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This
X.O. mix won't knock you out!
By Terence Ng • Urbanwire • 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 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. The Place The Service The Signature
Dish The Rest
of the Best 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
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 Place “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 The Signature
Dish 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). 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
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