A hot 36 degrees late Sunday afternoon see more empty tables than customers but it means quick service. A super quick one. Our sambal potato leaves ($8) arrived in less than 6-8 min after ordering. A dark plate of green that looked potentially "young" (not those old and chewy) turned out only mildly spiced.
Next up the Signature XO fish head bee Hoon ($10 for small/ $18 for medium/ forgot the price for large) which did not seem to arouse any hungry appetite. The milky broth was light, I meant very light, thus those with an inclination towards heavy seasoning will not bat an eyelid on this. But I think the charm of this unassuming plain dish is that the more you eat, the more you enjoy it.
Strangely, I noticed the liquor fragrance emerging gradually and I found myself slurping up spoonfuls after another, something which I rarely do. My family agreed that it might not be as tasty as Hong Kong Street Zhen Ji but this was still a pretty good bowl especially with the fresh fish head. I can imagine how delicious it would be if the peppery kick was stronger.
Maybe because I hadn't had Char Kway Teow for ages. The Moonlight Horfun ($5.50), which I changed last minute from San Lao Horfun, were more robust than the fish head bee hoon and not overly sweet nor salty. Not outstanding but a decent plate to go with their minced Chilli sauce.
I had expected the least from the deep fried hei zor but it turned out to be the star dish that night. Filled with generous amount of chunky chestnuts and prawn bits, the golden rolls were crisp without any trace of grease. But the rolls seemed to be quite a poor conductor of heat as the innards remained piping hot even towards the end of the meal, so do be warned in case of a scalded tongue.
881 XO Fish Head Bee Hoon
412 Balestier Road
Singapore 329805
Tel: 62545768
