Savour every drop at Go Noodle House
While Orchard Road is more known for the shopping, there are some eateries that are actually quite good.
One of the latest "quite good" additions to the shopping stretch is Go Noodle House.
This Malaysian brand already has a steady pool of fans in Malaysia and Australia, and has made its debut here at 313 @ Somerset. Obviously its reputation helps because the crowds have been coming in.
One big reason for its success is the restaurant's fish bone broth.
The master stock, made with more than 40 types of fish bones, was started at least six years ago and is now safely behind fireproof walls in Shah Alam in Selangor. The stock is then transported into Singapore like precious cargo.
The drama is worth it because the soup is delicious. Don't waste any drop.
Ironically, my favourite bowl is the soupless Hakka saucepan mee with century egg ($9.90). It is not pretty, but the flavours that are bursting through with each chew make it a stunner.
It comes with black fungus, fried shallots, fried anchovies, minced pork, century egg and chilli oil. The noodles are coated in a deep and soulful black sauce.
What takes it over the edge is the pork lard. I love anything with lard, so my love for this is not a surprise. But it does add texture and an extra layer of flavour to each mouthful.
My only gripe is that you cannot ask for more lard.
EXACT
The server explained it is because the kitchen wants you to taste the dish exactly the way they want it to taste.
Another offering you should try is the signature bursting meatball (from $8.90).
The bursting comes from the juices packed into the meatballs, so be careful when you bite into them. Each ball is a compact globe of minced meat, so it will fill you up.
If you are a big eater, you can add on other items like handmade fish paste ($3.50), although I thought it did nothing for the dish.
Generally, the combination of ingredients, noodles and soup work at Go Noodle House.
Unfortunately, the double bursting fishball in homemade spicy soup ($14.90)was not appealing to me. Perhaps it is because that spicy-tart soup base comes across as second-rate tom yum.
Unless you are looking for something tart, you will find the other items way more pleasurable.One example of that is the fresh fish slice soup ($12.90).
Depending on what the kitchen gets, the fish will come in thick fresh slices. When I ate there last week, we had patin.
For those who have a taste for the exotic, the fresh whole frog version of this ($12.90) has just been released.
It is not all noodles here though.
One of the popular items is the trio platter ($12.90), consisting of an inconsequential five spice meat roll, an average gold coin bak kwa and maddeningly addictive crispy bean curd skin. Luckily, you can order it on its own at $4.90.
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