Food Picks: Spicy delights at Cheflam’s Sichuan Cuisine
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Gold medal kung pao chicken from Cheflam's Sichuan Cuisine.
PHOTO: CHEFLAM'S
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SINGAPORE – There are two things Singaporeans know and love about China’s Sichuan province – its giant pandas and numbingly spicy food.
Cheflam’s Sichuan Cuisine, the first overseas outpost by veteran Sichuanese chef Lam Shan, does the smart thing by combining both. A giant panda mascot – frozen in the process of scrambling up the side of the building – beckons to frazzled salarymen with the promise of cuddly comfort.
Inside, the restaurant is perfumed with the homely aroma of beef broth. The Cheflam’s experience is designed to warm you up as it plies you with massive vats of soup and fiery platters of meat.
And yet, it is the milder dishes that impress the most. The kung pao chicken ($16.80) – certified best in class by the World Sichuan Cuisine Cooking Skills Competition – in particular, is the restaurant’s pride and joy. Impossibly tender chicken cubes, wok-fried for no more than 15 seconds, are lathered in a sticky, shimmery golden sauce that has a perfect balance of tangy and sweet. The faintest whiff of lychee smoke injects an aromatic lilt.
The cherry tomatoes in osmanthus honey ($9.90) are very good too. Soaked in a tart, sugary solution, these juicy bites make for a refreshing palate cleanser in between mouthfuls of rich flavour.
Another worthwhile pick is the Chengdu cold noodles with shredded chicken ($9.90), a respectably priced option that will not overwhelm on a hot day. Light and nutty, it fills you up without sending you into a food coma.
Other dishes do not stick the landing quite as well. The Geleshan laziji ($23.80), though richly spiced, is a tad too dry and the taste of chicken is lost in the chillies.
The dongpo pork ($18.90) is a let-down as well. It could have done with a fattier cut of meat, as well as a punchier gravy. This current version looks spicier than it tastes and fails to make much of a mark – a real pity, considering the love and labour poured into it. cheflams.com
Where: 01-13 Guoco Tower, 5 Wallich Street
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
Open: 11am to 10pm daily
Info:
