Entree Kibbles: Chui Xiang Kitchen (醉香小厨) - Lobster Porridge and Other Tze Char Dishes @ 126 Casuarina Road [Singapore]

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Chui Xiang Kitchen (醉香小厨) - Lobster Porridge and Other Tze Char Dishes @ 126 Casuarina Road [Singapore]

It was "eat with your family day" last week and we were officially released at 5pm so that we can bond with our loved ones (including the brats), over what-else-but-food!

I was on the lookout for a decent tze char restaurant and finally found Chui Xiang Kitchen that came recommended by Singapore's food guru, Dr Leslie Tay of ieatishootipost.sg; every dish he reviewed was at least a rating of 4.0!

You don't have to click his blog to read his review; just check out the numerous posters pasted outside the tze char restaurant. I wonder if the eatery has to pay Dr Tay a fee to print and paste his review as i remember that our local newspaper, Straits Times, would charge you accordingly for using their article for commercial purpose.

Anyway, while reading the review on ieatishootipost.sg, the one dish that caught my eye was the live lobster porridge as it would appeal more to my mom! The weather that day helped to strengthen the craving as it was drizzling and the evening temperature was rather cool.

Place might appear empty but the above picture shows only half the restaurant; the other half was filled with hungry diners and the entire place was full less than an hour later!

Pickles - placed immediately on our table together with the wet towels (returned without any resistance), they were crunchy and tasted not too bad even though i prefer our local acar version for its slightly spicier flavour.

There were so many items to choose from the menu and i had to push the responsibility to my elder sister as she would be able to suggest a more balanced diet for the two kids. If i am the one to do the ordering, you would see lots of meat and likely zilch vegetables.

Like me, she opted for a number of dishes with the "signature dish" marker. It's always good to play safe and should the dish fail to create a positive impression, we can push the blame to the eatery!

Lobster Porridge - given the weather, it's especially warming to the stomach to have this as the first dish! As my sister and her family are not into porridge, i only ordered portion sufficient for two persons with one lobster.

It's still a large portion that i personally feel is sufficient for three persons! Maybe even four persons if you add in all the other tze char dishes you would be ordering to supplement the porridge! Only issue would be sharing the lobster that's cut into half.

Fresh and nice lobster meat although compared to all crustaceans, my favourite would still be the crabs, specifically Sri Lankan / mud crabs. However, in porridge form, lobsters are still the best!

Now, it's imperative to compare the lobster porridge with Orchid Live Seafood (which is just a 10-minute drive away) and even though the broth was found to be flavourful, it lacked the oomph that i relished so much at Orchid Live Seafood; maybe more ginger can be added? I also noted that the soup here featured a less oily sheen.

Marmite Pork Ribs (S) - very tender pork smeared with the irresistible marmite that burst with aromatic fireworks as i sank my teeth in! Was looking around for a second piece minutes later but the plate was already cleaned out! :(

Beancurd with Golden Mushroom (S) - nothing exceptional and i guess the beancurd was homemade or something; a given nowadays for some tze char stalls. To be fair, Mom loved it.

If i am the decision maker for ordering, i would not consider any beancurd dishes. In my family, unfortunately, there's a person who die-die must have beancurd to go with her plain rice. No prize for guessing who.

Cabbage Chicken - within the restaurant, there were two types of 'signature dish' markers; the one with a white background and another with a yellow background. In makansutra terms, the yellow marker would translate into an equivalent of 3 pairs of chopsticks; die-die must try!

Visually unappealing, this kind of traditional looking dish (using the classic claypot) would be a hit with the older generation. Cut across the brownish cabbage to get to the meat which had a nice and soft texture that fell off the bones easily.

Taste wise, there was a hint of 梅菜扣肉 although in general, i found the meat to be on the bland side. Surprisingly, it was the cabbage that tasted more flavourful.

Oyster Omelette (S) - the wok hei was richly featured in this omelette and for those who worry about too much oil, this was definitely manageable and i so loved the eggs which remained gooey inside! No comment on the yucky oysters; p.s. i am those weird individuals who like oyster omelette / fried oyster without the oysters.

Salted Egg Yolk Cuttlefish (S) - i had been disappointed with the salted egg yolk cuttlefish dish that i ordered from other tze char stalls / restaurants but i couldn't resist ordering it every time i see the dish appearing on the menu!

Finally, i found one that i can seriously say is the best so far - the batter wasn't thick yet it maintained a nice crisp that just had about the right crunch!

Envelop that batter with a non rubbery cuttlefish ring and fry them using a yummy salted egg yolk sauce recipe that was perfectly balanced with saltiness and sweetness, and a dash of chilli-padi spiciness. Perfect in every sense.

Homemade Yam Paste (Pax) - like the salted egg yolk cuttlefish, i had to order yam paste if i see it on the menu and although it was indicated as per pax, the serving was good for two persons!

Honestly, a bit too watery in my opinion and although acceptable, i would appreciate it better with the additional sweetness from pumpkin! I so miss the yam paste from the now-closed Mong Hing Teochew Restaurant!

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The dinner was extremely satisfying and each of us walked out of the restaurant with a bloated tummy even though we ordered "small" where possible! Would definitely be back to try their crab dishes; like heir signature salted egg crab, black pepper crab and white pepper crab!

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