Among the four coffee shops in the area, Fu Chan Food Paradise at blk 134 Jurong Gateway Road has got to be the one with the lowest footfall. Or at least that is how it appears to be when I visited at around 10am on a weekday.
I intentionally walk past the other three coffee shops to make a comparison and observed that the environment here is the most conducive for my mental well-being.
Boisterous activities such as rowdy beer-drinking uncles and kopi auntie shouting drink orders across the coffee shop drains my energy. #introvertwoes
Although there are plenty of indoor and outdoor seats available, patrons are few and seated far from one another with ample personal space.
I thrive in the calming vibes this air-conditioned coffee shop offer that I could sit here all day to recharge myself.
I have come for the potstickers (10pc/$5) from a stall named Shandong Dong Ji La Mian Xiao Long Bao but when I saw from the menu that chili oil dumpling noodle ($5) is available, I ordered that too.
I have not tried chili oil dumplings before hence I am really curious to know how it tastes like.
The bowl of noodle came first. My jaw dropped when I saw the hefty bowl with its massive noodle portion! This can easily be shared among two persons.
On the mound of noodle sits five chili oil dumplings. Other ingredients included cucumber shreds and wood ear.
I believe the noodles, or la mian are hand-pulled at the stall. It has a good bite with a springy and chewy texture.
I am unsure what goes in the tossing sauce but my guess is simply chili oil since that is the name of the dish ordered. I felt it could do with a bit more flavor?
There is not enough sauce to go round therefore it tastes somewhat bland to me. Some savoriness might give the taste profile a lift?
A word of caution here: order the noodle only if you have a ravenous appetite or if you have someone to share with. Try as I might, I could only manage half of it.
The potstickers took a little longer to come. I do not have potstickers often and when I do, it is usually eaten as a communal dish shared with family so each person could probably have two or three.
Being able to polish off an entire plate of 10 potstickers all by myself is such a treat!
However, I wonder did I receive the correct dish because at first glance, the shape of the potsticker is totally different from what I had in mind.
I was expecting the kind that is pan fried with a thin layer of oil on the flat end of the dumpling then simmered in a slurry of thickened starch water resulting in a crispy, net-like skirting on the bottom.
What I am staring at on the plate seem entirely deep fried.
The "potsticker" did not deflate or lose its crispiness even after turning cold. Biting through the crispy skin, it revealed a generous morsel of meat mixture on the inside.
To be honest, ten morsels of marinated pork could get a little overwhelming hence they are best eaten with julienned ginger and black vinegar to cut through the jelakness.
Add on the five chili oil dumplings and I had a grand total of fifteen meaty dumplings!
Although there are hits and misses, the food are decent and value for money if you are on a tight budget.
I actually do not mind coming back to try their other offerings but I will be wise to bring a food container to pack a portion home for my next meal so I do not have to gorge myself silly.
SHANDONG DONG JI LA MIAN XIAO LONG BAO 山东東記拉面小笼包
Fu Chan Food Paradise
Blk 134 Jurong Gateway Road
Blk 134 Jurong Gateway Road
Singapore 600134
Business Hours
Mon - Sun: 10am - 9.30pm
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/ViEWVHTYqdT4U2pEA
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