La Hong Dian Hotpot (辣红殿重庆干锅) @ Chinatown - New Chongqing Restaurant Offering 12 Specialty Dry Pots

Mosque Street in Chinatown has become quite a hotspot for a variety of Chinese cuisines, and the latest addition to this bustling street is La Hong Dian Hotpot (辣红殿重庆干锅), a Chongqing restaurant specialising in dry pots. Their signature dish allows diners to enjoy it as what you see when it is first served and then transform it into a bubbling hotpot by adding soup, offering a dual dining experience.

The cosy restaurant spans two levels, with four tables on the ground floor and a VIP room upstairs to accommodate larger groups.

Century Egg with Green Peppers 3.5/5

We started our meal with the Century Egg with Green Peppers ($15), which featured slices of rich century egg topped with fragrant chilli crunch.

Stir-fried Shredded Cabbage 3/5

Following this, the Stir-fried Shredded Cabbage ($28) provided a comforting, homely touch amidst the spicier dishes. For the steep price tag, we were expecting a lot more of it, including a stronger wok hei finish.

Dry Pot Pork Ribs 4/5

The restaurant's signature dry pot is available in an impressive 12 different varieties, featuring ingredients such as seafood, squid, pork intestines, and more. We opted for the Dry Pot Pork Ribs ($49.90 for Small, $76.80 for Large), which is kept sizzling throughout the meal on an induction cooker. The dish was boldly spiced with a generous mix of dried chillies and peppercorns, though we felt that the spice lacked fragrance. A wider ariety of default ingredients, like sweet potato noodles and mushrooms, would have enhanced the dish. When you are almost done with the Dry Pot, you can request the service staff add extra broth and transform it into a hotpot. Additional hotpot ingredients are available to be ordered.

Spicy Chicken Cubes 3/5

We wrapped up the meal with the classic Spicy Chicken Cubes ($28), a dish generously loaded with dried chillies. While the chicken cubes had a decent crunch, the flavours were less robust than we had hoped.

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.


La Hong Dian Hotpot (辣红殿重庆干锅)
41 Mosque Street
Singapore 059519
Tel: +65 8428 8213
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Nearest MRT: Chinatown (DT, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to New Bridge Road. Turn right at New Bridge Road and walk to Mosque Street. Turn right onto Mosque Street and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Song Yue Taiwan Cuisine (松悦台式料理) @ Kallang Leisure Park - Launches Banquet Dishes (辦桌菜)

Song Yue Taiwan Cuisine at Leisure Park Kallang has recently launched a new menu based on the culinary tradition of 辦桌菜 (bàn zhuō cai) or 'banquet dishes'. Originating in the 17th century, 辦桌 are gatherings typically held to celebrate occasions.

Celebratory Lobster Combination Platter 5/5

We started with Song Yue's Celebratory Lobster Combination Platter ($88.8 – Medium / $128.8 – Large) featuring five distinct dishes that synergised well with one another with their different flavour profiles and texture - Lobster and Fruit Salad, Chicken Tossed in Sesame Oil, Soy Braised Duck Wings, Spring Onion Marinated Abalone and Century Eggs in Shrimp Paste. Each dish had its merits, but what stood out for me were the flavourful and tender duck wings as well as the century eggs done in the style of a classic scotch egg.

Traditional Chicken with Pig's Stomach and Abalone Soup 4.5/5

Next was a nourishing Traditional Chicken with Pig's Stomach and Abalone Soup ($98.8). The chicken, stuffed with pig stomach, ginkgo nuts, and baby abalone, is stewed in a superior pork and chicken broth for five hours, resulting in a collagen-rich broth, as reflected in its yellow hue. Unlike a typical Pig's stomach soup, which may occasionally be quite gamey, this is more of a chicken soup with added benefits of a pig's stomach soup.

Steamed Live Lobster Rice Cake 5/5

My favourite dish of the evening was the Steamed Live Lobster Rice Cake ($88.8 for medium, $158.8 for large). Beyond the succulent lobster, the Taiwan glutinous rice, infused with pork belly, dried conpoy, shiitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp, was deeply flavourful and aromatic. Topped with garlic oil and fried garlic, it had a perfect balance of richness and savoury notes, and each bite of it just got more and more delicious.

Golden Phoenix-Tail Tiger Prawns 4.5/5

The Golden Phoenix-Tail Tiger Prawns ($35.8 for medium, $55.8 for large) were another highlight. Giant tiger prawns were wrapped in beancurd skin with a seafood mix, salted egg yolk, century egg, and coriander filling. Skillfully fried to a crisp golden brown, they were paired with a well-matched homemade sweet and sour sauce.

Braised Pork Knuckle with Homemade Mustard Greens 4/5

The Braised Pork Knuckle with Homemade Mustard Greens ($58.8) was a rich, fork-tender dish. The pork knuckle was braised for three and a half hours. However, I felt the mustard greens could have been more bittersweet to better balance the richness of the pork and gravy.

Handmade Crispy Duck with Taro 3.8/5

Lastly, the Handmade Crispy Duck with Taro ($48.8) featured duck slices encased in creamy yam paste and deep-fried to a light and crispy finish. While the flavours were good, the dish could have benefited from a thicker yam layer, as the portions without enough yam felt a little dry.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Song Yue Taiwan Cuisine
(松悦台式料理)
5 Stadium Walk
#01-38/39
Singapore 397693
Tel: +65 6988 3322
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Nearest MRT: Stadium (CC Line), Tanjong Rhu (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 1130am - 3pm, 530pm - 930pm
Fri-Sat, Eve PH: 1130am - 330pm, 5pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Stadium MRT station. Take Exit B. Turn right and walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Tanjong Rhu MRT station. Take Exit 2. Walk towards the river. Cross the bridge to indoor stadium. Cut across the open air carpark towards Stadium Crescent Road. Walk to Kallang Theatre. Turn right onto Stadium Walk. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]