To be honest, I have not heard of this stall named Beijing Time-Honored Cuisine before even though it has been there at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre for a while.
I guess it is easy to be overlooked when the stall is sandwiched in between the bigger names like Hawker Chan and Heng Ji Chicken Rice. The situation is made worse when another stall with a similar menu is ]located directly across them. The stall in question is Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao and it had a Michelin 2018 decal proudly displayed on its display window.
I only got to know about this stall when I came across a photo of their pig trotters rice on Instagram which prompted me to come check them out.
According to Google, they open daily at 10am however, they were far from ready for business. The food trays behind the glass display are empty and the lights in the signboard is not lit.
I ordered a cup of iced kopi from the drinks stall and I wait.
30 minutes passed but the lights has yet to turn on.
I went to verify with the Chinese lady inside the stall regarding their operating hours (as the timing on Google might be inaccurate) and she replied "right about now" which is 10.30am. I guess certain menu items such as dumplings and noodles might be ready but pig trotters won't be till 11.30am.
I decided to go check out the controversial Samsui Woman mural nearby that has been the talk of town lately and return later for my lunch.
They probably used Google translate for their menu which I will post here in its entirety for your reference:
- Braised pork rice $5
- Spiced pork foot rice (Pig trotters rice) $5
- Whole pig's foot rice $6.50
- Halogen pig intestine $5
- Dumpling noodles $5
- Three fresh mushroom noodles $4.50
- Beijing Jjajang noodles $4.50
- Dumplings (10 pcs) $6.50
- Ala carte gravy (braised pork) $6
- Ala carte pork feet $6
- A single order pig tail pig feet $7
- Red oil plagiarism (10 pcs) $6
- Xiao long bao (7 pcs) $5
- Fried dumplings (10 pcs) $7
At 11.30am, I returned to the stall to check if the pig trotters were ready. Thankfully, they are.
The soft-spoken lady asked if I wanted more meat or skin and if I wanted them with or without bone. I opt for more meat and without bone.
She piled on the chopped meat on a plate of rice with a side of cabbage and taupok before garnishing with sprigs of parsley. Gravy is then generously ladled on as a finishing touch.
While there is no plating to speak of, I must admit that it was a beautiful mess on the plate.
I like my cabbage tender but these still had a crunch to them. I finished them anyway.
The taupok had soaked up the gravy like a sponge and upon pressure from my tongue, unleashes the savory juices within into my mouth.
The gelatinous skin were soft and such a delight! I had to carefully ration them to last throughout the meal. I like that there were no prickly hairs nor a lot of fats which I abhor. On hindsight, I should have asked for more skin instead.
As for the meat, they were tender and juicy; not stringy at all. For the price, the portions were extremely generous as well.
The sprigs of parsley were not simply there for decoration. They helped to cut through the greasiness thus the meal did not felt too heavy at all.
In fact, having the rice with gravy felt so homely and welcoming.
If you enjoy pig trotters, this is quite okay to try. Just don't come too early like me.
By the time I finished my meal and left, the signboards were still not lit.
BEIJING TIME-HONORED CUISINE 北京美食
Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre
335 Smith Street
#02-128
Singapore 050335
Business Hours
Mon - Fri: 10am - 8pm
Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jt5uD2qmJUiVUtdC9