Singapore Chinatown, Northbridge, Perth

Singapore Chinatown (SCT) is found in the "Chinatown" of Perth i.e. the Old Shanghai area. That's about as much relevance the name has because the owners aren't Singaporean but mainland Chinese and you can't find food like this in Singapore. I first tried this place for supper some time ago and it has found a place on my restaurant rotation list ever since. The servings are huge, prices reasonable and taste predictable. Don't expect anything fancy here but just straight forward flavors and substantial serves. They open till two or three in the morning which makes them ideal if you get those supper cravings.

I would pay twice the amount I paid for this if I can find it in Singapore. This is wong kum (yellow gold) squid which is basically deep fried squid in a batter infused with salted egg yolk. I think the person who thought of this combo should be given a Nobel prize because although the thought of mixing salted egg yolk and squid may seem weird, the taste that's created in this process is awesome. The fragrance and saltiness of the egg yolk in the light batter complements the naturally bland fresh squid.

Salt and pepper spareribs. Why does everyone in Singapore make prawnpaste chicken but not this? This is almost a staple item in any Chinese restaurant in the States and Australia and is probably Hong Kong in origin. This places uses thick spareribs so they don't dry out too much in the frying process and still retain juicy and succulent when served. It's hard to get hot chillies in Australia so although they sprinkle a generous portion on the top, they do really nothing to you at all.

Braised beancurd with roast pork. This is a good dish to accompany the white rice because it has some gravy for stirring into. I'm always amazed at how huge the servings in this dish are. It's almost as though it's automatically upsized (at no additional charge) without asking.

Consistent, predictable, substantial, these words basically sum up SCT. Located in this tight enclave of Chinese restaurants, I can only imagine how tough competition would be and the only way to prevail and stand out from the rest is by your serving sizes and consistency. You can only lower prices that much because of the rent. After trying the rest, I dare say that SCT has prevailed so far.

D

p.s: They serve a really refreshing complimentary cold milk sago for dessert with slivers of honeydew or watermelon floating in it. Good stuff unless you're severely lactose intolerant.