[CLOSED] Mala Xiang Guo (Jem)

💸: $12.60

💬: First time trying da la and it was super shiok and very fragrant, really really liked it! Not sure why people say Ri Ri is the best when jem's is 10x more fragrant

Really well-calibrated to the local taste! Fragrant but not very numbing 麻. Good range of ingredients with decent prices, I usually spend about $9 to 12 per pax here depending on who I'm eating with.

Alot of people have different requirements for mala. Based on the opinions I've heard, this ticks the most boxes 😋😋

Full Vlog and how-to-cook: https://youtu.be/XOngOSwxYuY

To each his own but I found the "mild spicy" hot enough lol. Any spicier and I would have had to drink water.

Honestly the metal bowl is deceptively small. Order just enough so that you won't starve then when the price comes out it should be enough. The minimum order of 6$ is also some mind trick lol cos you're afraid it won't be enough then u order more and the bill comes up to double that

Order at most one big veg(bok choy or cabbage etc) cos it really takes up a lot of volume. Napa cabbage is a bad choice imo because it's juicy and watery texture really affects the intensity of the spices. Cabbage though is just as bad because it's so thin it doesn't absorb the spices well.

Didn't really like the garlic in here even though I'm a garlic lover since the garlic had a pungency that really overwhelms the other mala spices.

Pork belly was ok and as usual, avoid chicken. Beef was chewy but had incredible beefiness. Worth a try, do get a few slices

Their peanuts are also really well fried, just like how my grandfather used to do it. Very smokey but ofc comes with some peanuts slightly blackened, that's the price to pay for overall smokiness lol

Here's a joint in JEM worth journeying to the west for. Come for the medium-spiced Ma La Xiang Guo ($11.40 for two), which offers manageable (but still sweat-inducing) heat and addictively delicious flavour that will keep you coming back for more. Be warned that the dishes here can come across saltier than usual, but we're happy to put up with that setback when paying less than $10 for a sufficiently tasty ma la fix!
Photo by Burppler Ying Ying

We had 中辣 which didn’t feel too spicy; I’ve had spicier 中辣 mala from other places but it still packed sufficient punch. A huge plus point here is that the ingredients here were really fresh and the prices decently affordable - we shared this between 2 people and it cost $11.40. Will recommend if you are in the area!

I am so hungry right now! This would probably be the best mala xiang guo in the west region. They use japanese short grain rice which is awesome! I like to get 多麻 here as I feel that it boosts the taste of the entire dish. Be careful to count the more expensive things you choose like prawns and fish though! That time I placed 5 prawns in my bowl but only 3 were present on the final dish that arrived.....

ANYWAY. THIS. MAKES. ME. SO. HUNGRY. I. NEED. TO. GO. BACK.