Chinese Cravings

Moon Moon what happened?? Wehn I tried the Chilli Pepper Chicken Soup at Taipei, I was positively swooning and raving about it to everyone throughout my trip. But in SG? Terribly bland!! Tasted no sweetness from the cabbage, no tinge of spice from the chilli pepper, just a dull chicken taste that I wouldn't be able to differentiate from my homemade chicken cube stock! I was so disappointed after the first sip. Won't ever return. And the price is such a turn-off for the average quality of food.

Wanted to celebrate a birthday and was looking around for a Chinese restaurant. Went with SCDH as I had a staycation at Parkroyal Beach Road. They have a weekend a la carte dim sum buffet for $68++ a head, which was the reason why the place was packed full. But we were small eaters, so decided to go with a la carte instead.

First thoughts: ambience and decor of the restaurant was great, with ample lighting and plush chairs. However, think they placed diners who only wanted a la carte all the way at the back, hence it was really hard getting the attention of staff for ordering, tea, or anything in particular. They also didn't seem to be very mindful - case in point, a staff poured water on the towel capsule for everyone in the table except for mine and just walked away...

Moving on to the food, these were what we got:
- Half Peking Duck $48 + Ee Fu Noodles add-on (+$20). They offered to roll the duck for us which we gladly accepted. Portion was great, though the duck meat seemed abit too chewy. Noodles were delicious, though the portion per pax (5 of us) seemed abit pathetic.
- La Zi Ji ($28 for Small). Visually impressive, and spicier than expected. Chicken bits were really crunchy, but the ratio of meat to flour was really abysmal.
- Chinese Spinach and Crispy Fish Skin in Superior Stock ($26 for Small). Your first taste will be intensely "veggie", but we grew to like this, though the flavour was simple.
- Xiao Long Bao ($9.50 for 3). Not worth, can skip. Skin too thick and meat filling was dull.
- Shou Tao ($1.50 per bun). Told the staff I was celebrating a birthday and asked if they could do anything special, and she simply said that I could buy a Shou Tao for $1.50 each...But this was pillowy and the lotus paste was delicious.
- Beancurd with Wolfberries ($6). At least we ended the meal with a good dessert. The dou hua was really soft with a great balance of sweetness. Recommend this.
- Chinese tea $6/pax.

Overall, the bill came up to almost $200 for the 5 of us which I felt was not worth at all, for the service and the quality of the food. Moreover, the meal felt so transactional (still can't believe I have to pay for the Shou Tao) and service was just perfunctory without any care. If not for my GHA 25% discount and Hotel Stay $30 dining credit, wouldn't even have bothered.

The ladies were so friendly and chatty, and even asked if we were okay with the cold (the inside of the restaurant was actually really cold) so she could find a less chilly seat for us. They were also upfront with the cost of water as well as the wet tissue, and also clarified my queries on their membership.

The food itself was also great, and also really affordable. They have this $15.80 set menu where you get a choice of main, dim sum, and dessert. Loved our Century Egg & Lean Meat COngee, Carrot cake, and Osmanthus Jelly so very much. The shrimp dumpling noodle ($11.40) was also really delicious.

Good service really makes the meal so much more enjoyable!

Fantastic experience as usual. Got the Holden Broth Sour & Spicy Fish ($32.90), Claypot Prawns ($22.90), Cabbage ($14.90), with the giant cup of Lemon Tea ($3.60). Shoutout to the claypot prawn which had huge prawns in an addictive savoury sauce, perfect to mop up with the rice ($1.60/bowl). With the free membership and the credit topup promotion, a really value-for-money meal. Don't forget to help yourself to their complimentary snacks and ice cream!

Hole in the wall eatery occupying a corner unit at Woods Square. We got the Original Fish Single Set ($15.90) which came with tender slices of snakehead fish, glass noodles, some cucumber and black fungus mushrooms. The broth was light and pretty good. The set also comes with black fungus mushrooms in mala sauce as well as a cup of iced lemon tea. We also got the Lala pot ($13.90) which had a good amount of Lala clams in a rich sesame oil broth. Do note that the non-fish options don't come with carbs! Additional rice is $1.50.

Overall, it was almost $38 for 3 of us which is slightly expensive if you ask me. Though the service lady staff was really friendly so our experience was good in the end!

Was attracted by the sleek decor and 15% Grab DineOut deal. We got the Crossing Bridge Rice Noodles ($15.90) which came in a humongous bowl filled with perfectly-cooked thick beehoon, veggies, and a whole piece of chicken thigh complete with drumstick! The portion really was quite unexpected, and even better was the broth which was rich and savoury. Really recommended! On the other hand, the Stir-fried Pork w/ Green Chilli + Rice ($14.90) was just decent in comparison. We also liked that they offer the usual condiments (chilli padi, cumin powder, spring onions and coriander) for you to pair with the food to your liking, and service was quite nice too (although most of the staff were in the kitchen area so you have to walk over to talk to them).

Brought my partner to celebrate her birthday here with Hai Tien Lo's Carnation Dinner Set Menu ($108pp). The food, ambience, and service were excellent. We especially loved the Duo of Crispy Fish and Prawn, Steamed Grouper, Barbecued Meat Trio, and Hokkien Stewed Rice. Only the Superior Stock with Braised Lobster was slightly off for us as the lobster's texture was pretty bad and the soup was quite bland. However, the other dishes were delicious and we were satisfied and satiated at the end. They were even so kind as to give a lavish birthday chocolate cake for our celebration. Kudos to the team and the chef for a wonderful meal!

Fantastic lunch experience at Tien Court for a course held at the hotel. Food was simple but delicious, and I especially loved the stir-fried beans with prawn. Ambience was comfortable and service was good.

No frills eatery close to Funan offering noodles in a wide variety of broths. I got the Rice Noodles in Tomato Broth with Ham Sausage ($9.80). Soup was flavourful, noodles were well done, and there were lots of veges in the soup. Do remember to ask for their chilli oil for an extra oomph. Overall, a nice meal in a comfy environment with friendly staff. Even better, they only charge 5% service charge!

Walked past this Sichuan restobar in Chijmes and our interest was piqued. They have a wide range of classic Sichuan dishes with a decent selection of beers to accompany them. We had the Crispy Fried Potatoes ($9.90), Stir Fried Cabbages ($12), and Pork w/ Tofu ($18). Potatoes came in crisp chunks with a pillowy interior, and a light mala zing - recommended! Cabbages tasted great but were swimming in oil, and the pork was really fatty which my partner hated. But to each their own!

Got the signature beef lamian with set menu, as well as the hot and sour beef dumplings. Noodles were firm and portion of beef was decent, soup was warm and spicy but lacked a savoury punch. For the set, the tomato soup was really thick and delicious, and choosing the oyster mushroom is always a no brainer. We especially loved the beef dumplings - they were plump, meaty, and the juices added so much flavour! In total, the meal came up to $23.35 which I thought was fair.

Burpple deal got us two single pax meal for the price of one, and with massive portions to boot. For a single pax meal, you get to select from a range of broth with meat, with your choice of two vege sides and one carb. Delicious and satisfying, clean and bright ambience, friendly service - what more can you ask for? With Burpple, our total came up to $18.70 (we added a cup of ice lemon tea for $2.80). Worth!