Disclaimer: I took this off joonelovesfood.blogspot.com cos'
I forgot to bring my camera out yesterday, but it sure looked like this. heh.
I've heard about this place for the longest time, but never had the chance/gian-ness to try it for myself. Always thought it was XO fish bee hoon, so was momentarily stunned when all I saw was crab, crab and more crab. It's all good.
The signature dish ($22) is a tad little for two, you have to order at least another side dish to feel satisfied; we had the sweet and sour pork ($6).
Now, when the dish arrives, and you get past the wow-they-stuffed-a-whole-crab-in-there phase, the first thing that you are likely to think of is how to eat the bloody thing. They didn't provide any cracker, nor had they dented the crab in any way - which made it look perfect - but very hard to eat.
When we eventually got to the crab, hmm. Remember, I had heard lots of hype about this place, how the towkay was brash and rude but still had customers queuing round the block, testimonials from friends and murmurings from the foodie community. So, I was naturally pumped to find out exactly what made this XO-seafood concoction so irresistable.
As it turned out, the soup, which I had expected to be full of crabby goodness and wok-hei, was rather... blah. I mean, it wasn't bad, but, come on... evaporated milk, butter and some crab stock? You've gotta be kidding me. Let's just say I wasn't all that impressed. The XO taste married well with the creamy/buttery feel of the soup, and enhanced it overall, but sadly, wasn't enough to save this broth.
The crab, on the other hand, was really good. Steamed and fresh, each bite of claw and leg sent shudders down my spine. The only downside was the fact that the crab was kinda soggy (no complaints there), this meant that it's impossible to eat without getting crab juice all over your hands. So, if that's a concern, stay away.
The sweet and sour pork was one of the better ones I've had in awhile. The sauce wasn't too sweet nor too tomato-ey, just nice. And the pork pieces had been fried well and were crisp to the bite. Well worth the $6.
Verdict: The XO crab bee hoon is good to try once in your lifetime, but is certainly not something that would make me a regular there. On the other hand, the tze char looked generally good, and I may come back just to eat that in the future.
Shen Ji Seafood Garden
Holland Village
Taste: 2.5/5
Value: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
The signature dish ($22) is a tad little for two, you have to order at least another side dish to feel satisfied; we had the sweet and sour pork ($6).
Now, when the dish arrives, and you get past the wow-they-stuffed-a-whole-crab-in-there phase, the first thing that you are likely to think of is how to eat the bloody thing. They didn't provide any cracker, nor had they dented the crab in any way - which made it look perfect - but very hard to eat.
When we eventually got to the crab, hmm. Remember, I had heard lots of hype about this place, how the towkay was brash and rude but still had customers queuing round the block, testimonials from friends and murmurings from the foodie community. So, I was naturally pumped to find out exactly what made this XO-seafood concoction so irresistable.
As it turned out, the soup, which I had expected to be full of crabby goodness and wok-hei, was rather... blah. I mean, it wasn't bad, but, come on... evaporated milk, butter and some crab stock? You've gotta be kidding me. Let's just say I wasn't all that impressed. The XO taste married well with the creamy/buttery feel of the soup, and enhanced it overall, but sadly, wasn't enough to save this broth.
The crab, on the other hand, was really good. Steamed and fresh, each bite of claw and leg sent shudders down my spine. The only downside was the fact that the crab was kinda soggy (no complaints there), this meant that it's impossible to eat without getting crab juice all over your hands. So, if that's a concern, stay away.
The sweet and sour pork was one of the better ones I've had in awhile. The sauce wasn't too sweet nor too tomato-ey, just nice. And the pork pieces had been fried well and were crisp to the bite. Well worth the $6.
Verdict: The XO crab bee hoon is good to try once in your lifetime, but is certainly not something that would make me a regular there. On the other hand, the tze char looked generally good, and I may come back just to eat that in the future.
Shen Ji Seafood Garden
Holland Village
Taste: 2.5/5
Value: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
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