Sik Bao Sin Eating House at Geylang Road

Spotted this Sik Bao Sin Cantonese eating house along Geylang Road the other day and decided to give it a try.  The place is open for dinner from 5.45pm, we arrived at around 6.20pm, the place was already almost full.  Luckily there were only the two of us, and we were warmly ushered in immediately.

We were given a menu to order, but there was no price tag on the menu, so you have to be a bit thick-skinned to ask them for the prices.  There are not many items on the menu, so almost every item on the menu is their recommended dish.

Black Chicken Herbal Soup, $26.00

My friend wanted the black chicken soup, so we ordered one.  When it arrived, it gave us a shock.  Usually the soup is in a small bowl, and you get some body parts of the black chicken, and some tiny amount of herbs, but the black chicken soup here came in a giant bowl, with an entire black chicken in it.  There were generous portions of Chinese herbs of YuZhu (玉竹), BeiQi (北芪）, QiZi （杞子）, etc.   The soup was excellent, 真材实料, boiled for hours with authentic ingredients.  The sweetness of the soup came from the ingredients, not some added sugar or artificial flavouring.  As the portion is quite big, I think it can be shared by at least 3 persons.

Steamed Song Fish-head, $26.00

We also ordered their signature dish, the steamed Song fish-head.  When the dish came, we got another shock.   When I ordered the steamed Song fishhead in another local restaurant, the fishhead was of palm size, but the one here again was of giant size.  It was steamed with preserved vegetables, and deep-fried pork lard, topped with spring onion and then finally hot oil was poured on it to spark off the fragrance.

Cantonese like to eat fishheads, as it has lots of collagen, which is tender and smooth, full of nutrients.  The fish head was done just nice.  The meat was still tender but fully cooked.  The collagen was still juicy.  It was good!  However, there was something I didn't like.  Somehow they use fermented tofu (豆腐乳) as part of the sauce.  Fermented tofu's flavor was too strong for such a delicate dish, it grossly dominated the entire sensation system.   Well, it is just my opinion, maybe many other patrons like the strong taste.

We also ordered a vegetable dish, together with two bowls of rice and two teas, in grand total we paid $68.00 for the entire meal.  No GST and no service charge.

I think I will go back for their soup, but with more people.  Their soup is simply too big for just one or two persons.

Luk Yu aka Tang Yan at Chinatown Point

Luk Yu, with its old name still visible

Luk Yu (陆羽), a Cantonese restaurant at Chinatown Point, recently changed its name to Tang Yan (唐筵), probably with a change of management too.  Well, the name change doesn't matter, the taste is what matters to foodies.

The new name has appeared

Moon Spinach, $12.00

The first dish that came was poached egg with spinach, or Moon Spinach as its Chinese name.  It was spinach immersed in a milky broth, top with a poached egg, and pieces of crab meat.  The egg yoke represents the moon, giving this dish a poetic sensation.   For such a simple dish, what makes a difference is the broth.  which was sweet and most probably cooked for hours with fresh ingredients.

Wuxi Pork Rib, $18.00

Next dish was Wuxi pork rib.  It was my first time hearing such a name, basically it was stewed pork rib on vegetables.  The pork ribs had been cooked with slow fire for hours, I guess.  The meat no longer sticks to the bone and a single bite could easily separate the two from each other.  It is perfect for dining with seniors who may have problem with their teeth.  The sauce provided additional flavor to the pork ribs. 

Deep Fried Mantou

Interestingly, the Wuxi Pork Rib was served with deep fried mantou, those that are usually served with chili crabs.  Well, until now I still couldn't figure out the link between the pork ribs and the mantou and how the two could come together.  Still scratching my head...

Shrimp Chee Cheong Fun, $6.00

Xiao Long Bao, $4.80

Chives Dumpling, $4.80

XO Chee Cheong Fun, $5.50

We also ordered some dim sum dishes.  They were all decent, but then nothing to rave about.  The shrimp chee cheong fun was not done right.  The skin was too soft, and broken. 

I probably will return to this restaurant, but more for their ala carte dishes, which are prepared with more effort and have a much better taste. 

The service there was good, prompt and polite.  The dining environment somehow gives me a sense of dining in Hong Kong.  The two gentlemen sitting at the table behind me probably were businessmen catching with each other over lunch.  There were also some tourist-looking patrons, but the majority seem to be local Singaporeans.  

E Hua Shi Guangzhou 鹅 话 事 Guangzhou

E Hua Shi (鹅话事) literally means "Goose is in charge".  It sounds odd, isn't it?  But if you say it in Cantonese, then it makes perfect sense.  In Cantonese, the sound for Goose and the sound for I are similar, so "Goose is in charge" becomes "I am in charge".  Language is fun, isn't it?

E Hua Shi is a food joint which was only launched late last year in Guangzhou, it specializes in Cantonese roast food, in particular, roast goose.  I like roast goose, it is just not resistible, however, I seldom ate roast goose in the past.  It is one of those dishes that are prone to the use of harmful ingredients to your health.  Stories are rampant of sellers using industrial material, not approved for use in food, on roast geese just to make the taste better.  At E Hua Shi, I have no such worries.  This food joint was founded by 3 partners.  One partner takes care of the roasting himself.  All three partners do eat their own roast geese, together with their staff, on regular basis.  I think this is the best possible advertisement, and best possible guarantee for the quality of their roast geese.

1/4 Roast Goose, ¥88.00

My friend wanted to have a roast goose drumstick, but it was sold out, so we could only order 1/4 of a roast goose.  The skin was crispy!  Then there was a thin layer of goose fat right below the skin, greasing up the skin and the meat below.  The meat was juicy, but firm, yet it was still tender.  The aroma of its roast meat stimulated your sensor of smell.  It was a feast to the taste buds, and your smell buds :-)  I liked it so much that I kept eating and eating and eventually finished this quarter goose.  My friend originally thought the portion was too big for the two of us, we might have to packet the left-over, now there was nothing to pack!

We had a casual chat with one of the partners.  He told us that currently they have two branches, one is at Zhongxin Square (中信广场), the other one is the branch we visited at Huacheng Square (花城广场).  Both are catering mostly to office workers, so there is a bigger crowd for lunch, much less for dinner.  In our case, we went there for dinner, so the choice is a bit more limited.

He also said that roast goose is better eat while hot.  The best is when it is fresh from the oven.  The longer it is since the time it was taken out of the oven, the less tasty it is.  For take away, as it is covered in the container, whose moisture will make the skin less crispy, so it will affect its taste too.

The geese here are marinated by the master chef in the central kitchen, then they will be sent out to the branches, raw.  The raw geese have to be kept in a fridge, with some strict temperature control.  I have to be discreet here, as it is part of their trade secret of producing delicious roast geese.  Only when there is an expected demand, they will start the actual roasting in-store.  That's why you can see an oven in their store.

Oven for Roasting

This food joint, noticed I didn't use the word "restaurant", has quite a small shop space.  There are only 2 or 3 tables, with another 2 or 3 counter seats, so strictly speaking, it is not really a restaurant.  It is more like a Chinese fast food shop, but with good quality food.

The branch at Huacheng Square is actually quite difficult to find, as it is hidden at one corner.  The way to find it is:  First, locate Da Long Feng restaurant, which is another popular restaurant with long queues even on a weekday, then you have to walk out the building, go through a long stretch of shop under renovation, then at the end of it, you will find this food joint.

Last but not least, I must declare that one of the partners of E Hua Shi and my friend graduated from the same high school in the same year, although they didn't know each other at that time.  However, we did pay for our own food, and this review is neutral and objective.

If you are visiting Guangzhou next time, I do recommend you give them a try.  It is recommended to give them a call first so that they can reserve for you, to avoid disappointment, like my friend.


Update on 30 May 2018:
This place has closed down since.  Too bad.