Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao @ Alexandra Village Food Centre

After reading an article from Makansutra labeling the stall, Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Alexandra Village Food Centre as Dumplings to Die for, I made a note to check out the place in one of the food trail with Ian and Tony. While we were at Uncle Chicken, Niven the stall owner also recommended us to try the xiao long bao.

Xiao Long Bao 3.8/5

Located at the middle section of the hawker centre, a long lunch queue was spotted at the stall. Most of the lunch crowd ordered their la main as well as the various dumplings sold at the stall. Packed in the small space, 4 people were busy servicing the lunch crowd. One looks after the front of the stall taking orders and double up as cashier. Another at the back doing the cooking while the remaining two were tirelessly hand making the dumplings on the spot to ensure a constant supply to meet the order.

Xiao Long Bao 3.8/5

Served in a bamboo basket, the freshly made Xiao Long Bao ($4 for 7pc) is definitely value for money. The pork filling inside the xiao long bao was well marinated and flavourful. The broth was a tad on the sweet side though. I am not sure whether is it because of the lunch crowd, you can tell from the picture that the xiao long bao was a bit on the flat side. It was pretty obvious when picked up by the chopstick, the broth inside seemed to have evaporated.

Xiao Long Bao 3.8/5

Overall the xiao long bao was pretty good and satisfying with the right ratio of filling to skin. However I will not die for these as there are better one. The group also felt that the broth was on the sweet side which we did not enjoy. Saying this, our palate may have caught up with our age as we prefer something lighter in taste.


Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Alexandra Village Food Centre
Blk 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-56
Singapore 150120
Nearest MRT: Queenstown (EW Line), Redhill (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 1130am - 830pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Queenstown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Queenstown MRT station (Stop ID 11149). Take bus number 195. Alight 3 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Redhill MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop opposite Redhill MRT station (Stop ID 10201). Take bus number 33 or 120. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time 10 minutes. [Map]

Two Wings @ Bukit Merah

Once upon a time there was a grand master who taught his three disciples all his skills and each went their separate way after mastering his skills, making a name for themselves. Like the scene of some martial arts story, a similar story unfold at the newly opened Two Wings at block 119 Bukit Merah. Stall owner Jeremy has learnt the secret family recipe from the same grand uncle that has taught the original owner of Carona Chicken and an extended family member which owns Victor Fried Chicken Rice. Of course the family member that started off Carona Chicken eventually sold the business which later became a franchise chains and now defunct.

Chicken Wings 4.2/5

If you love chicken wings and especially those deep fried type from Carona Chicken, this is a must try here. The Chicken Wings ($8.50/4pc, $12.50/6pc, $24/12pc) are super crispy and almost not greasy at all. I was told that to cook a good fried chicken wing, the temperature and timing are very important. At Two Wings, the wings are deep fried for nine minutes which will give them that moist and juiciness inside while crispy on the outside. Worth mentioning is the special homemade chilli sauce that is pretty potent. If you can't take spicy stuff, I advice you to skip it as it probably will numb your taste buds deterring you to enjoy the delicious wings.

Finger Food Platter 3/5

Cheese French Fries 3/5

While the main focus of the stall is chicken, Two Wings also sells some finger food and snacks that are suitable to go along with the mains as a side or over a few bottle of beers. The Finger Food Platter ($19.90) ideal for sharing comes with 3 pieces of chicken wings, 9 pieces of chicken strips, 6 pieces of spring rolls, french fries/potato wedges, onion rings, cucumber and carrot with dip. If the finger food platter is too much, the Cheese French Fries ($4.50) drizzled with cheese and mayonnaise is as satisfying.

Chicken Cutlet Main 4.5/5

My first impression of the Chicken Cutlet ($8) which comes with a choice of 2 sides, looked dry. I was not harvesting too much hope until I cut into the piece of chicken which totally changed my opinion. Using chicken thigh, the chicken cutlet was extremely juicy and succulent inside with the signature super crisp exterior. It was like having a chicken chop disguised as a chicken cutlet, wearing a crispy coat over it.

Achar 4/5

I asked the owner why there was no coleslaw on the menu as I needed some acidity after all the richness in the fried chicken seasoning. Interesting his reply was we have Achar hence we are not selling coleslaw. Achar and western food seem like a misfit but breaking from the tradition, it works fine. The achar itself was really good, getting the thumbs up from all of us.

Spring Chicken 4/5

Chicken Parts 4/5

Besides chicken wings and chicken cutlet, different section of the Chicken Parts ($9/2pc, $12/3pc) and Spring Chicken ($9.90 Half / $15.90 Whole) are sold at the stall too. While I enjoyed the juicy chicken and its crispy skin, I thought it was a tad salty if I am to compare it to KFC, Texas and Popeye. I can easily finished 3 pieces from the other fried chicken brands but I did struggle a bit with this. A pride about Two Wings is that the chicken remains crispy even takeaway and consumed hours later. Catherine who brought some of the chicken parts home, confirmed with us later that they have remained crispy.

I have to thank Uncle Smart who has discovered this stall and organized the trip. Carona Chicken may have disappeared from the food & beverage scene in Singapore but Two Wings which uses the same secret family recipe has revived the nostalgic taste under the close supervision of the grand master, I meant the grand uncle who has spent 6 months teaching Jeremy the skill and still drop by the stall periodically to spot check the standard.


[MOVED]
Two Wings
Blk 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-40
Singapore 151119
Tel: +65 96670368
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twowingsSG
Website: http://www.twowings.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Queenstown (EW Line), RedHill (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Queenstown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Queenstown MRT station (Stop ID 11149). Take bus number 195. Alight 3 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Redhill MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop opposite Redhill MRT station (Stop ID 10201). Take bus number 33 or 120. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time 10 minutes. [Map]