Served freshly fried and glazed, these crunchy shards of eggplant came drizzled in a dark sticky sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. A closer look reveals pieces of fried garlic, dried chilli, spring onion, and of course, Sichuan peppercorns.

When you bite into the first piece, the crunch takes you by surprise. It’s a combination of the crispy exterior thanks to the hot oil but also the caramelising of what I believe to be a sweet dark soy sauce. Then you get the fragrance of the aforementioned aromatics before the creamy eggplant rounds these punchy flavours and textures into the perfect bite. All while it was hot! Absolutely fantastic, and unpretentiously delicious.

I find myself scavenging the bowl for bits of fried garlic and peppercorn and wow, what a delightful dish from start to end. I will definitely come back and I can only wish that it lives up to this first appearance. (I cannot seem to find the Geo-tag for this restaurant. It is a Delibowl x Nuodle concept store at Tampines Hub.)