Xiao Qing Dao at Whampoa Drive

old favorite : Sweet and sour pork

new favorite : stir fried chicken slices with abalone mushroom

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Xiao Ching Dao is our neighborhood chinese restaurant. When I say chinese I mean the manager, cooks and the staff are all from mainland China. This cosy, family restaurant is our 'go to' restaurant. It means when my wife does not know what to cook anymore or when I am being choosy and yet don't want to go far, this is where we go.

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The manager here knows me and my family already. My son eats lunch here almost everyday as their set lunch is quite reasonably priced (5$) and you are served with 3 dishes. My son even asks the uncle there to change some dishes for him. The manager/uncle always obliges him with a smile.

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The flavor of the food here is distinctly different from the usual Singapore chinese food. Needless to say we love the taste of the food in this restaurant. As proof of that, tonight we ordered 3 dishes. Yet, I only managed to snap 2 dishes out of the 3. The first dish was Dry Fried French Beans. The moment the dish was laid at the table, I forgot to take a picture because we literally attacked the dish. When the other 2 dishes came, my son singlehandedly finished the french beans.

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The uncle recommended a new dish : Stir Fried Chicken Slices with Abalone mushroom. That dish has now toppled Sweet and sour pork as my wife's favourite there... and mind you, we've had sweet and sour pork in hawker centres, restaurants and hotels BUT this version of sweet and sour pork has always been the best tasting for us.

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This restaurant should be easy to find as it is near the Whampoa Market Hawker Centre.

Also, ordering should not be so daunting to non-chinese speakers as there are English translations in the menu. So, if you leave nearby or just want to taste real mainland chinese food, this place is very much recommended.