[Media Review]
At $8.80, you"ll get a huge pot of rich white broth with 15 types of ingredients, and the first thing to be added is the raw quail egg, followed by the meat(prawn,squid,ham) then vegetables.
The broth is nourishing and delicate, with mild taste of ikan bilis. Finishing this bowl of soup is not a big problem since no MSG was added and there wasn't any oil layer as of the traditional recipe.
The Sze Chuan Basket in Chicken ($6.80)was an excellent dish of bite-sizes crispy chicken spiced up with dried chilli and an inspiring touch of roasted peanuts.
But those who can't take spicy food should stay away from this dish especially the Sze chuan peppercorns which can anesthetize your tongue instantly.
The hot favorite at the tables were undeniably the Pumpkin fries ($6.80), which are deep-fried pumpkins batons coated with powdery salted egg yolk. Not exactly like crisp-like fries, the version here is squashy but still finger-licking good to qualify as a sinful delight.
One can detect the wok hei in this Lotus XO Seafood Fried Rice ($8.80) and the subtle tones of chilli that adds substantial heat the dish. Compared to the fried rice at Crystal Jade or Paradise dynasty, the version here is more moist and flavorful, but fortunately not too clumpy.
The XO fried seafood noodle ($8.80) that came with an enticing fragrance, was wiped out very fast. The noodles stir fried with dark soy sauce had a sweet unami taste and a pleasant springy bite.
My eyes lit up when I saw this Minced Pork Lettuce Wrap $6.80 because I can't resist any food that are wrapped (popiah, Peking duck crepe etc). The wrap did not disappoint with its rich combination of textures and sweet-spicy flavors packed snugly in the fresh lettuce. But the filling can stand alone on its own and goes well with white rice.
Surprisingly, I found myself to like the chinese food here, especially the Fried Rice and Sze Chuan Chicken. Perhaps it was the strong spicy flavors that captured my tastebuds. Nonetheless, this is another noteworthy place to go for if you are seeking to try some very affordable Chinese food (mostly below $10) in a cooling environment.
This is the 8th stop of Bugis Food Trail 2013 organised by omy.sg and Bugis Junction. Click HERE to return to the main FOOD map.
Hong Guo Bugis Junction
Hong Guo Bugis Junction
#B1-o6
Tel:6884 4717