There are a thousand and one variations on the classic eggs Benedict, and as much I confess to being a nazi (most probably a condition derived from being fazed by exaggeratedly bastardised versions that are both messy in appearance and jarring on the palate); Xiao Ya Tou's new Unagi Benedict ($16) radiates with a warm glow. I'm guessing its the yuzukoshu hollandaise at work, but no. The star of the dish being the attack on the flank - prawn and potato kewpie mayo salad with tobiko on crispy potato croquettes. Needless to say, the combination of mushroom duxelles, fresh fried mantou, poached egg and unagi was exceptional. This one is worth wiggling out of your PJs early for.
Xiao Ya Tou has recently revamped their menu to include a larger repertoire of local influenced dishes at more affable pricing to encourage sharing. Henceforth the best if you're an indecisive (or greedy) diner like me who are easily enticed by key words like 'kewpie', 'ragu', 'confit' and 'mantou' amidst a galore of drool worthy food jargon featured on the menu.
Hangover cures manifest in the form of Seafood Mee Sua ($19) - a play on the classic Chinese home cooked dish. Shame that the lack of textures in the dish and complexity in the broth didn't quite work for me.
I would insist that you order the Chee Cheong Fun ($17) for extra nutrients. The kitchen crew crank up the tricks on this dish, wok-charred rice noodle rolls is served with dong po beef and then the amalgamation layered with homemade hoisin, crispy shallots and spring onions. The beef melts with ease in the mouth, providing a nice contrast to the slight chew retained by the rice noodles rows. It's a heart attack waiting to happen on a plate, but we'd happily risk it all over again.
A surefire bet is the Twice Cooked Spiced Duck Noodles ($19), a slab of duck confit, crispy skinned and all matches the saucy egg noodle tossed in what else, but more duck ragu! Well, go big or go home, yeh?
A neat hot mess, the Black Rice Porridge ($8) may sound like your humble pulot hitam; but it's so much more. You'll be gushing about this in the next few days to follow. Warm glutinous black rice stew is studded with tapioca pearls, dollops of honey pineapple for that sour sneak attack and graced with a healthy scoop of honey ice cream. I wiped the bowl clean and whispered "Baby, you're my obsession". Truth.
Venture on down during the weekends for their new brunch menu that stays on from 10am to 3 30pm.
Xiao Ya Tou
6 Duxton Hill
S(089592)
Operating Hours:
Mon - Tues: 11am - 11pm
Wed - Thurs: 5pm - 11pm
Fri: 11am - 12am
Sat: 9am-12am
Sun:9am - 5pm
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