So Chinatown Complex Food Centre has made its return after a few months’ renovation (though as an outsider, we don’t see much noticeable differences other than the nets), and the one stall that many look forward to is Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao 中国拉面小笼包.
The humble stall offers a great value for your money with delicious handmade Xiao Long Bao ($6.50), Szechuan Spicy Wanton ($5), and hand-pulled noodles such as Sour & Spicy Noodle, Beef Noodles, Dumpling Noodles and Sour & Spicy Noodles (each bowl priced at $3.50 – $4).
It gained more recognition after it was awarded a “Michelin Plate” in the Singapore Michelin Guide.
For first timers, navigating around the food centre especially in the hot weather may be daunting, so I always first look out for Hawker Chan Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle (#02-126). The stall is kind of nearby (#02-135).
Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao 中国拉面小笼包 was first established by Mr Li Feng Cai and his wife who were originally from Anhui, China. He learnt the art of noodle making from Beijing and Shenzhen.
Who doesn’t love a good steamed dumpling?
The Xiao Long Bao are freshly made on the spot by hand, considered affordable at $6.50 for 2 baskets of 5 (increased from $6 before renovations).
Digging into that smooth skin, to find steamy and belly warming soup and juicy filling awaiting you, can be a blissful experience.
The broth to said to be cooked for 12 hours before being frozen and wrapped in the minced pork dumpling.
Many would compare this to the offering of the other famous chain. I would say while it lacked the finesse in terms of consistency and thickness of skin, the fillings were moist and meaty, while broth was to the sweeter side.
Add some vinegar and chilli for a better experience.
The Pan-Fried Dumplings aka Guo Tie ($6.50 for 10 pieces) certainly looked promising with its crisp outer layer, and almost golden-brown exterior. Such beautiful pieces.
Alas, the inside wasn’t as juicy as I would have expected, though it was similar rather meaty. So im comparison, not my favourite thing here.
If you need to choose, then I would rather go for the Szechuan Spicy Wanton aka Hong You Chao Shou ($5 for 10 pieces) with almost slurp-worthy vinegary sauce with tingling of spiciness.
Between the Xiao Long Bao and La Mian, surprisingly the La Mian with Fried Bean Sauce ($3.50) impressed me more.
There was a certain pleasant and doughy bite to the long strands of thin noodles.
The bean sauce was generous in portion, and wasn’t over in terms of that fermented bean taste.
The stall does get rather crowded during peak meal times, as more tourists are getting aware of their existence, especially when they have got a fair bit of publicity from the Singapore Michelin Street Food Festival. Come slightly before the typical dinner times if you can.
Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao 中国拉面小笼包
335 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex Food Centre #02-135, Singapore 050335
Tel: +65 9743 5287
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 8:30pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tues
Other Related Entries
10 Must-Try Chinatown Complex Food Centre Hawker Stalls
Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle (Chinatown Food Complex)
Hong Peng La Mian Xiao Long Bao (People’s Park Food Centre)
Ann Chin Popiah 安珍 (Chinatown Food Centre)
Ah Heng Chicken Curry Bee Hoon Mee (Hong Lim Food Centre)
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This author praising of prc china food are talking rubbish as their food either too salty or too sweet and some not even steamed well as got flour coming out. The author recommendation are bullshitting praise to them !!! online authors are been pay and bribed by them to praising only cannot be trusted at all !!!!!!
Gone there try but it totally disappointing and wasting my time. Coffeeshop and ntuc pre-packed frozen dim sum taste even better then their.
Waste time and money trying. Got cockroaches crawling beside their water basin area !