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Hougang Ave 10 #02-21 Hougang Mall
Telephone: (65) 6386-6188Category:
Restaurants » Chinese (Traditional)
Chinese traditional restaurant based on the Samsui Heritage of Singapore's past. Authentic Singaporean cuisine.
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Overall Rating:
264
Not bad~
Went there with my family for a Friday dinner; not too crowdeded :D
The seating inside is more comfortable as the outside seats are arranged in such a way that you'll be elbowed by fellow diners going to the tables past you and service staff serving the said tables.
Soup of the day ($12) - the medium size one, more than enough for 4 pax. That day was pork ribs and lotus root, which was not bad and tasted quite full bodied (although my mum said its full of MSG but I just can't taste it).
French beans with minced meat ($10) - wok-fried nicely with the beans still crunchy. Plus, not too oily, a crime that other places tend to commit.
Salad prawn ($16) - a little expensive for the portions. Still,the prawns were fresh and came with a nicely deep fried batter, mixed with some mayo. I would have preferred they drizzle the mayo on top rather than mix it in though.
Yang Chow fried rice ($10) - I have to admit I have no idea what's "Yang Chow" anymore because restaurants like to name their 'chap-ba-lang" rice Yang Chow Fried Rice. This one was just normal with usual mix veg and egg, and a tad oily for my liking, although it had a faint 'wok hei'.
Samsui chicken ($12) - medium size too. I've never really fancy this signature dish of theirs actually, but my sis loves it. That said, it is a healthy dish, good for low-carb fans. Its cold lean chicken meat served with sliced cucumber, lettuce, and a ginger / garlic mix. You're supposed to wrap the chicken in lettuce, add cucumber, and top it off with the ginger-garlic mix. The strange sounding combination actually tastes quite nice together, and it is very light on the palette. Reminds me of Peking duck but this is much healthier.
Being in the heartland makes this place a bit pricey in comparison but good for special dinners with mums and dads. Beware though, if you're unlucky, you might get grouchy rude China-national service staff. Also, food quality is not consistent as my last visit was much worse off. Depends on the chef or mood of the chef I guess.
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234
A former humble restaurant with its roots in China town, serving home cooked Cantonese fare, has since evolved into a chain restaurant that can be found in major department stores and even the heart of town. Based upon the Samsui Women, women in red berets, who helped better the lives of Singapore by working for the people, the food has an earthly appeal to culture poor Singapore as it serves as an icon of sorts.
After queuing for close to 15 minutes, i finally made it past the fake wooden doors to get a seat within the restaurant. I guess queuing is the norm since dinner time is usually peak season and everybody seems to be clamoring for any restaurant they can get their hands on.
I guess the first thing i noticed about the place is how incredibly expensive the items are. Expensive is relative in this case because i'd came with the impression i can pay very little for the meal, but that seems a faraway dream.
Peanuts ($2) - $2 for a small bowl of peanuts is pretty interesting. Interestingly expensive of course! To its credit, the peanuts are of the soft variety which may or may not appeal to everyone. Regardless of its appetizing fragrance and taste, this is still overcharged.
Samsui Ginger Chicken ($13) - The chicken bearing the namesake of the restaurant. It is said that no visit to Soup Restaurant is complete without ordering the chicken. Honestly, i am inclined to agree. The serving was quite big which makes me believe there should be half a chicken on that plate. The majority is made of boneless servings of the thigh and breast, both of which were nicely tender and slightly salty due to the soy sauce used. The combination of cucumber, chicken, ginger and lettuce wrapped was fresh and very appetizing. The 2 of us managed to finish the entire dish so that says something.
Hometown Tofu ($8) - The tofu was not very smooth and is of the egg variety. There were pockets of air in it when cut that doesn't leave me with a very good impression. The sauce was soy based and a little salty but managed to be balanced out by the bland tasting tofu. My overall experience with it was alright but nothing eye opening.
Tian Chee With Chicken Soup ($6) - Well, this is a soup restaurant so how can a visit be complete without ordering their soup. How did the soup fare? Bland. I couldn't taste much in it at all. At the very least, it didn't feel like a manufactured soup like so many other restaurants. Still, never ordering this again.
Did the above feel justified for the price tag of $40.50 you see here? I'll leave it up to you to decide.
Of all the things i had that day, the chicken alone was worth the visit while every other thing is just chicken fodder (pardon the pun). I wouldn't say i agree with the crowds that throng the place every night since its easy enough to create the chicken on your own outside. Buy some chicken meat, get lettuce and cucumber and some ginger soaked in soy sauce and vinegar and you pretty much get the same thing. Apart from that, i don't think the price is justified for such a humble place. I don't dislike it but i'm not happy enough with it to return either.
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