Islamic Centre Canteen

Islamic Centre Canteen is one of the most consistently highly rated places to check out if you are all for enjoying some halal dim sum and other Guangdong dishes! Instead of finding pork char siu buns, you’ll find steamed mince chicken buns, and instead of pan-fried pork buns, you’ve guessed it right – you’ll find pan-friend chicken buns. There is a huge variety of dim sum for you to order, ranging from the standard siu mai (made with chicken) and shrimp dumplings (they’re made of pure shrimp with some herbs) to beef samosas and Chinese soups.

What to expect

Once seated, do not expect the waiters and waitresses to come take your dim sum orders. Rather, you will have to take your dim sum card, go out to the dim sum station and order your food from there. That’s the fun part of the experience! However, if you want to order non-dim sum items such as stir-fries and curries, you will need to place your orders directly with the waiters and waitresses.

What to order

To make the best out of your visit to Islamic Centre Canteen, it is recommended that you do a bit of research beforehand as to what kinds of dim sum you fancy, so that when you get your seats and dim sum card, you can swiftly grab your desired dishes.

When to visit

The canteen gets extremely packed for Friday lunch (due to Jum’ah prayers), weekends and public holidays, so if possible, either arrive earlier at the canteen and have an earlier lunch, or pick other days where there will be less crowds unless you would like to experience just how busy this place is! Also, go to Islamic Centre Canteen for lunch and dim sum for the best experience. Whilst the canteen does serve dinner, the atmosphere is much less lively and you won’t be able to order any dim sum either.

Cheapo tip: As Islamic Centre Canteen is located inside Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre, dress modestly and make sure you wear appropriate attire before entering the mosque.

by Zakiyyah Wahab