Affordable bold flavours at foodcourt stall Zheng Shi Shang Hunan Cuisine at 313@somerset

SINGAPORE – With Hunan cuisine gaining ground in Singapore, the names most diners recognise tend to be full-fledged restaurant chains such as Nong Geng Ji and Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine.

For a more affordable option, head to Zheng Shi Shang Hunan Cuisine, a foodcourt stall at Food Republic.

Located at 313@somerset, the stall offers a home-style version of the bold, chilli-forward flavours of Hunan cooking, served in a mix-and-match format akin to economy rice, but cooked in small batches and served in individual bowls.

Opened on Nov 29, the stall specialises in xiao wan cai, or small dishes plated individually and usually eaten with rice. Dishes are placed in heated display cases, keeping turnover brisk and flavours fresh. 

Sets start at $6.80 for one meat and one vegetable, scaling up to $9.70 for two meats and one vegetable, and $15.50 for three meats and two vegetables.

Each set comes with a choice of refillable short-grain rice, pumpkin porridge made with millet and pumpkin or lightly sweetened snow fungus dessert. For a la carte orders, these items are priced at $1 each and refillable at no extra charge.

Owner Zhang Yu, 39, who hails from Hubei, spent her 20s working at her family’s restaurants in Hunan. She came to Singapore in 2021.

The mother of two opened the stall to provide diners with healthier home-style meals which are not heavily seasoned. She packs takeaway meals from her stall for her 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter at least thrice a week. 

The stall offers a choice of 26 items.

Among the most popular is the Pepper Salt Potato Slices ($2.90). Criss-cut and fried, the potatoes are crisp on the outside and fluffy within, lifted by chopped garlic, red chilli padi and green pepper with a restrained hand on salt. To keep it at its best, the dish is usually available only during the lunch peak between 11.30am and 12.30pm.

The stall’s signature dish is Mao’s Braised Pork Belly ($4.90). Cubes of fresh pork belly are braised daily with Chinese soya sauce and whole spices such as star anise, cinnamon and cloves. The skin and fat turn softly gelatinous, the meat remains firm and the dish carries a gentle sweetness without tipping into cloying richness. Quail eggs and broccoli help cut through the heft.

Another reliable choice is the Stir-fried Pork Belly with Beancurd Stick and Black Fungus ($3.90). The pork belly is first fried to release flavour, then tossed with dried red chillies, woodear mushroom and beancurd sticks that soak up sauce. 

Vegetable dishes are treated with the same care. The Stir-fried Lotus Pond ($2.90) delivers a clean crunch from lotus root, snow peas, carrot and woodear mushroom. The Cold Okra Salad ($1.90) is excellent – lightly blanched okra, cool and snappy, dressed in a subtly sweet soya-based sauce with no raw edge.

There is also a familiar favourite in the Steamed Egg ($1.90), lightly set and gently aromatic.

Where: MR2, 05-01/02/03 Food Republic 313@somerset, 313 Somerset Road
MRT: Somerset 
Open: 10am to 10pm daily