Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang (Changi City Point)

Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang 寬窄碗碗香 has been an establishment that we followed for quite a while ever since the brand first established their presence in the local F&B scene at their very first location in Frasers Tower. It is a pity that these folks had since moved out of the Central Business District and relocated to a new shop space at the basement of Paya Lebar Square — that being said, it does seem that the brand is in a phase of expansion that is also seeing the opening of a brand new outlet at Changi City Point that is connected to Expo MRT Station. The Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang outlet at Changi City Point — these folks can be found right beside the entrance / exit of the mall leading out towards the outdoor F&B establishments such as that of Viva Loca @ Changi; other notable F&B establishments located within the vicinity of Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang at Changi City Point includes the outlet of Luckin Coffee, the outlet of BingXue Tea & Ice Cream, the outlet of River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles and the outlet of Yang Guo Fu Mala Tang there. Whilst the Paya Lebar Square location of Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang does come with a fairly dated look, it does seem the the brand had refreshed its branding with the opening of their Expo outlet. The store is now decked in a refreshing shade of lime green that exudes a youthful vibe. This, combined with the use of more contemporary-styled furniture and fittings that features a wooden accent creates a modern look for the space that is visually more welcoming and up-to-date as compared to their Paya Lebar Square location. Tables at Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang are configured to seat patrons dining in pairs of groups of four (4) pax; there are a mix of both booth seats and typical dining chairs for the tables here. As with how things were done at their other locations, dishes are colour-coded where a different price is charged for each colour. White rice is chargeable at an extra cost of $1 per pax, while patrons can help themselves to the variety of beverages in the self-service display fridge at $2 a bottle.

We have tried a couple of dishes that Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang has to offer during our previous visits to both their now-defunct Frasers Tower outlet as well as their Paya Lebar Square location — thought we would give some of the other surge that we had yet to give a try previously a go. We decided to go for the Steamed Shrimp with Garlic Vermicelli this time round; an item that is colour-coded blue and is priced at $4.90 for a serving. Whilst Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang does not describe the elements that are featured for the various dishes that they carry, the namesake of the dish does seem to be pretty self explanatory. We made our visit during a weekday dinner service and were pretty glad to find that the dishes do seem to be pretty fresh; none of the dishes looking like the gravy / sauces had congregated after being left in the self-service area for an extended period of time. Digging into the dish, one can definitely taste the garlicky note within the broth that the dish came with which matches the natural sweetness of the shrimp here. The chunks of shrimp have been de-shelled and are reasonably fresh; does come with a bite and definitely not mushy, while the chili does are a little bit of its fragrance without really adding a note of spiciness to the dish. We did feel that that the vermicelli did lack a bit of moisture in its texture and isn’t quite as chewy as what we had expected it to be — though this is generally he only qualm we have with the dish.

One thing that is worth noting about the Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang outlet at Changi City Point jn terms of the dishes that they have to offer is how they seem to also offer a few dim sum-like items as well — this was something that we had not come across in our previous visits to both their Frasers Tower and Paya Lebar Square locations. We went with their Steamed Glutinous Rice with Mushroom which comes in the form of dumplings which are served in portions of three (3) pieces per serving. These do look like some spin-off variant of Siew Mai, and is also an item that some may likely find in other dim sum establishments around the island as well. An item that sees the usual Siew Mai wrapper encasing glutinous rice that comes with nibs of preserved shiitake mushrooms, we were glad they the dumplings weren’t over-steamed; the skin wasn’t mushy nor too sticky while the glutinous rice and mushrooms provided a savoury and earthy note similar to what one would expect in the classic Lotus Leaf Wrapped Rice dish that some dim sum establishments would also serve up.

The Scrambled Egg with Tomatoes was more of a comforting item to have; the rendition at Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang does not scrimp on the chunks of tomatoes and comes with a good portion of scrambled eggs as well to provide that tanginess that gives the dish iconic flavour. With that being said, the scrambled eggs does feel a tad on the drier side, though the dish is by itself one they would go well with a bowl of rice on the side nonetheless. Another item that we tend to go for whenever we are having mainland Chinese cuisine would be that of the Shredded Tofu Skin. We had always found the version served up at Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang to be a good balance of chili oil so that the shredded tofu skin doesn’t end up being too soggy nor greasy — at the same time lacquered with just enough chili oil to achieve that fragrance and slightly numbing note that it inherently carries; yet another dish that would have worked great if there was a bowl of rice to go alongside with it. Amongst the various dining establishments serving up mainland Chinese-style mini bowl dishes, Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang is one of the establishments that we found to be quite consistent in the way that their offerings are being executed. Their dishes always seemed to retain a good level of freshness, while the flavours are often balanced without bearing towered being too salty — very tasty. Price points of their dishes are also considerably affordable with the lowest-priced tier of dishes starting from $1.90 and the priciest ones at $5.90; the range of dishes within the middle tiers also being aplenty. These folks do seem to be on the right track if expansion is truly in the books for them; looking forward to giving more of their offerings a try as more outlets of Kuan Zhai Wan Wan Xiang pops up across the island!