xiao ya tou, duxton hill.
we were in the tanjong pagar area, searching for brunch options, and decided to head over to duxton. i was intent on trying thirteen duxton hill, but they weren't open (though they should've been). in a rare show of decisiveness we settled on xiao ya tou, which was (almost) just next door.i decided on the XYT breakfast ($21), because scrambled eggs! beef! potatoes! sounded right up my alley. J wanted the kimchi scrambled eggs but not the cheese sausage that came with it, so she asked if they could replace it with anything else, but they flatly refused. she then asked if they offered chicken as an add-on (the chawanmushi & asian salad main that she wanted was a purely vegetarian meal, and protein is important to us) but they were also equally inflexible about that. (or maybe we're just the picky ones who always need some sort of special order.) in the end she went with the chicken salad ($17) off the starters and snacks column, which i was eyeing as well.
my main came with a complimentary starter- a fried mantou, served (in true hipster style) skewered, hanging over a bowl of tau suan. the fried mantou was hot and delicious, but the tau suan was a letdown. having more water than actual mung beans, its only saving grace was that it was not too sweet. i left it largely untouched. i'm of the opinion that if something is to be served (even complimentary) it should be cooked with heart; or else why even bother? i know it's free and all that, but if the item is subpar, i really don't mind not having it.
our food came after quite a long wait. we were craning our necks trying to spy for our food. J's came first, and for a starter, it was quite a good portion (then again it was $17). i stole bites of the pearl barley and charred sweet corn salad, and liked it.
my main came a while later. the scrambled eggs was the best part of the dish- it was perfectly cooked; buttery, creamy and smooth. the corned beef and potato preserved turnip (?) was buried underneath the eggs. for all its "asian fusion" label, it was really a glorified hash, and i actually would prefer a regular hash. they were too stingy with the corned beef and too heavy handed with the chili jam coating the hash. the corned beef and potatoes were sticky with the chili jam, which was too sweet, throwing everything off balance. i found myself scraping off the chili jam to my best ability just so i could get at the beef and potatoes.
the concept is a good idea, but execution was lacking. i found the food to be quite meh for the price. highly unlikely that i'd make a return. there are much better brunch options in the duxton area.
xiao ya tou
6 duxton hill
http://www.xyt.sg
