed by the time we got to the noodles, but we couldn’t stop ourselves from finishing up the robust broth. 

We were told that the dan dan broth would be spicy, but it didn’t taste so, perhaps there was just a tinge of spice that was barely noticeable. 

Its chilled noodles in sesame sauce (S$11.80), which comes with shredded chicken, ham, crab stick, carrots and cucumber, are also apparently a popular menu item at its Hong Kong stores.

While it was a welcome reprieve given our local weather, we felt it could have had a stronger, nuttier base. The crab stick also added a bit too much sweetness to the already-sweet sauce and could have easily been done without. 

This being a Hong Kong chain, I had high expectations for its Hong Kong-style milk tea (from S$4 for hot, and S$5 for iced) and it didn’t disappoint. The taste of tea was prominent and there was just the right amount of milk balancing it out, without being too sweet — I nearly ordered myself a second glass after inhaling the first. 

The outlet officially opens to the public tomorrow (September 4) and while there aren’t any opening promotions, customers can get their hands on limited-edition pan-fried bun socks with a minimum spend of S$20, while stocks last.

We also understand from the brand that there aren’t any plans to open any other outlets in Singapore, yet. 

So, if we were you, we’d just make the trek down to Tampines and make a foodie trip out of it, checking out new eats in the area (such as Haruyama Udon and Hawkers’ Street), too. 

This was a hosted tasting.  

For more east side eats, check out Big Short Coffee, the coffee spot with caffeine concoctions that look just like cocktails, and new vibey spot Hideout Coffee Bar. 

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals. 

You can also book a ride to Ging Ho Sun King of Bun at Tampines Mall.