It’s a challenge to find new and authentic hawker stalls selling Chinese cuisine in Singapore. When I visited Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, I found myself lost in the myriad of stalls scattered throughout the hawker centre. I stumbled upon a stall called Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao, which sold Xiao Long Bao. I decided to try it to see how it compared to the Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung.
What caught my eye at first was the price. The stall sold 6 pieces of xiao long bao for just $5. The price was a bang for the buck and I immediately decided to order it. I also ordered the Dumpling Noodles($4.50), a price that I found reasonable as well.
I tried the Dumpling Noodles first and I was amazed at how silky smooth, slippery and chewy the noodles were. They were extremely easy to slurp and swallow. As for the soup, it was delicately light yet flavourful and delicious. The dumplings had a thin skin and were packed with cabbage and meat. They were sweet, light, and the cabbage were crunchy, although I was hoping for a more heavy flavor to balance out the lightness of the soup.
The Xiao Long Baos were the winner for me. They were large and the skin was exceptionally thin. The amount of soup in the dumpling was generous. They were extremely juicy and bursting with flavour, with the meat being tender as well. They were restaurant quality, comparable to those at Din Tai Fung.
Overall I found Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao to be bang for the buck if one is looking for quality chinese food. Their noodles were top notch and I highly recommend getting the Xiao Long Baos as they are not only scrumptious and a great value, but the size of each xiao long bao were substantial. I’ll definitely be buying from this stall again as they have so much more to offer!
Rating:
Noodles: 8.5/10
Dumplings: 9/10
Value for money: 10/10
