This X.O. mix won't knock you out!
By Terence Ng • Photography by Terence Ng • Urbanwire
• email reporter • email story • printer friendly version •


After splurging on Valentine’s Day you’d probably want to stretch whatever leftover dollars you have and still come away with a high from your dinner. To aid you in doing that, Urbanwire’s Terence Ng visited 2 stalls in the heartlands to bring you a rather unique dish in X.O. fish head bee hoon (vermicelli). Other house specialties came recommended highly.

Holland Village X.O. Fish Head Bee Hoon >>>

Bao Gong X.O. Fish Head Bee Hoon >>>

Urbanwire's Verdict >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 


Holland Village X.O. Fish Head Bee Hoon
By Terence Ng • Photography by Terence Ng • Urbanwire
• email reporter • email story • printer friendly version •

Holland Village X.O. Fish Head Bee Hoon Restaurant

X.O. fish head bee hoon is the brainchild of owner Ricky Lau, a former alcohol salesman.

“I was [also] selling fish head bee hoon at that time, then I thought about adding it with X.O.,” said Lau in fluent Mandarin.

Already in his 7th year in the business, Lau says he “doesn’t regret the day he experimented with X.O. in his fish head bee hoon”. Lau prides his flagship shop as being “the first in Singapore” to sell the liquor-laced dish. Last year he opened a second stall in Smith Street.

First Dish
Our first dish

The Place
The fans perched on the walls did not really serve their purpose, leaving the whole coffeeshop really stuffy and hot. The stall assistants were considerate enough, however, to offer wet napkins to wipe off the perspiration or your dirty hands after your meal.

The Service
After a short wait of about 15 minutes, someone served us our main course rather nonchalantly. For a signature dish, we were rather surprised it came in a plain bowl instead of a claypot, but the rather unique aroma of X.O. and fish soup alone made up for its indifferent presentation. Still we probably shouldn’t fault them, taking into account that this isn’t a restaurant proper. Putting that aside, they’re probably better off serving their signature dish in a claypot because it just isn’t as tasty when it’s cold.

Special Prawn-paste Butter Chicken
Special Prawn-paste Butter Chicken

Special Butter prawns
Special Butter prawns

The Signature Dish
You can smell the tantalising scent of cognac in the bowl of delicious X.O. fish head bee hoon even before it reaches your table. The dish, although a little too milky, comes with a generous serving of fresh steamed fish and thick vermicelli. For the price you’re paying, you’re definitely getting a whole lot of fish with almost 15 pieces of fish head! The price ranges from $7 - $25 (up to 5 pax).

The Rest of the Best
Apart from their X.O. fish head bee hoon, Lau was quick to point out 2 other house specials.

“We have our buttered prawns as well as the prawn-paste fried chicken,” added Lau excitedly.

Their prawn-paste fried chicken arrived quickly, showing off a golden brown “tan”, and had a decent variety of chicken parts from a whole chicken. This popular dish, judging by the number of orders made by other diners, also comes with a special sweet and spicy dip to enhance the eating experience. A plate of this house special costs $7.

Buttered prawns were served up covered with a thick and generous layer of floss strips. The prawns, slightly smaller than the average guy’s palm, were fat and very satisfying when you sink your teeth into one of them. Although the prawns were so crispy that you needn’t shell them, the small serving of 5, which cost $15, might leave you shell-shocked when you foot the bill. If your pockets are deep enough, though, along with the prawn-paste fried chicken, this is a must try.

Part of the draw of Lau’s shop must be photographs of local celebrities like actors Zoe Tay and Chew Chor Meng, as well as their counterparts from Taiwan and Hong Kong, like Ouyang Zhenhua, who have dined there. The crew from Channel 8’s well-known local food programme, City Beat, have also visited his stall.

Getting There
Block 46, Holland Drive, #01-359 (opposite OCBC bank)
Tel: 67783691
Opening hours: 12 pm – 2.30 pm, 5 pm – 11 pm; daily
Buses available: 32, 74, 91, 95, 145, 191

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Bao Gong X.O. Fish Head Bee Hoon
By Terence Ng • Photography by Terence Ng • Urbanwire
• email reporter • email story • printer friendly version •

Bao Gong X.O. Fish Head Bee Hoon

Teo Yong was candid in admitting that the idea of X.O. fish head bee hoon came from his previous employer, who incidentally happens to be Ricky Lau.

However, he added that he also opened his stall 2 years ago with 2 other partners because he “likes to drink X.O. and [then] thought of adding it to the fish head bee hoon soup”.

The Signature Dish
The Signature Dish

The Place
Mr Teo’s Bao Gong stall also has its loyal customers. From 6 pm, customers occupy the 25 tables in and outside the coffeeshop, with many of them choosing Bao Gong over the well-known Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice, which has a stall in the same coffeeshop.

“I like it because it is unique and different from the rest. The fish is big and fresh,” said Mrs Eddy Lim, 44, an insurance agent, who came from Changi to dine at Bao Gong’s.


The Service
Possibly because of the number of customers, the staff at Bao Gong didn’t seem too patient with requests for recommendations of house specials. The unsmiling service and the failure to provide necessary wet napkins left a sour taste at the beginning.

The Signature Dish
Over at Bao Gong’s, the X.O. fish head bee hoon is less milky, meaning less of a dilution of the liquor. That and the fact that their bowl holds fewer pieces of fish compared to the stall in Holland Drive, it leaves you wanting for more at the end.

The overall taste was excellent and superior to its Holland Drive predecessor, although you might want to place an order for a larger serving. As with their rival stall at Holland Drive, they should serve their specialty in a claypot to keep it hot.

The price ranges from $7-$20 (up to 4 pax).

Stir-fried Hor Fun
Stir-fried Hor Fun

Butter Prawns
Butter Prawns

The Rest of the Best
Bao Gong’s other recommended dishes include buttered prawns (hmm, not a lot of originality here…), but if that’s too rich for your taste, there’s always the sliced fish hor fun (broad rice noodle).

The platter offers hor fun stir-fried with tow gay (bean sprouts), sliced fish and vegetables. Although it was supposed to be a house special, it wasn’t that fantastic.

Nevertheless, the $10 medium-sized dish is worth trying so you can arrive at your own verdict.

“I find it too salty, but on the whole, it seems to be a healthy dish with a lot of tow gay,” said Diana Tan, 21, a Banking & Finance student at Stansfield School of Business.

Their prawns, though not as big as those at Holland Drive, tempt you to order more after your first plate. It comes with a coat of fried milk powder crumbs for a delightful sweet buttery taste. $15 will get you a small serving, or pay up to $30 for a large one.

With such a steady flow of customers, it’s no wonder that the service is slow at times. Fortunately, the stall is not warm.

Getting There
Block 721, Clementi West St. 2, #01-100 (opposite Ginza Plaza)
Tel: 98712906
Opening hours: 11.30 am – 2 pm, 5 pm – 11 pm; daily
Buses available: 30, 51, 143, 189, 282

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Urbanwire's Verdict
By Terence Ng • Photography by Terence Ng • Urbanwire
• email reporter • email story • printer friendly version •

 

UW'S Verdict
After visiting both stalls, there’s no doubt that the Bao Gong X.O. Fish Head Bee Hoon stall overshadows her rival, when it comes to their signature dishes, but they give each other a run for the money when it comes to the other specialties.

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