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2014-01-29
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We were seated in the pavement in the corner shop (there are two restaurants within a stone's throw from each other), which we didn't mind as we could keep an eye on the car parked nearby. But given the environment, we were expecting good local grub for good local prices. Also, I saw a few photos here with the menu and the prices listed seemed reasonable. Sadly, inflation and rental hikes have likely pushed the prices up stratospherically, and for the three of us, it came to $300 a head. Here's
- Ger Ger vegetable pot (or "gel gel" as their menu calls it): my idea of "ger ger" pots is that the pot is so hot it would sear anything that touches it, giving the ingredients a slightly charred taste that adds depth to the flavour. But this one was just normal vegetables in a pot, didn't taste any different to a normal stir-fry. We divvied up the pot and had about 3 stalks of Chinese lettuce each.
- Pepper squid and fish: the batter was thin but not crispy, and there wasn't much pepper taste to it. We had about 1-2 pieces of fish and squid each.
- Beef brisket in clear broth: this was the best dish of the evening, with thinly sliced beef that has been braised in a tasty broth until it's super tender but the flesh still clung to the bits of ligament/fat without falling apart, there were quite a few large pieces of turnip and some cabbage at the bottom of the pot.
- Eel and "chuan pepper" claypot: I expected the chuan pepper to add some heat to the dish, but sadly the few slivers of red pepper didn't do much more than add some colour to the dish. The eel was however very tender and smooth, but out of the 6 pieces, 2 of them were end cuts and about the size of a $5 coin. The liver sausage was lean but not too chewy, however my friend didn't think it was a stand-out compared with her favourite from Yung Kee. $138.
- Squid and pork patty claypot: this was another "normal" dish that one would expect from any claypot restaurant, there was nothing to suggest it was worth the $118 price tag. One could have easily concocted the same dish at home for fraction of the price.
*The rice for the claypot was soft, with a thin layer of skin surrounding the pot that was chewy but not burnt. The soy sauce as mentioned by someone earlier was nothing to write home about.
Perhaps my expectations of a popular claypot rice restaurant was higher than what I experienced here, I didn't think the quality of the food nor the environment reflected the prices. We left feeling slightly disappointed.
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