Was scrolling through social media and got to learn about the opening of Hu Wei Zhai 沪味斋 that is situated within an old-school coffeeshop named Guan Kim Restaurant at 源金餐室 — the coffeeshop being located at the foot of Blk 47 Tanglin Halt Road that is a short walk away from Commonwealth MRT Station. Hu Wei Zhai takes up a corner space within the coffeeshop that is located right in front of the beverage stall — a stall that specialises in serving up mainland Chinese fare, it is being said that the chef at Hu Wei Zhai originates from Shanghai, China. The food menu at Hu Wei Zhai is split into sections dedicated to Xiao Long Bao & Pan-Fried Buns, Dumplings and Signature Dry Noodles. Of particular note would be the Pan-Fried Pork Buns listed under the Xiao Long Bao & Pan-Fried Buns section of the menu; available only for lunch service, the Pan-Fried Buns (4pcs) are limited to a serving of twenty (20) portions per day and is considered sold out for the day when all of them runs out.

Considering how we are pretty much folks whom are into Sheng Jia Bao, it is needless to say that our trip to Hu Wei Zhai is purposely made due to the availability of the Pan-Fried Pork Buns on its menu. Hu Wei Zhai serves up their Pan-Fried Pork Buns in one single portion size of four (4) pieces per serving. Whilst the shape of the Pan-Fried Pork Buns at Hu Wei Zhai are not quite as neat as the Sheng Jian Bao that we have come across from some other establishments previously, we did find that the Pan-Fried Pork Buns at Hu Wei Zhai did come at a decent quality — the dumplings do come with silky smooth dumpling skin that was easy to chew through on the top; the bottom comes browned and crusty from the pan-frying process for a good variance of textures. Chewing through the Pan-Fried Pork Bun, each bun did come with a decent amount of pork filling within that was soft and easy to chew through without any undesirable porky stench; also inside would be the savoury broth that provides much flavour to the buns as well. Each serving of the Pan-Fried Pork Bun is priced at $6.80 — do visit them early for lunch hours considering its limited availability daily if wanting to give them a try.