Dian Xiao Er has been around for as long as I can remember, but I have not had the chance to try the food until today.
The interior of Dian Xiao Er restaurants is designed to mimic the traditional Chinese tea houses and inns, complete with round red lanterns and wooden tables and chairs.
Soup of The Day happened to be Pickle and Tofu Soup. The soup is loaded with pickled vegetable and cubes silky-smooth tofu, but it is a little salty.
Herbal Roast Duck (Angelica/Ten Wonder/Wild Ginger) is Dian Xiao Er’s signature dish. Sadly, I am not too fond of it. I think the Chinese herbs made the gamey taste of duck even more prominent and the meat at rather tough.
Hong Kong Style Steamed Fish Slices looks really quite pathetic with a few miserable pieces of sliced fish in soy sauce. At least put them in a smaller plate and do some garnishing!
Poached Nai Bai in Superior Broth is a healthy dish of crispy baby boo choy in a thick egg broth.
I absolutely adore Marmite Superior Chicken. Marmite is made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer-brewing. It has a distinctive and powerful taste that is a combination of sweet and salty.
I am not really impressed with Dian Xiao Er. The food does not quite reach the standard I envisioned it to have. It will do for a simple meal, but it does not live up to its self-proclaimed title as “Best Chinese Restaurant in Singapore”.
Information of all 10 Dian Xiao Er outlets in Singapore can be found here.