Chinese Cuisine

When asked about their spice level, I was told to go for 小辣 if I am concerned it may get too spicy and that is how my MXG order cooked bland, not numbing and not spicy at all. It kind of ruined my MXG craving on a cold night 》$12.50

📍 Wang Zai Kitchen 旺仔小厨 | #01-03

The charred bbq pork with honey sauce has a slight crisp burnt with a sweet caramelised exterior while retaining a moist and tender texture underneath. The crackling skin on the roasted duck hides a delicious layer of fat that imbues the tender and succulent meat. Pair these succulent roasted meat with a bowl of congee to warm the stomach on a cold day. The congee may look plain but it’s really tasty, velvety smooth and silky in texture.

Braised Firm Tofu with Assorted Mushroom 》$18.30
BBQ Combination (2 Varieties) 》$27.80
Plain Congee 》$5.80

Healthy and authentic signature ginseng black chicken soup. The soup is double boiled, super-rich in flavours with great health benefits. The chicken meat is tender, soft and well accompanied by a thick broth that comes with a strong herbal taste and earthy sweetness.

This is a hearty and nutritious dish for all ages from young to old that nourishes blood, improves digestion, slows down the ageing process, encourages bone growth, low in fats and is high in protein. I also ordered some tofu with spinach topping which makes the tofu more fragrant and flavourful. All of these go well with their yam rice that is seasoned with dark soy sauce with yam cubes and shiitake then topped off with crispy shallots.

The ginseng chrysanthemum tea was a good choice to cleanse the palate after a meal and it also promotes detoxification, improves blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, immune system, kidney function and mood.

Ginseng Black Chicken Soup 》$13
Jade Tofu 》$8.80
Vegetable in Herbal Sauce 》$8
Yam Rice 》$1.60
Ginseng Chrysanthemum 》$2.40

Available in 2 sizes, the small portion is enough for 3 pax to share with BKT. Serving took a little longer for this claypot noodles but it came piping hot in tasty thick gravy with pork slices and vegetables. It may get too salty on the buds hence I’d advise sharing this dish 》$6 / Small

Chen's signature spicy dan dan noodles with savoury minced meat and topped with spring onions. The peanut sauce gives a slightly nutty flavour but the noodles were rather dry and clumped together shortly after serving 》$12.90

Cubes of mapo tofu and minced meat with Japanese short-grain rice. The smooth and silky tofu pairs well with the spicy gravy well and the use of short-grain rice adds a chewy bite to it. Don’t be daunted by the colour of this dish. I ordered mine with level 1 spiciness and it was mild with hints of numbing sensation from the peppercorns. It is like 小辣 which I felt was just nice and not overpowering. The gravy coats well with rice which makes every mouthful so flavourful 》$11.90

A generous serving of al-dente la mian tossed in a specially created sauce with Japanese scallops, topped with crispy fried garlic and scallion. The sauce was tangy with a bit of vinegar and the scallops were rather plain without sauce on its own 》$11.30

Wood ear mushroom / black fungus tossed in a savoury, slightly spicy, tangy and garlicky dressing makes such a perfect cold appetizer. It has a very mild flavour where the taste mainly comes from the dressing with a soft yet crunchy texture 》$3.30

The Shanghai spring roll was served crispy, crunchy and golden brown on the outside, moist and well-cooked with braised cabbage inside 》$7.20 / 6 pcs

A small Chinese restaurant hidden under an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio that serves pretty good Chinese dishes. Unlike the usual Chinese restaurant, they have limited seatings and menu but are good enough to make you walk out with a satisfied belly. We went ahead to order some of their signature/recommended items such as xiao long bao, pan-fried buns and spring rolls.

The pan-fried buns (生煎包) are my favourite! Pan-fried buns have been a Shanghainese staple that differs from the traditional version of xiao long bao where it holds more soup and is fried upside down - fluffy on top and crispy at the bottom 》$6 / 4 pcs

The sesame chicken did not fare as well as their seafood soup. While the chicken cubes were tender, this dish seems to lack flavours and sesame fragrance that I was expecting. I would personally skip this and give other dishes a try instead 》$8.90

Pork belly with sticky braised sauce glazing the skin with a glossy sheen. The pork belly is well prepared with tender meat accompanied with gelatinous fat and skin where it attains the melt-in-the-mouth texture 》$18