Xiao Ya Tou, its name sounded strange and likewise for the interior theme too. The name Xiao Ya Tou is from the chinese words, which literally means small lass. This is an olden form and not in a very nice way to address a young girl. Usually, it has a meaning of naughty in it too.
The restaurant has a 60s look with five large red lanterns hanging at the door. And before you reach the restaurant, from a far, you could easily spot a few tables also products of the 60s or 70s and uniform red stools. Interior has a modern finish though most might felt the old school vibes in it.
At Xiao Ya Tou, the restaurant has 3 different menu. One for lunch, one for dinner and the last for brunch. Lunch and Dinner were similar offerings except that for lunch there is mixed and match lunch set while this option isn’t available during dinner. And for dinner, there are more items. And for brunch, I glanced through the menu and I thought there might be some surprises.
I went during lunch. There are 2 options for lunch. Either at $22 for a white rice, a main and a side or at $28 is with an additional side. I opted for the latter set as I wanted to try out more food from the restaurant. Xiao Ya Tou also provided an option of wok-fried rice, chorizos XO fried rice or Lu rou fan by topping $8.70 (if I remember correctly).
6 Mains were available for diners to choose from; XYT ayam perik, Roasted chicken leg, Overn-roasted pork belly, Local sea bass, Charred beef flank steak and White clam & scallop soup.
I opted for the XYT ayam perik. The chicken was tender and moist. The key was the grilled lime, do squeeze them all over the chicken and then dip the chicken into the fragrance curry sauce by the side. Personally, I find the chicken a little bland and marinate wasn’t enough on the chicken skin. I thought a better way to prepare the chicken was to cook it in the curry sauce as the curry sauce was really delish.
Likewise, there are 6 sides on the lunch set. They are Cucumber salad, Grilled eggplant, Yam khai dao, Stir-fried cabbage sprout, Crab & lap cheong omelette and Crispy otak-otak roll.
My first side was the Crispy otak-otak roll which has a sweet tangy tamarind peanut sauce. I like this side.
The second side is the Crab & lap cheong omelette. I do like the taste of the omelette. I could taste the lap cheong bites but a pity I couldn’t savour the crab. And when I spotted the crab stick instead of crab meat, I was disappointed. And overall, the omelette was too oily.
Lastly, I got myself a dessert too, the Coconut Tau Huay ($6). I would describe it as Coconut pudding instead. It comes with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream, sago gula melaka and abundant crispy coconut. My entire tastebud was filled with only coconut flavour and I could not savour the contrast flavour from the pumpkin. Nonetheless, I enjoy.
NAHMJ Verdict
I thought Xiao Ya Tou does offer some interesting food but at a glance of their dinner menu, I thought some items might be a little over-priced. As for taste-wise, I could quite agree with it but I see room for improvement too.
Xiao Ya Tou
6 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089592
Tel: +65 6226 1965
Website: http://xyt.sg
FB: https://www.facebook.com/xiaoyatou.sg/?fref=ts
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday 1100 to 0000; Closed on Sundays
Getting There
By Bus:
- alight at bus stop opp Faithfield Methodist Church along Tanjong Pagar Road 80, 145
- alight at bus stop after Kreta Ayer Road, along Neil Road 61, 166, 197
By MRT:
- Northeast Line or East-West Line – Outram Park station
- North-South Line – Tanjong Pagar
Rating: 7/10