Wah Lok Restaurant Guide: Eat, Sit and Drink Suggestions

Wah Lok Restaurant at Carlton Hotel is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Singapore. Consistent Cantonese cuisine, especially the dim sum, are what brings customers back. Here are some suggestions on what to eat at Wah Lok and other tips based on some of our visits.

What to Eat at Wah Lok Restaurant

Wah Lok Dim Sum

For many people, including ourselves, the dim sum is the highlight at Wah Lok Restaurant. They are delicious and consistent in quality. The usual Chinese restaurant dim sum items like fried and steamed dumplings are all very good at Wah Lok. A full menu is available on line (link at the end of this post).

For us, the must try dim sum items at Wah Lok are the Baked Barbecued Pork Bun bo luo bao, picture below $6.80 for 3 pieces) and the Deep-fried Yam Roll with Seafood ($8 for 3 pieces). Sometimes we just order two each of these and skip the other dim sum.

What to Eat at Wah Lok Restaurant: Claypot Dishes

The next category of food that we like at Wah Lok is the claypot dishes. The link to the full a la carte Wah Lok menu is provided below. These are some of our favourite claypot dishes at Wah Lok.

Stewed Vegetables stuffed with Minced Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce

Claypot Fish Slices with Garlic

Stewed Beef with Ginger & Spring Onions

Individual Portions

In addition to dishes designed for communal dining. There are some dishes that are served in individual portions. This is useful when dining alone or in a small group. Those that we like include the Baked Spare Rib ($16) and Cod with BBQ Sauce ($18)

Value For Money

Being ordinary patrons without corporate accounts, we are not familiar with the premium sections of the Wah Lok restaurant menu. You will have to explore the shark’s fin and bird’s nest sections by yourself. Value for money is what we try to maximise. One dish that comes to mind is the Smoked Kampong Chicken ($28/56 for half/whole). The chicken itself is a tender soy sauce style chicken. An extra amount of smoking gives it a lush smoky aroma which enhances the dish further.

BYOB at Wah Lok Restaurant Corkage Fee

In the past, many Chinese restaurants in Singapore do not charge corkage fee for wine brought to the restaurant. Nowadays, most of the Singapore restaurants impose corkage fees for BYO. Sometimes the fee is waived on conditions or for regular diners. Wah Lok is one of the few these days that still have a welcoming policy for BYO: “Corkage charges: Complimentary for first and second bottle. Third bottle onward at $30“. What to drink at Wah Lok Restaurant? Chinese tea and a bottle of your favourite wine from your chiller.

Wah Lok Restaurant Reservations

Being a very popular Cantonese dim sum restaurant, Wah Lok is very popular during lunch time when dim sum is served. Weekends and holidays are very peak periods and they have two rounds of seating – usually 11.30 am and 1 pm. It is best to book well in advance.

Normal weekday lunches are also crowded but not as bad. Since there is currently no fixed seating times on weekdays, it is sometimes possible to get a table at short notice, but at a later time (after 1 pm). Dinner is less popular so it is not difficult to get a table, especially on weekdays. Online reservation by CHOPE is available. It is possible to call in for a reservation even if the online slots are not available.

Best Dining Areas

There are different dining areas in the Wah Lok restaurant. Sometimes it is not possible to choose the seating area, getting a table is hard enough. If the circumstances permit, these are our priorities if we can ask for a specific area to be assigned to us.

Best Seating Area – The Round Room

Situated in the deepest part of the restaurant the round room has an air of luxury and opulence that matches the grand entrance. Dining here is like dining in a palace.

Regular Dining Room

The regular dining room is the area you walk through to get to the Round Room. It is a large rectangular space that looks like any other Chinese restaurant. Not bad, but not as unique as the Round Room.

Other Areas

Other than the two main dining areas, there are also some smaller dining areas. These are not our preferred areas, but sometimes there is simply no choice.

Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant
Carlton Hotel Singapore
76 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189558

Tel: +65 6338 8333

Opening Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
(Saturday: 1st seating at 11:30am, 2nd seating at 1pm)
Dinner: 6.30pm to 10.00pm
Sundays & Public Holidays
Lunch: 11.00am to 2.30pm (1st seating at 11am, 2nd seating at 1pm)
Dinner: 6.30pm to 10.00pm

Nearby MRT Stations: City Hall, Bras Basah

Dim Sum Menu

A la carte Menu

---

The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog