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by Yeoh Wee Teck
Singapore, February 15, 2011
Dolly Kitchen
#01-01 The Foundey
See more pictures of Dolly Kitchen dishes
THERE are times when it pays to listen to your friends.
I have heard many favourable reactions to the Taiwan porridge spread at Shanghai Dolly’s Dolly Kitchen.
But I resisted.
I’ve mentioned this a few times but food from an establishment better known as a dance club is most likely going to be, at best, average.
Well, I was proven wrong. The food was actually rather good.
There are two portions to the menu, Asian and Western.
I ignored the Western portion and ordered whatever was recommended by the waitress from the Asian portion.
Side dishes
She turned out to be pretty spot on with the choices.
The foundation of the meal, the porridge ($1 a bowl), was silky and thick. This is a balm for a bad day.
On paper, the side dishes didn’t look impressive. It was basically whatever you find at the Teochew porridge stalls.
But the stir-fried bean sprouts with salted fish ($6) had the right balance of crunch and saltiness.
The crispy chye poh omelette ($4) was just as good too.
But the braised mui chye pork belly ($6) was the best of the lot.
The mui chye is cooked till it’s slightly mushy, which released the heavenly aroma that never fails to make my mouth water.
The pork belly is tender too, but even with my love for pork, it took a back seat.
The only failure was the fish fillet with crusted soya sauce ($6).
I found the sauce too sweet and the fish too dry. But my companions disagreed with me – they found it perfect for porridge.
Apart from the Taiwan porridge selection, the a la carte dishes worked as well.
My favourite was the bak kut teh ($12).
I like mine peppery, unlike the Malaysian herbal version. This was a very decent combination of the two.
There is a strong hint of herbs, but it is savoury too with a tinge of soya sauce.
The pork is tender and served with dough fritters and a bowl of rice.
The chicken rice ($12) was competent but not the best I’ve tasted.
Still, the rice was fragrant and not oily, which is a plus.
The meal turned out to be one of the better ones I’ve had at Clarke Quay and the service was definitely one of the best.
Although the food took forever to arrive, the waitress, whose name was Tracy, was amazing.
Her recommendations worked, and she was cheerful and approachable.
It was a quiet Thursday night at the restaurant and she was alone on the floor, but she handled it with flair.
It is a good feeling to know that there is a place that offers good food with equally good service. Isn’t it sad this has become a rarity on the dining scene?
Dolly Kitchen
#01-01 The Foundey,
3B River Valley Road
Singapore 179021
Tel: 6270 7979
Sunday to Thursday 6pm to 3am
Friday and Saturday 6pm to 4am
See more pictures of Dolly Kitchen dishes
