Lai Bao – Toa Payoh Zi Char with $15 Fish Head Steamboat, Lala Hor Fun & 13-Spice Black Pepper Crab

Savour a blast from the past at Toa Payoh Lorong 1, where Lai Bao whips up 1960s-inspired Zi Char dishes at affordable prices! Nestled in the heartlands, Lai Bao offers an all-encompassing menu of dishes that are sumptuous and wholesome.

Tuck into the comforts of home-cooked food, minus the laborious process of preparation when you order from Lai Bao’s extensive Zi Char menu. The Sixties Fish Head Charcoal Steamboat ($15/ $25/ $35 for Grouper, $10/ $18/ $24 for Snapper) transports you to the good ol’ days of tucking into a communal meal.

Served with all-natural collagen soup simmered over charcoal for no less than 10 hours, the rich, robustly-flavoured broth blends well with humble ingredients like hand- minced meat pie, cabbage, seaweed, yam, black fungus, cherry tomato, and tofu. The standout element for me is definitely the broth! Extra comforting to sip on on rainy days.

Standout dishes include Charcoal Silken Tofu ($5/ $8/ $10) and Lai Bao Wok Fried Fine Bean ($7/ $9/ $11). Both are delectable and well-flavoured.

The Charcoal Silken Tofu is best devoured piping hot, as crisp skin gives way to silky tofu at the first bite.

The Lai Bao Wok Fried Fine Bean wins my vote as a richly-flavoured vegetable-based dish, with dried cuttlefish and Chinese sausage to add some oomph to the vegetables. The texture is not too bad, either!

A perfect marriage of flavours is presented in the Crisp Fried Aubergine & Pork Floss ($7/ $9/ $11). With the creamy aubergine meat paired with crispy, flavourful batter, you’ll be enjoying the best of flavours and textures in this dish!

Meat eaters will find themselves inclined toward Grandma’s Recipe Pork Belly ($9/ $12/ $15) and Deep-Fried Teochew Duck Fritter ($8/ $10/ $12). The latter of which consists of smoked duck meat and hand-mashed yam encased in popiah skin before being deep-fried. Personally, I felt that these could have been executed better, as the meat verged on too oily for my liking. The Old School Sweet & Sour Pork ($8/ $10/ $12) is also a tad hard.

The Ginger Spring Chicken ($6/ $12) is a must-try, with thick, succulent chicken steamed with generous amounts of hand-cut ginger. Tuck into this subtly fragrant dish that bears rich flavours from the young ginger and garlic sauce.

The Seafood Lala Ying Yang Hor Fun ($5/ $7/ $10) makes a great standalone meal. On top of medley of fresh prawns, clams, and fish slices, diners can also enjoy the deep-fried hor fun. This addition brings some crunch to the dish.

Last but not least, the favourite of the nation – Lai Bao 13 Spices Black Pepper Crab ($30 for one crab, $50 for two crabs) brings the most bang for your buck. Relish 600 – 700 grams of succulent, aromatic crab meat bearing the peppery fragrance of its 13-spice blend.

An added plus for modern diners – simply scan the QR code on your table to order online, and take advantage of a hassle-free, cashless payment with MasterCard or Visa!

---

Lai Bao

Lor 1 Toa Payoh, #01-1040, Blk 168, Singapore 310168

Tel: +65 6261 5825

Daily: 12PM – 10PM

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Laibaosg/

---

Words and Images by @chuepachups

***Follow @oo_foodielicious on Facebook and Instagram for more videos, food reviews, travel/lifestyle insights and easy recipe, and @artofgenie on Facebook and Instagram for portrait, architecture and landscape photography!