Notes:
- Known for their dumplings, go for their Pan-fried Mixed Seafood & Pork Dumplings (三鲜锅贴).
- The Signature Fried Rice has a distinctive Wok Hey flavour and a great main.
Details
Address: 21/23 Neil Rd, Singapore 088814
Opening Hours: 11:30am–3:00pm, 5:30–9:30pm Daily
Website: https://jinghua.sg/
Tel: +65 6221 3060
Experience at Jing Hua Xiao Chi
My cravings for dumplings, and the insistence of not making them myself brought me to Jing Hua Xiao Chi. Located just opposite the newly opened Thomson-East Coast Line’s Maxwell station, the place saw a modest crowd within for dinner. Large groups clustered around baskets of steamed dumplings.
Service was prompt. A set of two sauces: thinly sliced ginger in vinegar and a chilli sauce is set in front of each person and drinks are served up within minutes of ordering. The dishes were equally fast in showing up on the table, before being promptly shoved into my gaping jaws.
Signature Dishes
Pan-fried Mixed Seafood & Pork Dumplings (10pcs) 三鲜锅贴 ($10.00)
With its fillings open for display, the pan-fried dumplings bear resemblance to a meat Cannoli. Crisp dumpling skin enfolded around the blend of seafood and pork. Knowing Chinese chefs, each fold done in a smooth motion with nothing gentle about it. The side of chilli is available if you want an additional heat to the dish.
This wrapping style solves the eternal conundrum faced by all dumpling wrappers, how to stuff more meat into each dumplings. At a dollar apiece, each dumpling is a steal with the amount of seafood and pork you get, each nicely seasoned. Unfortunately, this fold means that any juices will be prone to leaking out.
Xiao Long Bao (7pcs) 小笼汤包 ($9.00)
A mark of a good Xiao Long Bao/ Soup Dumpling (XLB) is having top part firm enough to hold up to the pressure and weight of the dumpling, while having the remainder balancing the act of being just thick enough to hold the juices in. Unfortunately, a few of the dumplings broke, spilling their precious insides over the basket instead of in my mouth where it belongs. The ones who survived the journey delivered a burst of umami and flavourful broth. Of course, pairing it with the sliced ginger and vinegar helped cut through the richness. That and I really enjoy ‘eating vinegar’.
Chinese Pizza 三鲜盒子 ($12)
The few times my friends and I made dumplings from scratch, we ended up with the last few portions before we got creative. Instead of rolling out individual skins and carefully wrapping the fillings up, we went ahead and poured the remaining fillings in before wrapping it all up. A mega-dumpling.
Here the edges are crimped and the whole dish fried up, giving the skin the consistency of a curry puff. The filling and now familiar taste that unsurprisingly goes well with the crispy crust.
The Jing Hua Signature Fried Rice 京华炒饭 ($8.50) had a wonderful Wok Hey flavour to it. A deceptively simple dish that has been prepared well, a dish that, despite coming to a dumpling-centric restaurant, I will order again.