Hao Xiang

We were out of idea what to cook at home and decided to go for tze char. There were so many choices but we did not want to travel too far, mainly because our stomachs already started growling. So, we decided on Hao Xiang located at the Varinice Eating House, Bukit Batok Central. The place was crowded during weekend but our food was served pretty promptly.

Assam red snapper ($25) -must try

The assam red snapper ($25) was not only hot but with addictive sweet sour tang. The base of the gravy was light, not those curry type, and it was really appetizing. Pouring the sauce over the rice was utterly shiok. I am a fan of okra, my only complaint was that the okra was sliced up too thin and too little.

Fried kai lan leaves with silverfish ($12 for medium portion).

Deep-fried or stir-fried? You get to enjoy both in this dish. The leafy foliage of kai lan was thinly sliced and deep-fried to crisp, then tossed with crispy silverfish. The stir-fried version was hidden below the dome of crispy kai lan.

Crispy boneless chicken in special sauce ($18)

Fried food lovers will surely adore this dish. Other than the chicken wing, the rest of the meat were boneless and easy to munch on. You get to enjoy the crispy crunch in every mouthful, without worrying biting into any bones. The special sauce was a kind of dark sweet sauce, spread out evenly on the plate beneath the chicken.

Braised beancurd in special sauce ($19)

Compared to the special sauce for the chicken, we found that this sauce was not that special after all. It was a blend of chicken stock, crab stick and egg, a bit similar to the sauce that you get when you order mui fan. The tofu was quite silky but with the price paid, we would rather order another plate of crispy chicken.

Seaweed soup ($6 for medium portion)

You may not be able to see it from the picture but there were prawn and pork at the bottom of the bowl. It was a simple soup and we finished it anyway.

Do you know that in Hong Kong, the restaurants charge you for chilli? Now I get to appreciate those chilli served free in Singapore restaurants, especially those well-made one. This sambal, perked up with the pungent belacan, was not easy on the spiciness either. I literally gulped down the whole bowl of soup to get rid of the burning sensation of my tongue.