Wan He Lou (Maude Road)

@wanhelou Thai Coconut Pudding ($11.90++ per serving) has earned the ultimate Asian praise for a dessert: not too sweet. Coconut pudding is topped off with coconut ice cream, which may sound overwhelmingly coconut-y, but it was delicately balanced.⠀
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The coconut pudding proper was very mild tasting, only possessing a subtle sweetness of coconut. The gelatine was bouncy, firm yet yielded under a reasonable pressure. The coconut ice cream was where most of the sweetness in the dessert was derived from, and it’s a delightful dessert. It’s full of the sweetness of coconut, it’s creamy, and it’s the ideal ice cream. The coconut pudding provides the texture of the dessert while the ice cream provides the flavour, and both work in concert to make this Thai Coconut Pudding an enjoyable ending to any dinner at Wan He Lou.⠀
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Wan He Lou’s dessert menu section is aptly titled as ‘The Conclusion - Sweet Memories’, and I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Once again, thank you so much for having us @wanhelou, and thank you @thestephaniebenedetti for organising this!

I’ve never had the exotic sounding Ice Plant ever before, but @wanhelou version is so exquisite I’m completely sold on it. Ice Plants are traditionally found along the coasts of South Africa, and are full of water just like lettuce. However, unlike lettuce, Ice Plants are loaded with vitamins & nutrients, making it something of a superfood.⠀
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Wan He Lou’s Ice Plant ($20++) is served as a cold salad, rather befitting for its name. It’s served with cherry tomatoes and diced dragonfruit, which is a first. It’s dressed with both sesame sauce and truffle oil for that double dose of amazingly aromatic & supremely sapid in one superfood packed salad. The fresh, crisp ice plant provide a pleasantly light crunch, while the dragonfruit & cherry tomatoes represent the sweet delegation.⠀
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All the vegetables are bound together by the creamy savouriness of the sesame sauce. The salty sesame sauce fantastically flavours everything, and enhances the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes & dragonfruit. The strong scent of truffle emanating from the salad ensures that your sense of smell is greatly satisfied, and adds an extra luxurious touch.⠀
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If you only want to get one veggie while you’re at Wan He Lou, make sure you get their incredible Ice Plant, and thank me later. Speaking of thanks, thank you for inviting us @wanhelou, and thanks to @thestephaniebenedetti for organising this!

@wanhelou isn’t just all lobster porridge, they’ve got a bevy of zi char classics to complement you lush lobster porridge. Nothing screams zi char more than the iconic Prawn Paste Chicken ($11.90++ for a small portion), and Wan He Lou’s chicken smells stellar. They put a whole lotta prawn paste and love into the marinade of these chicken wings, and it sure smells & tastes like it. ⠀
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The heady aroma of har jeong gai constantly wafts into your nostrils, goading you to munch on another wing. The sapid prawn paste marinade has penetrated deeply into the chicken, and each bite is a supremely savoury one. The batter encasing the chicken is moderately thick and exceptionally crunchy. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of maximum crunchiness, Wan He Lou has sacrificed the juiciness & tenderness of the wings. The meat was a tad dry and notably hard in some spots.⠀
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I will be mad with my iPhone until the day it dies, as it completely failed to take a picture of my favourite dish of the night, the Crispy Shrimp Roll ($11.90++ for a small portion). The shrimp rolls were crispy, chunky and jumbo sized in both flavour and satisfaction. The prawn paste that went into these rolls were chunky and divinely delicious, and the savouriness was enhanced by the sweet mango sauce drizzled on the rolls. The little tobiko (flying fish roe) carefully spooned over each roll added brilliant briny umami pops with each earth shatteringly crunchy bite of shrimp roll.⠀
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Even if you don’t feel baller enough for a lobster porridge, do come to Wan He Lou for their zi char zingers. It’s reasonably priced, and superbly sumptuous. Many thanks for having us @wanhelou , and thank you to @thestephaniebenedetti for organising!

Porridge is usually seen as the food of the working people, or even sick people food, but @wanhelou has elevated it into a luxury with their Signature Lobster Porridge at sixty nine dollars for a 700 gram lobster. The price is nice (69 ehehehe), but the lobster porridge is even nicer.⠀
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So as legend has it, Wan He Lou’s head chef caught a lobster on a fishing trip one day, and all he could find was some rice. Necessity is the mother of all invention, and so with the lobster, the rice and some seawater, the first lobster porridge was created. The porridge is done Teochew style, which means loose rice grains in a broth as opposed to the silky smooth Cantonese congee.⠀
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As one might expect, the lobster broth is the superstar here. It’s slightly sweet and briny, and undeniably umami. It’s satisfyingly savoury without being overly salty, and the light yet luscious broth is so addictive that you’ll be gulping down every last drop of broth with gusto. Besides lobsters, the lobster broth is enhanced with lobster roe, and I suspect that there may be crab added into the mix. Lobster isn’t notably flavourful, but crab is, and the broth’s balance of briny, sweet & umami definitely tastes like that of fresh crab.⠀
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The lobster was fresh, but just a touch overcooked as the firm flesh was beginning to turn just a little rubbery. Minor nitpick aside, this sixty nine dollar lobster porridge is a lush, luxurious update on porridge, and I can definitely see myself heading to Maude Road more often for more of this piquant porridge.⠀
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Thank you to @wanhelou for hosting us, and to @thestephaniebenedetti for organising this tasting!

Had a tasting at Wan He Lou recently and was pretty impressed with most of their dishes!

One of their most popular dishes is their Signature Lobster Porridge and it was really flavourful! You can really taste the lobster broth used to cook the porridge. I find myself going for more, though I wished that the lobster could have been more fresh.

Their Shrimp Roll is an interesting one, as they were somewhat coated with cheese powder that added some sweetness to the savoury roll. Definitely makes it addictive!

Now my favourite dish of the meal: Shrimp Paste Chicken. They were perfectly fried chicken wings, all marinated in this really strong shrimp paste that has so much umami packed within. Biting into the crust does reveal tender succulent meat. Just thinking of them now makes me hungry again!

Thank you @wanhelou for the food and @eatwithkeat @smolbelly for inviting!

Wàn Hé Lóu (萬合樓) which means ‘A place of 10,000 reunions’ in Mandarin, is about serving up delectable Chinese comfort fare that has transcended generations.

Helmed by Award-winning Executive Chef Lau Siaw Dee, you can expect @wanhelou to offer a good range of mouth-watering dishes.

The most outstanding dish and also my favourite of all is their Signature Lobster Porridge! Simmered for a minimum of 6 hours daily, it’s no wonder the broth was so rich and savoury! Every component of the dish comes together to form a delicious and hearty bowl of porridge that’s perfect for sharing in reunions and gatherings! This is a must-try if you’re here!