Din Tai Fung (Bedok Mall)

Started in Taiwan approximately 40 years ago, Din Tai Fung has since been awarded a Michelin star and ranked as one of the world’s Top Ten Best Restaurants by The New York Times. 

Officially opened in 2013,  Bedok Mall was novel to us. Having stumbled upon Din Tai Fung and having been in awe of their famed Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Dumplings), we decided to dine there.

As with every visit to Din Tai Fung, we were greeted by friendly staff who ushered us to our table where we were served Chinese Tea and a small plate of ginger with vinegar (To be added to your Xiao Long Bao).

Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop – $9.90

Having already tried their popular Fried Rice with Shrimps and Egg, we ordered a plate of Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop. This dish was absolutely delicious. The fried rice was not too dry, and tasted superb. The Pork Chop was no doubt one of the signature dishes in Din Tai Fung. It was succulent and juicy, and complemented the rice well.

Yang Chun Noodles – $6

The traditional Yang Chun Noodles is one of the dishes that I almost always order when dining at Din Tai Fung. Served with crunchy vegetables, the noodles have a chewy and flavorful texture. The soup tasted so fantastic, I drained my bowl of soup after finishing this dish.

 

Steamed Chicken Soup with Noodles – $10.80

This dish captured our attention when we saw the popular Steamed Chicken Soup being advertised in the restaurant. We were delighted to find out the Steamed Chicken Soup with Noodles in the menu. You can choose between having them serve you the dish with the noodles and the soup being separated (like we did), or having them serve the soup and the noodles in the same bowl. The soup was extremely flavorful, having absorbed the essence of the chicken in it. It was thick with flavor, but light in texture. It was marvelous. The noodles, like most of the noodle dishes served in Din Tai Fung, were chewy and complemented the soup well.

 

Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Dumplings) (10 dumplings) – $9.50

Often, when people mention Din Tai Fung, they never fail to talk of the famed Xiao Long Bao. These dumplings contain minced pork wrapped in a delicate dough skin and steamed to perfection. The Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung are by far the best Xiao Long Bao I’ve tasted in Singapore. These melt-in-your-mouth dumplings taste tangy and flavorful. A definite must-try in Din Tai Fung.

 

Stir-fried Hong Kong Kai Lan with Special Sauce – $11

I have personally always been a fan of dishes prepared with Hong Kong Kai Lan. I love how crunchy these vegetables are, and how well they taste stir-fried. Din Tai Fung served up this dish with a special flavor, largely due to their special sauce. I find this dish truly unique as I have never tasted Hong Kong Kai Lan served with such sauce before. It is definitely a dish worth trying if you love vegetables!

Din Tai Fung has never failed to offer good food and impeccable service. The notable dishes that I highly recommend include the Xiao Long Bao, Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop, and the Steamed Chicken Soup.

Price Range (per pax): $18 – $30

Din Tai Fung (Bedok Mall)

311 New Upper Changi Road #B1-10 Singapore 467360

Tel: 6844 9489

– With love, N

PUTIEN (Vivo City)

PUTIEN was named after Putian, a coastal town located in the Fujian province of China. Specializing in Heng Hwa cuisine, PUTIEN promises to offer it’s customers an “uncomplicated and homely Putian fare”.

We were greeted by staff with a great service attitude the moment we entered the restaurant. They seated us at our table, where we were served two appetizer dishes.

The first was picked radish.

And the second was dried seaweed with peanuts.

 I especially enjoyed this one, because I for one, love seaweed. The seaweed was crispy, while the peanuts complemented the former very well.

Chinese Tea – $7.50

Seaweed with Mini Shrimps – $6.90

The first dish that we ordered was the Seaweed with Mini Shrimps. This dish was surprisingly tasty, and apparently uses premium grade seaweed that contributes to the distinct flavor of the dish. The dish would compliment a bowl of rice very well.

Stir-fried Spring Leeks with Seafood Strips – $15.90 (S) $23.80 (M)

The next dish that came to the table was the Stir-fried Spring Leeks with Seafood Strips. The leeks were very tasty, and were very well-paired with PUTIEN’s homemade seafood strips. This was a seasonal dish in their Spring menu.

Braised Tendons with Bamboo Shoot came next.

Braised Tendons with Bamboo Shoot – $19.90 (S) $29.90 (M)

The bamboo shoots were very crunchy and the dish tasted pretty good overall.

PUTIEN Lor Mee – $8.90 (S) $17.80 (M) $26.80 (L)

Our next dish, the PUTIEN Lor Mee, included Putian noodles with pork belly, prawn and clam braised in a luscious pork broth. It is definitely tasty and is worth a try!

Homemade Beancurd – $9.90 (S) $14.90 (M)

Stir fried with mushroom, carrot and sugar snap peas, the soft silky homemade beancurd that PUTIEN offers was a delicious addition to our bellies.

Deep Fried Squirrel Fish – $38.00

Using live seabass as its main ingredient, the Deep Fried Squirrel Fish was without argument the star of the meal. The sauce was tangy and had a great flavor. The fish was also crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

With impeccable service and good food, PUTIEN is a great place to visit with friends or family. They also serve many special native dishes of Putian, offering a truly unique experience. Many of their ingredients are also homemade or premium, which adds to the flavor and texture of their dishes.

Price range (per pax): $30 – $40

PUTIEN (Vivocity)

1 HarbourFront Walk #02-131/132

Singapore 098585

Tel: (+65) 6376 9358

Lunch: 11.30am-3pm    Last order: 2.30pm

High-Tea: 2.30pm-5pm  Last order: 4.30pm (Fri-Sun & PH)

Dinner: 5.30pm-10pm    Last order: 9.30pm

 – With love, N

Dian Xiao Er (Tampines 1)

Good day, bunnies!

This is Sunnyfoodbunny, a food and travel blog specially for all you food lovers out there! We started this blog because we enjoy eating good food, and would love to contribute to the food blogging arena not only in Singapore, but worldwide!

To start off our first post, we will be reviewing Dian Xiao Er, a Chinese style restaurant whose specialty is their roast duck!

As the name suggests, the restaurant was decorated like a traditional Chinese eating house. Waiters and waitresses sauntered about dressed in the ‘xiao er’ traditional clothing. ‘Xiao er’ means waiter in Mandarin.

We were greeted with the customary plate of roasted peanuts at Chinese restaurants.

While browsing through the menu, we were struck by the myriad of food that they offer. Our prime choice was definitely the Duck Roasted with Angelica Herb, which looked incredibly appealing. The food came rather swiftly, owing to the incredible service and speed they provide.

The duck was pretty salty, but tasted good overall. The meat was well roasted, and the Angelica herb complemented the former very well.

Our next dish would be the Double-boiled Black Chicken Soup with Astragalus and Condonopsis Root. The soup was well prepared, and the flavor of the ingredients within were thoroughly absorbed into the essence of the soup. It was probably one of the best dishes we tried here.

We decided to order an Old Cucumber Soup, since it was mentioned to us as the ‘Soup of the Day’. The soup was simple, nothing too special, and tasted similar to any Old Cucumber soup outside.

No meal is complete without vegetables (For us at least!), so our next dish was Baby Kai Lan with Salted Fish and Lime. The vegetables were crunchy and well-prepared. We enjoyed the dish very much.

Our final dish was the Marmite Superior Chicken Wing. As the name suggests, this dish was marinated with Marmite. It tasted nothing like Marmite though. It was incredibly tasty, but to our opinion, extremely similar to the Spare Ribs commonly offered in Tze Char stalls out there.

Overall, our experience at Dian Xiao Er was above average. The service was impeccable, and the food was sufficiently tasty. Being their specialty, their duck is definitely a dish that you would want to try when you visit the place!

Overall dining experience: 8/10

Price range: S$15 – S$30

Dian Xiao Er

10 Tampines Central 1,
#04-07/08, Tampines One,
Singapore 529536
Telephone: 6783 6068

– With love, N