Tian Xin Lou 添心楼 @ 新山老街 — Restaurant in Johor

🐾 Tian Xin Lou – A Tail of Tradition, Taste… and Toilet Trauma 🐶🥟

They say dogs have the best noses—and after one visit to Tian Xin Lou, let me tell you: I wish I could switch mine off.

When I first padded into this place, my tail gave a hopeful wag. After all, Tian Xin Lou promises handmade, traditional Cantonese dim sum, with a side of modern flair. Sounds fancy, right? The hooman said, “Let’s give it a try.” So off we went, at 7AM sharp—one of the rare few dim sum dens awake with the birds in old JB town. Bonus paw point for that!

🐾 What got my ears up: – Prices that didn’t make my hooman wince. – Quick, attentive service—our dishes arrived before I could even finish sniffing the table leg. – And oh, the porridge! Creamy, warm, and comforting—like a hug in a bowl. I gave it two tail wags and a hopeful stare.

But not all was well in this steamer basket of dreams.

🐾 What made my fur bristle: – The chicken feet? Let’s just say, I’ve rolled in better-smelling things. That meaty stench could knock a schnauzer sideways. One bite from my hooman, and I swear they almost howled. – The chee cheong fun and pearl seaweed mai followed the same pattern—oddly sweet, with a meaty funk that lingered like an uninvited flea.

And then… the final sniff straw. Into the washroom my hooman went, only to be greeted by black mops dumped in the corner. In a restaurant that claims passion and craftsmanship, this was a tail-down disaster. If that’s what’s visible, I shudder to think what’s behind closed kitchen doors. Hygiene? I’ve seen cleaner fire hydrants.

🐾 Final bark: Tian Xin Lou has charm—early opening hours, friendly staff, and a porridge that warms the soul. But for this loyal food hound and my once-hopeful hooman, no flavor can outshine a hygiene red flag. The smell of those chicken feet still haunts me in my sleep.

Dear Tian Xin Lou, your own message speaks of craftsmanship, care, and creating unforgettable experiences. Well… mission halfway accomplished—because this visit was certainly unforgettable. Just not in the way you hoped.

Get your act together, clean up your corners, and who knows—maybe one day my paws will return. Until then, I’ll be taking my dim sum sniffs elsewhere. 🐾

— With a disappointed snout and a heavy heart, Your Hygiene-Horrified Dim...

A gem for my liking. The fried yam puff is superb. I like the white filing with crispy outer layer and real yam in the middle. Tried their classic chee cheong fun. It's super smooth, paired so well with the sambal with shrimp and the soy sauce was mixed in a perfect concoction.. slightly salty and sweet with low soy taste. So that we can still taste the original chee cheong fun flavour. The next shout out would be their drinks. Ordered a less sugar cham & kopi which to our liking. Gao and fragrant. We also ordered a fried fish head noodle from the shop next door. Under same boss. The fish soup is flavourful and slightly spicy. I added milk with RM 1 additional charge but it is all worth it. They have 4 different condiments to go with the noodle. Sambal chili, chilli, cut chilli and say sauce. I will highly recommend this shop. Too under rated. Pls be aware each Chinese tea order is for 2 pax. When we were there.. there is a table of customer who made noise as they ordered 2 type of tea for 2 pax quoting that they are not aware that each order is for 2 pax. The menu stated it all on the same page as the drink order and billed in red. So please have a good look at the menu to clearly understand the hot tea order. I will delivery be back again to try other items on...

Review of Tian Xin Lou 添心楼 @ Johor Bahru

I visited Tian Xin Lou after seeing it recommended by a TikTok influencer. While they do offer a wide variety of dim sum, I found most of the items to be average at best.

Here’s a breakdown of what we tried: Double Treasure Porridge – ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) Comforting and well-balanced — one of the better dishes we had. Classic Siu Mai – ★★☆☆☆ (2/5) The siu mai wasn’t steamed properly. It had a frozen meat smell, and the filling was bland. Crystal Shrimp Dumplings – ★★★☆☆ (3/5) The addition of chestnut didn’t pair well with the prawn paste. Snowflake Fish Ball – ★★★★★ (5/5) Possibly not house-made, but still very tasty with a nice texture. Red Bean Bao – ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) Soft bun with a red bean filling that wasn’t overly sweet — nicely done. Lava Bao – ★★★★☆ (4/5) Decent, though not particularly outstanding. Fried Carrot Cake – ★★★☆☆ (3/5) The dish was not fried to order and lacked crispiness.

While there were a few hits, the overall quality didn’t impress me. In my honest opinion, I wouldn’t recommend this dim sum restaurant, especially with better options available in...