Maybe the gods heard my craving for some good Northeastern China food, I have found quite a few restaurants in Singapore that specializes in dishes from Northeastern China. Please read my reviews on Dong Bei Xiao Chu (东北小厨) and Alati Skewers.
One of my colleague knows that I have been craving for Northern Chinese food, she agreed to bring me and a few other colleagues to a Northeastern Chinese restaurant that she discovered recently.
When you enter Reunion BBQ for the first time, it may take a while to get used to the bright red colors. Part of the walls and the chairs are covered with red patterned clothes that reminds me of countryside restaurants in China. Red is a festive color to Chinese people, this restaurant is definitely very festive-looking.
As its name implies, Reunion BBQ is supposed to specialize in barbecue. Reunion BBQ combines traditional charcoal barbecue with trending Korean-style barbecue. But most customers come to Reunion BBQ for their Northeastern Chinese dishes.
There are 7 types of condiments to choose from the condiments counter. There is also pickled radish and carrot and kimchi. I think the condiments are more for barbecue but you are welcome to use them.
Even though Hot & Spicy Lamb Bone Hot Pot 麻辣羊蝎子 [$38.90] says “hot & spicy”, it is actually not very spicy if a non-spicy eater like me can take it. The main ingredient is lamb spine, which is one of the best parts of the lamb. Lamb is one of the pricier meats in Singapore yet the huge pot has at least 10 pieces of lamb bone which makes it really value for money.
I almost finished the whole pot of Hot and Spicy Clear Soup Beef Pot 酸汤肥牛 [$16] by myself, that’s how good it is. The beef slices used in this dish are angus beef slices which are known for their superior marbling. The sourness of the pickled cabbage evens out the fattiness of the beef and it is just perfect.
I wasn’t very fond of the Traditional Duck Stew with Vermicelli 农家肥鸭一锅出 [$22 for Small, $35 for Large] but my colleagues loved it. The duck pieces are flavorful and the vermicelli is thick and chewy. I tend to like dishes with more sauce, but this dish is more dry and it is pretty oily. It comes with 4 pieces of pan fried corn cake which are so tasty we actually ordered a serving of Pan Fried Corn Cake (4 pieces) 农家玉米饼 [$5] by itself. The corn cakes are so simple yet it has a mild sweetness that is quite addictive.
Poached Sliced Beef in Hot Chilli Oil 水煮牛肉 [$15] is a popular Sichuan dish. You have a choice of beef/pork/lamb, but the most popular choice is beef. Bean sprouts, lettuce leaves and spring onions form the base of the dish with the beef slices on top and lots of numblingly-spicy chilli oil. The beef slices are very well-marinated and tender, but this is way too spicy for me.
Northeastern Chinese people love their tofu and Traditional Style Toufu Skin 尖椒干豆腐 [$10] is one of the most classic tofu dishes. The green pepper only adds a little spice and color to the dish, it’s not really spicy.
If you have no idea what Vegetable dish to order, I recommend Sautéed Potato Eggplant Green Pepper 地三鲜 [$10]. It is a simple dish of stir-fried potato, eggplant and green pepper that everyone will enjoy.
If you really don’t know what to eat, you can’t go wrong with Chinese Style Home Made Dumplings (12 pieces) 咱家嘎嘎好吃东北手工水饺 [$6]. There are 3 types of fillings to choose from: Pickled Cabbage with Minced Meat 酸菜猪肉馅水饺, Chinese Celery with Minced Pork 芹菜猪肉馅水饺 and Chive with Scrambled Egg 韭菜鸡蛋馅水饺. 12 pieces for $6 is cheaper than those sold in hawker centers and food courts. They are very generous with the fillings, the skin is neither too thick nor too thin.
There is even free-flow ice-cream for dessert. There were 4 flavours available on the day I visited – lychee, strawberry, mango and chocolate. The ice-cream is frozen rock-solid and it will take a lot of strength to get the ice-cream out but the effort is worth it. I especially like the lychee flavour.
Reunion BBQ is a Northeastern countryside restaurant and dishes from that area of China are known for their generous portion size. Many of the dishes come in “basin-like” pots. The authenticity and tastiness of the dishes made me go crazy and I finished the Hot & Spicy Lamb Bone Hot Pot and Hot and Spicy Clear Soup Beef Pot almost all by myself. My colleague are taken aback by how much I can eat and my colleagues have nicknamed me “two basins” from then on.
Reunion BBQ 东北人烤肉坊
Address: 298 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208959
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am – 2am
Website: https://m.facebook.com/DongBeiRenKaoRouFang/?locale2=zh_CN
