My parents and I took a trip down memory lane and ate here for old time’s sake on New Year’s Eve, as a snack before the real feast at countdown. We used to come here for dinner after my weekly Girl Guide’s meeting at the YMCA when I was, well, a girl. Now, after, say, 10 years or so, this rare species of dai pai dong is not as I remember it to be. Whether it’s its quality that’s deteriorated or my taste that’s improved, I must admit that I would not be coming here again.
牛丸粗
What used to be a large bowl of satisfaction is now a small bowl of saltiness. The soup base and beef balls were way too salty, and there simply was nothing special about the beef balls, which are supposed to be their signature food. They were neither exceptionally bouncy nor exceptionally beefy, and were just not memorable. Worse still, were the noodles that were not cooked through yet and were hard.
咖吔多
This was not toasted enough, like the noodles were not cooked enough. It was therefore not as crispy as it could’ve been. The kaya jam was boring – besides being too sweet, like the noodles were too salty, there was no other appealing flavour. It was one of those dishes that makes you think you could have made a better version yourself at home.
牛筋腩
Salty.
I also felt that, for a dai pai dong, the drinks were quite overpriced.
What makes this dai pai dong worthy of a visit would be the fact that it’s an indoor dai pai dong. It’s where you can experience eating in a crowded, gloomy environment that’s filled with airborne grease, a continuous whirring of ventilators and stoves and fans, on worn-out folding tables and stools, with the feeling that you’re going to see a huge rat dart past at any moment. Exhilarating. Almost worth enduring the salty food for.
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