Fri Dinner on 20/02/09: I had been forewarned by my friend prior to coming here abt the owner being an infamous querulous curmudgeon. Maybe because I had been expecting the worst, I didn't feel that it was all that bad. But well, his perennial sulky and sullen countenance is a verifiable fact. You can't miss it, it's his trade mark. But I had tried asking him nicely whether I could make reservations when I revisit, he explained (by his standards, I think he was quite cordial) that I would have priority in the queue ONLY IF all members of my entourage arrived on time, which I feel is reasonable, since the eatery is rather small and cramped and he just wanted an efficient turnover of customers as much as possible.

This eatery was so packed that we waited 30 min to get a seat and we had to coshare a table with a couple of girls, which means there's not much privacy for tête-à-tête. Definitely not an ideal place for 1st dates, if you are considering it.

We ordered the Zha Jiang Mian, Xiao Long Bao, San Xian Guo Tie and the Red Bean Pancakes.

Hm...Zha Jiang Mian was quite normal I feel. But to be fair, I'm not a big fan of Za Jiang Mian and I only ate 1-2 mouthfuls.

Xiao Long Bao - The soup was really nice! And I like that the ginger slices and vinegar were laid out on the tables for us to help ourselves so that we do not have to trouble the waitresses too much since I eat ALOT of those with my Xiao Long Bao and Guo Tie. The skin of the dumpling was rather thin and chopsticks tend to stick to the skin and break (the skin, not the chopsticks) as I struggle to lift them from the Xiao Long Bao. Hm...I can't really say that it's better than Din Tai Fung's. I think I gotta bring my mom here to try since she is a HUGE fan of Din Tai Fung's Xiao Long Bao.

San Xian Guo Tie - Scrumptious! Crispy on the outside. And it's not in the quotidian dumpling style such that there are too much pan-fried oleaginous dough that envelopes the chive and meat that makes me so full that I feel queasy within a few bites. This is like a roll instead of a dumpling and is perfect for me in fact! :)

Red Bean Pancakes - Ambrosial, divine and simply heavenly. I knew it was sinful but I can't help but help myself to a few pieces too many! Argh. Love it. Ohhh. Hate myself for loving it. Darn!

I'll definitely be back. Wanna see what my mom says abt the XLB and I wanna try their Rose-Flavoured Glutinious Rice Balls!

Thu Dinner on 01/10/09: First of all, Happy Children's Day to all!! Heh.

I can't believe it took me 7 months to come back. Finally fulfilled my promise to bring Bestie for some good old XLB ($7 for 7 pieces) and Pan Fried Guo Tie ($8 for 8 pieces).

I pretty much still love the soup and the fresh minced meat of XLB and crispy crust of Guo Tie here. Super yummilicious! Bestie thinks Din Tai Feng still serves better XLB but she complimented on the Guo Tie at least twice.

We also shared a bowl of 5 Rose Flavoured Glutinous Rice Balls ($3). The clear soup was very fragant and tasted of bandung without the milk. It was very light on the palate. I love the surprise that awaited with each new nibble as each of the tangyuan had different filling; red bean, black sesame, mung bean paste, lotus seed paste and peanut. They all tasted so good btw. ;)

Other costs: Tea @ $1/pax, dish of peanuts @ $1, wet towels @ $1/pax.