Pudong Kitchen

I'm not sure how Pudong Kitchen has managed to stay out the culinary limelight all these years, but I'll skip straight to the point: what may possibly be Singapore's best xiaolongbao can be found at this nondescript Shanghainese restaurant located at the basement of Balmoral Plaza.

. Biting into each xiaolongbao released an ambrosial gush of rich and savory soup, leaving me with melt-in-your-mouth tender meat. And yes, the thin skin of each dumpling held up to my chopstick work.

My first bite into the guotie ($6 for six) sent steaming hot broth shooting across the table. That should tell you how juicy they were! That aside, there was nothing to fault about the tender meat filling or the thin, firm dumpling skins.

But if I could only choose one dish to eat at Pudong Kitchen, I would head straight for the dongporou ($30). Braised in an unctuous, umami sauce, every forkful delivered succulent lean meat brimming with sticky collagen. To the weight-conscious: ditch your diet plans for this pork knuckle or nibble at a small piece of meat and attempt to exercise self-restraint while everyone else tucks in with wild abandon; you must not give this dish a miss!

We ordered some stir-fried French beans ($12) to balance out our indulgence, which I found a tad salty. P.S. Why are vegetables almost always overpriced in Chinese restaurants?!

The service could have, however, done much better. I had to personally fetch the menu from the counter, and my table waited for ages before the waitress made her appearance in the dining area to take our orders.

Pudong Kitchen
271 Bukit Timah Road
B1-02 Balmoral Plaza

Tel: +65 6732 8966
Opening hours: 11am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-9.30pm daily