咱们吃中餐

Probably the closest braised pork rice, or lu rou fan, I can get to those in Taiwan. In fact, the braised pork rice in different Taiwan cities varies, and we felt that this reminded us of the one in Hsinchu the most. Man, I really miss traveling, but at least I know where to satisfy my lu rou fan cravings the next time!

Priced at $5 a bowl, some might find it a little pricey given the portion. As the bowl of braised pork rice was served, I could already smell the fragrant aroma of the braised pork. I love how comforting it was, especially when it came in a balanced ratio of fatty to lean meat. Every scoop was mouthwatering, and the fats literally melt in mouth without being too oily. Paired with a bowl of fluffy sticky rice drenched over by some braised gravy, it was hard to not scoop up every single grain of rice while mopping the gravy up.

What surprised us here were in fact the dumplings since they weren’t the specialty at Huo La La. Unexpectedly, the pork meat was quite well marinated, cooked till juicy with slight amount of broth wrapped within the dumpling skin. Amidst the savory, there was a touch of sweetness in the broth. Worth trying! Perhaps the one in chili oil the best time.

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Can’t get to Taiwan for some 火雞肉飯? How about getting something similar here in Singapore! This bowl of shredded chicken rice might look unassuming, but trust me, this is probably the closest to the one you can get in Taiwan’s famous chicken rice city, Chiayi. Traditionally, turkey was used but it has gradually been replaced by chicken nowadays. Having tried all the different chicken rice shops in Chiayi within 2 days back in 2019, I am confident to say @eat3bowls has done a pretty splendid job in replicating the taste.

Especially flavorful, the bed of fluffy pearl rice was almost covered entirely by the shredded chicken. But what I really adored was the shallot oil and the fragrant oily chicken gravy which really reminded me of chicken fat. Sounds sinful but the strong savoury flavour that came through was worth spending calories on. There were also caramelized onions but perhaps a little more and some fried shallots would probably have me felt as though I was transported to Taiwan.

MOverheard at King of Fried Rice - “1 hour wait, better be good.” Secretly having the same sentiments in my heart. 😂

You’d probably have heard of this cheaper rendition of the Din Tai Fung-style fried rice located at Golden Mile Tower. A simple menu consisting 4 different types of fried rice; Egg, X.O, Mala and Tom Yum. Wanted to try all, if I had the stomach space that is. Both flavours of fried rice were enjoyable in their own ways; X.O fried rice was slightly spicy but packed with umami flavour, especially by the dominating dried seafood. To tell if a plate of fried rice is excellently executed, the most basic egg fried rice would give the best answer. Every grain was fluffy and moist, as the entire plate was filled with whiffs of eggy aroma.

There’s protein selection of shrimp or pork cutlet. While fried rice here was the star, neither of the protein impressed us. I agree with some that the pork was well marinated with hints of black pepper, but it was tougher than DTF’s, more chew required. I liked the additional tobiko which gives an extra popping sensation though and the homemade chili oil is a must!

I would really love to return to try their Mala and Tom Yum fried rice but probably during off-peak hours. 1 hour wait (it’s a 2 men show and maximum 2 plates of rice fried at a time), maybe not.

Have you ever come across traditional soups that are served in a coconut? The last time I had was during a trip to Guangzhou.

Indeed a Guangdong or Cantonese favourite, to have this traditional Foshan classic served in this manner, with a selection of Chinese herbs. Double-boiled directly in the coconut, the refreshing coconut juice and meat, blends together with the nourishing goodness of the herbs adding a hint of natural sweetness. Of course you can also have a taste of some cooked coconut flesh. Feels really healthy, but it might be an acquired taste as a boiled coconut might not be of a familiar taste.

Except for the saltiness, I would say the lobster braised ee-fu noodles was one of the highlights that I had at Wok Palace. Half a hefty lobster accompanied with shiitake mushroom slices, cabbage and ee-fu noodles drenched in a braising sauce that was really heavy on the palate. Though plump, considering the price and portion, the price seemed hefty too.

Wok Palace is a #burpplebeyond partner, but note that this dish is excluded.

Rainy days call for some belly-comforting food and @thesaltedplumsg is where you should exactly go to. Other than their highly popular Taiwanese zi char dishes paired with sweet potato congee, why not try their rice bowl series (available from 11.30am-8.30pm) too? There’s always something for everyone.

Personally, the pork chop bowl is a slightly underrated option. Not extremely fantastic, but the sliced crispy fried pork chop was marinated well, as if there was a fermented bean curd taste and some five spice powder. Nice balance between fat and meat, although the meat was a little tough. Served with pickles, sous-vide egg on rice.

A hot favourite, the Lu Rou Fan 2.0, consists of a glorious slab of Braised Pork Belly in Haus Sauce 2.0. Slightly fatty, but incredibly tender slathered in a rich sauce full of spices. Served with bok choy, sous-vide egg on rice.

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For a plate of wallet-friendly Din Tai Fung fried rice look-alike. Despite the reviews being mediocre, we decided to give it a try and it turned out to be better than expected; The fried rice had fragrant, fluffy grains mixed with a generous amount of chopped spring onions and silky stir-fried egg, just the way I’d like it to be. While some say the pork ribs were a tad too dry, I was surprised to taste the exact opposite. Except that it was a little salty (as spice powder was sprinkled on it just before serving), the meat was juicy and jerky, with nice brown edges. A bite off the strip of meat was the perfect partner to the eggy-flavoured rice.

Totally unimpressed by these supposed lava-flowing buns which turned out to be mini paus with a rather tough dough and what sort of felt like a frozen filling made to be heated upon request. Other than being clumpy and not even flowy, the custard filling had a milky, sweet corn taste. Disappointed since it’s thought to be one of the highlights here. I would rather just have the beef hor fun.

You can’t possibly miss this signature eight star pot at Manhill Restaurant, especially the claypot dishes are their specialty. Amidst the variety, this eight star pot seems to be rather popular that it could be spotted on almost every table.

Like treasure hunting, simmered in the pot are ingredients such as sea cucumber, fresh prawns, fish maw, cabbage, mushrooms, baby corns, fried garlic, bamboo shoot slices in a thick umami broth. So good that we used it to drench our noodles from the other dish!

Take a trip down memory lane at Manhill Restaurant since the original Hillman Restaurant was opened in 1963 and subsequently in 1973, Manhill Restaurant was born! Filled with nostalgia, the restaurant could be easily recognized especially at night by its huge neon-lighted signboard with an earthen pot, which represents their signature dishes. The interior is occupied by velvet-trimmed chairs, very traditional crockery and cutlery. Even the lady who took our orders on a blank notepad, using fluent Cantonese, made me feel as though it was a travel back in time. No order chits, no menus on iPads.

Since the chicken in paper bag was one of the top recommendations, surely we had to try it out. One convenient point was that it was boneless, hence easy handling. As you unfold the paper wrapping, the first aroma that reaches the nose is the fragrance of Hua Diao wine, one that’s fermented from glutinous rice, wheat and water. The juiciness from the chicken meat had a mixture of umami and savoury, and even though it was a little oily, I didn’t really mind because it was so flavoursome with a hint of ginger. They provided some salt and pepper by the side which i tried dipping, but that would result in a sodium blast. The chicken is good on its own. Wrapped in the grease-proof paper meaning the marinate was well-retained and yes, if you don’t mind, you can taste the paper that had leftover flavours. Doesn’t come with an appealing appearance, but it’s likely a comforting dish for the older folks.

A very savoury way of cooking this seafood dish, especially with the black garlic that contributes a really strong fermented flavour to the razor clam. Salty as it might be, the black garlic also adds on a tinge of sweet, balsamic taste.

The razor clam was long and juicy, but chopped into smaller pieces which can be chewed conveniently. Love the freshness!