Battle of the east vs west: Beng Hiang, Lolla

This week, I'm going to review two noteworthy restaurants that has fallen within my radar in the past week. 

Lolla

First up, Lolla. What is Lolla? It is a small tapas restaurant nestled on the busy street of Ann Siang Hill, where a ton of bars and restaurants are situated. If you go to their website, their slogan is 

"Inspired yet simple small plates combining the finest ingredients and seasonal produce with the influences of the mediterranean"

http://www.lolla.com.sg/

On HungryGoWhere, it got a 100% rating based on 7 reviews, whereas on Yelp, it got 3 out of 5 stars based on 6 reviews. Why the disparity, you might ask? 

The answer lies in the taste profile of the reviewers. 

Due to the popularity and physical size of the place, it is impossible to get a seating without making a reservation, but somehow, L. and I managed to grab the last two seats in the house. 

Looking at the menu, which is a trendy paper printout which serves as your table mat as well, I was very intrigued right away. The menu had a very good selection of seafood, meats and carbs, and I love a restaurant which boasts an emphasis on the quality of the produce...

 I started off with the uni with black pudding. The black pudding had a very very complex taste profile, but goes really well with the uni. The uni, although not the best grade, wasn't bad with the pudding, but the quality becomes obvious when you eat it on its own. But then again, for this generous chunk of uni for 19 bucks, I'm not going to complain. I give this dish points for being able to come up with something so wonderfully complex and delicious, but I have to say that this gets heavy really fast. Three spoonfuls of this dish, and I was a little overwhelmed by how rich it is.

Next, I got the fresh baguette with home made tomato paste and garlic. The bread was nicely toasted but the tomato dip was a little watery. It does taste home-made, due to the simplicity of it, but it does lack a little in flavor and texture.

 I also got the frisee salad with anchovies and crispy garlic, which was on the seasonal menu. I love anchovies, and these didn't disappoint. Although, the salad was a little too oily for my liking. A good salad should showcase the vegetables in it, not the dressing.

We had the duck fat potatoes everyone seemed to be ordering. It was good, just pillows that melt in your mouth, but then again, very oily.

We also had the pork collar which was not photographed because we were too far gone on the delicious carafes of white wine, but it was nicely cooked and the sauce was tasty. I also had the duck rillette, which was as good as rillettes go, but unfortunately, I had it too late in the meal, and the fattiness of the rillette wasn't too appetizing to me.

Final verdict: As far as mediterranean fare goes, I can understand why this would appeal to the masses at Hungrygowhere, as it is a trendy spot that boasts very bold flavors and rich meats and seafood. But if you are truly looking for european food with finesse, this is not your place. The dishes in general are tasty, but are a tad too oily. Maybe that is why Yelp gave it 3 stars, because for the price range, you are looking for dishes which are more well-developed.

Beng Hiang (Amoy St) 

 As much as Lolla is trendy and pretentious, Beng Hiang is as unpretentious. Yet, on a sunday night, it is packed full of hungry Singaporean families. Why? Because it brings you back to old, simpler times.

Beng Hiang is one of my grandfather's favorite restaurants, so you can imagine how long it has been around. The owner is this quaint old man, who obviously have built this restaurants from a small establishment to the grand restaurant it is today.

The decor of this place is very old school. It could be garish to some, but to me, it reminds me of old banquet halls where weddings were held. Of course, people come here for the food......

We started with a cold platter which wasn't much to talk about, so I'm just going to highlight some of the tasty dishes we got. I love the fish maw soup. It is just a hearty soup that is chock full of crab meat and fish maw, and with a dash of vinegar, it is so tasty!

Braised cabbage with mushrooms, carrots and pork: Apparently this dish has to be pre-ordered a day in advance because they braise the cabbage for hours. And it is my favorite dish of the night. It takes a lot of skill to make something as ordinary as white cabbage so tasty, with strong hints of nutmeg and cloves. The sweetness of the cabbage contrasted nicely with the broth, and I could not stop eating it. 

 The crispy oyster omelette is also one of the favorites. It is an interesting rendition of the normal moist and wet oyster omelette. And oil satisfies!

 The "kong ba pau" is also one of the must-orders. Everyone at my table liked it a lot, but unfortunately, I cannot bring myself to choose the fatty meat, so the lean meat was a little tough. The meat juice was delish though.

I need to mention that I really dislike hokkien noodles. I do not care for it much, because it is oily and I don't like the yellow noodles they use. BUT this hokkien noodles was soooo good! Not too oily, with a really good flavor. Loved it.

And look, they have a website too!

http://www.benghiang.com/

Final verdict: Great for bringing your elders to. You will not regret it. 

xoxo,

Keira