Joyful Palace

This place sells all the basics — dim sum, chicken/​pork/​duck rice and tze char. The dim sum will be their best choice. As John Q. recommends, their xiao long bao is on par with Din Tai Fung. I like that they only steam or pan-​fry their dim sum when you order. Sure, it means longer wait but dim sum traditionally is meant to take a while. Plus, if the food tastes fresher that way, why mind the wait right?
The char siew rice is another dish I often get. But, if you are picky on your rice, avoid their rice dishes. They are a little stingy with their sauce and their rice is a little undercooked. It happens every time so I am glad they serve it with a bowl of soup. I recommend avoiding their duck. It is very dry and slacking on the flavour. Walk a few blocks to Clementi Market for a delicious duck rice.
For dinner, their seafood tze char is well-​known. I personally like their stir fry French beans (四季豆). However, their price is a little over the top for your typical below the HDB tze char. There are better options in Clementi so go explore!

It’s often hard to find good dim sum, especially if you like xiao long bao. After many disappointments in the past, I saw this stall outside the Clementi Mall and gave it a try. Much to my surprise, the xiao long bao is one of the best I’ve had. For the combination of price and quality, it beats out the infamous Din Tai Fung. Yes, it’s that good.
Ironically, with that degree of greatness, Joyful Palace has an even better dish on the menu. The pan-​fried dumplings are incredible. They, too, include a soup and pork filled center, but have the addition of a crispy pan-​seared exterior. I highly recommend getting an order or two of these.
To top it off, the prices here are very low despite the excellent food. A party can become full of dim sum at about $ 4 per person.