One of the reasons why I like the place is its separate seating enclosure. The downside of this is that the whole family would have to eat from the same stall. The (major) upside, however, means we get to have a leisurely meal in a popular - ie. crowded - food court, paying food court prices but enjoying the attentive services of the waitresses.
There were several like-minded parents that day.......half the tables were occupied by families with young children, and I guess we were ALL grateful that we could choose our tables & take our time to seat the young ones without worrying about other diners rushing past us.
Sam still refused to sit near the artificial tree in the corner, but we got a table under a row of rainbow-coloured bicycles hung from the ceiling, which distracted Sam long enough for us to place our orders in peace!
I was quite surprised to see that Sam was now tall enough - just barely - to reach the table from the stool, so we didn't force him into the wooden high chair that he could still fit in comfortably. Of course, I regretted my decision 15 min into the lunch after Sam started getting off the stool on his own. ;P Especially since Sam didn't seem to fit snugly on the stool. Still, I guess I have to learn to respect this little show of independence. ;)The waitress brought an empty plastic bowl along with our food, so we didn't have to request for anything else, the plastic Chinese soup spoons being placed in a holder on each table (as with the chopsticks). Her colleague didn't have the sense to place the hot dishes away from Sam, though.
The Bak Ku Teh (pork ribs soup) ($6) is hubby's fav. Not that there aren't better ones, but for the quality & price & relative comfort (ie. aircon with non-crowded conditions + service but no service charge) & proximity to our home, it's definitely on top of our list. The meat was tender enough for Sam and not too fatty for me and hubby had no problem separating the meat from the ribs. What more can we ask for??? I insisted on 2 servings of dough fritters 油条 ($1.20) as I find the soup less peppery when it's soaked up by the cripsy snack. Sam enjoyed it too, since if I soak his rice ($0.70) with the soup he finds it too peppery & ends up drowning the 'fire' with Yeo's Lemon Barley ($1.80). Hubby drank most of the soup though, so it was a good thing the waitresses make their rounds topping up the soup from a mini kettle.
We ordered the Liver & Kidney Soup ($6) again, which was value for money for such serving size & quality in a food court. Sam still didn't like the pork liver nor kidney though. This time we tried the Teochew Fish Cake ($2.50), freshly steamed and Sam's fav. So we didn't have to order the braised peanuts or egg.
Ended the meal with the Premium Chinese Tea ($5), which was strong enough to last throughout the meal. Sam was particularly curious when hubby prepared the tea, kung-fu-cha style (ie. steep tea in small teapot, pour into jug, then pour into the tiny cups for drinking).
All in all, a satisfying meal & relatively hassle-free lunch in a food court on a Saturday. What more can parents ask for??? ;)
Xin Chen Bak Ku Teh 星辰肉骨茶
Food Republic
#03-01 VivoCity
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