Zui Hong Lou Review: Braised Pork Belly Bao and Kung Pow Octopos Under $10 At Club Street

Earlier on a dim sum bar, the “drunken red brothel”, as it is loosely translated, closed down due to high rental. It has since been revived, and the cocktail bar is now back in action at Club Street, bringing modern Chinese small plates and tipples inspired by Singaporean favourites to the table. Food at Zui Hong Lou Set to fill you up is their selection of bao ($9++ for a pair) .

Unlike your everyday Ma Po Tofu ($7++) , the one served at Zui Hong Lou came with four cubes of cold, silky tofu sitting in a warm Sichuan ma po sauce . Even though the skin was intentionally made thicker to absorb the piquant chilli oil, I did not fancy the Spicy Dumplings ($7++ for five pieces) . It seemed that the chewy skin took too much spotlight, and overshadowed the pork and cabbage filling.

Nonetheless, there was a slight burst of porky goodness as I popped the entire piece into my mouth, but it was not spectacular. Simmered for just five minutes, the octopus was gentle to bite into, and did not give our jaw a workout.

Putting the octopus, apple and pickled carrot into my mouth brought upon a medley of sweet, savoury and tangy flavours. The owner, Colin, is a stickler for good fried rice, going as far as to jokingly mentioned he would fire his chef if they can’t do this Yang Zhou Fried Rice ($5++) right.

Fried up on a teppanyaki to ensure a wok hei aroma, the rice is also tossed in oil collected from the grilled lap cheong hidden within the rice. This ensured that each grain is deeply coated in the savoury-sweet flavour of the Chinese sausage, and you don’t just get the umami tang when you bite into the lup cheong.

Freshness makes a world of difference when it comes to fish, and the Whole Fish Asian Style ($28++) proved this statement true. Bought at a nearby market earlier that day, the fish was plump and soft.

Sure, it’s not under $10, but for an entire fish, it’s helluva affordable. For someone who is guilty of wiping out an entire jar of peanut butter in one seating, this side of creamy peanut paste was pure joy. Before being fried to crisp perfection, the two accompanying glutinous rice balls were also stuffed with peanut and sesame paste.

The cocktails here are worth having too, especially since it’s not super pricey, with classics starting at $14++ . Made with tequila, smoked plum, Cointreau-infused roasted green tea and lime, the smooth tipple had a bit of bite to it, and paired extremely well with the dishes we tried.

Ambience at Zui Hong Lou The cocktail bar is intimate, with red tables and bar stools to brighten up the predominantly black interior. Snag a seat at the bar counter to catch all the action, from the chefs whipping up a storm to the bartenders shaking up your cocktails.