After 28 years of experience serving up Sichuan cuisine in China, Qiu Jin Xiao Chao 秋金小炒 has now stepped into Singapore with its first overseas outlet here in Harbourfront Centre. It specialises in local family-style Sichuan dishes that are served in bigger portions at a more affordable price tag.
The eatery offers a more casual dining setting with an a la carte menu and various types of set meals that fit different group sizes. These include Single Meals, Couple Meals, Family Meals and Deluxe Family Set meals. Generally, the dishes here are more heavily seasoned.
Sichuan Pepper Fried Chicken 4/5
Served on a huge oriental metal plate, the Sichuan Pepper Fried Chicken ($16.80) boasted a copious amount of dried chilli and fried chicken bites mixed in.
My dining companion and I appreciated how the chicken bites were not as bony but would have also preferred it to be more crunchy and less oily. The heat in this was manageable, at about medium spice level.
Mapo Tofu 4.2/5
The standout dish of the night for us was the Mapo Tofu ($8.80). Its addictive spicy bean sauce and chilli-based gravy are heavily seasoned but were surprisingly not as spicy as they looked. This was great to pair with white rice, and the portion of gravy with soft tofu cubes was also more than sufficient to share in a group. If you eat beef, check out the Wagyu Mapo Tofu - we heard it is one of their best-selling dishes!
Fried Diced Chicken with Corn 3/5
The Fried Diced Chicken with Corn ($12.80) paled in comparison to the other dishes with a lightly savoury mix of chicken cubes and corn. I recommend skipping it and trying the other dishes.
Sour & Spicy Pickled Fish 4/5
Another dish we enjoyed was the Sour & Spicy Pickled Fish ($24.80). Albeit a little oily, it had a well-balanced broth in its spicy and tangy flavours. The slices of fish were thick and tender.
Wuchang Rice
I appreciate the quality of the rice at Qiu Jin Xiao Chao. We learnt that the restaurant only uses premium Wuchang Rice which has been known to be more fragrant. They elevate that further by using bottled spring water from Nong Fu Spring and serving each day's rice with a different type of vegetable mixed in. On the day of our visit, they were serving carrot rice!
Overall, we found Qiu Jin Xiao Chao a good spot for group meal gatherings which offers satisfying quality dishes that would not break the bank.
Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.
Qiu Jin Xiao Chao 秋金小炒
Harbourfront Centre
#01-45/46
1 Maritime Square
Singapore 099253
Tel: +65 9172 8296
Website
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (CC, NE Line)
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 9pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Harbourfront MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]
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