Xing Hua Lou at Heartland Mall Kovan

Xing Hua Lou is a newly opened restaurant at the humble Heartland Mall at Kovan.  When I dined there on 18 Sep 2018, their credit card POS machine had not even arrived, only cash and NETs payment were available.  The cashier told me that the credit card POS machine would only come the next day.

The interior design is simple but elegant.  The size of the restaurant is quite small, mostly 2 or 4-person tables, with a few big round tables for bigger parties.

Pork Belly with Garlic, $9.90+

We ordered pork belly with garlic as out appetizer.  The way they make this dish is different from others.  You can hardly see any garlic in the plate, but when you pick up a slice of the pork belly, the taste of garlic is obviously there.  I suspect they soak the cooked pork belly into a garlic sauce.  The overall taste of this dish is good, especially if you wrap the pork belly around a slice of cucumber.  Cucumber is fresh and light in taste, matched with the stronger flavored pork belly, in particular the fat portion, it is a pleasant combination.

Spinach in Supreme Soup (Small), $10.90+

The spinach in supreme soup is good too.  The best part of course is the supreme soup.  It is rich in flavor, and importantly, fresh.

Fried Xing Hua Vermicelli (Medium), $16.90+ 

While at Xing Hua Lou, you just can't not to order fried Xing Hua vermicelli.  Xing Hua (兴化) is a small place in the city of Pu Tian in Fujian Province, China.  Their vermicelli is famous for being the thinnest vermicelli, and it is naturally sun-dried, compared with machine-dried.  Once you mention Xing Hua, people naturally will think of Xing Hua vermicelli.

The vermicelli here is fried with a lot of ingredients, including prawns, vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, etc.  The medium portion is actually quite big, even for two guys.  If you order some other dishes, you may consider ordering just a small portion.  The taste is not bad.

Chinese Cabbage with Tofu and Lala Soup, $16.90+

Last but not least, we also ordered a pot of Chinese cabbage with tofu and lala (cockles) soup.  A big pot of milky soup arrived at our table, and the smell spread all around.  I, in general, don't like to have lala, or anything to do with lala, as it might not be fresh, and prone to cause diarrhea or food poisoning.  Luckily, the lalas in this restaurant are mostly fresh.  The soup is super tasty, with the sweetness of the lala, and the Chinese cabbage.

Overall, it is a satisfying meal at a reasonable price. In total we paid $64 for the two of us, with very full stomach.

PuTien at Tampines Mall

Many years ago, my former boss introduced me to PuTien's Fujian cuisine.  I was very impressed by the quality and taste of their dishes.  When PuTien was given a 1-star rating in the newly released Michelin food guide, I was not surprised at all.  A long lost friend came to pay me a visit recently, so nothing could be more suitable than giving him a treat at our Singapore's own 1-star Michelin restaurant.

I picked PuTien at Tampines Mall for convenience for both of us.  On a Monday night, it was not crowded at all.  We were warmly ushered in and settled down in a 4-person table, although there were only two of us.

The restaurant is spacious, with comfortable space between tables.  I noticed there are private rooms for more cosy family or business dining.  The decoration is towards the retro style, the happy 70s probably.

We ordered quite a number of dishes, but I will definitely recommend three of them.

1. Iced Bitter Gourd

Iced Bitter Gourd - $6.90

Bitter gourd is cooked in boiling water, then it is sent to the freezer to freeze up the entire bitter gourd.  Upon serving, the bitter gourd is then sliced to translucent-thin slices, served cold with ice.  Bitter gourd has the COOL property in traditional Chinese medicine.  Ice of course is cool too.  Cool plus cool is very cool, it is quite a treat in a hot summer day.  You can dip your slice into the honey that accompanies the dish.  Bitter-sweet, how fitting is this dish as a reflection of our life.

I first had this dish many years ago, the presentation at that time was still quite primitive, just slices, without any sense of art.  Now, the slices are laid out like a lotus flower.  Wow, food is truly an art now.

2. 100-second Yellow Croaker

100-second Yellow Croaker - $13.80

This dish has 10/10 rating from me.  They claim to cook the fish in just 100 seconds.  The meat is just nice, fully cooked, a bit more will be too much, a bit less will be not enough.  Perfection is expected and delivered in this dish.  The fish is cooked in 100 seconds, the broth definitely not.  I guess the broth could have been boiled with fish head and bones for hours to get that milky color.  Don't think they just add milk like your neighborhood food stall.  Leek and ginger add to the fragrance.

3. Deep-fried pig trotters with salt and pepper

Pig Trotters - $13.00 for 2 pieces

This dish is quite a love-hate for me.  It is not really considered to be a 'healthy' food by my standard, and the appearance is not exactly very appetizing.  However, the taste is quite special.  The skin is quite crispy.  The thick layer of fat, or collagen if that makes you feel better, that we usually expect from a pig trotter is actually gone.  Salt and pepper help to enhance the taste buds too.  Inside, the meat is smooth as silk, and melts in your mouth.

Well, these three dishes are my recommendations.  I hope to hear some feedback from you guys, what is your favorite dish?