Review of En Ji Xiao Chu Stewed Soup and Claypot Rice

Block 209, Hougang Street 21, Kovan Market and Food Centre, #01-45

Nearest Mass Transit Rapid Station: Kovan MRT

Buses to Kovan Market and Food Centre: 80, 81, 82, 101, 107, 107M, 112, 113, 115, 119, 136, 153

Opening Hours: 09:00 to 20:00 (Daily)

Queue: 1 to 3 people (Waiting Time: Less than 5 minutes)

Service: Fast and good

Environment: Clean but crowded hawker centre

Reputation: Traditional Singapore Claypot Rice, Herbal Soup and Pork Rib Soup

Thoughts after eating: Average

Value for money: 70/100

Will I come back again in 6 months' time? No, there are better alternatives

My opinion:

En means "gratitude" or "kindness" in Chinese. This hawker stall sells traditional Singapore claypot rice, herbal soup and pork rib soup. For this food review, I have tasted their Chinese cucumber red bean pork rib soup with rice for lunch.

There were 6 piece of porb ribs, 6 pieces of smashed Chinese cucumber, 1 bowl of soup and 1 bowl of rice in my food portion. Pork rib pieces ranged from small to medium in sizes. Although they were juicy, soft and tender, I noticed a lot of fatty portions in the meat. Pork rib bones were soft enough that I could bite and eat them.

Smashed Chinese cucumber pieces were bitter, fresh and did not mix well with the rice. The soup had an overwhelming bitter taste and almost no red bean taste. Rice was well cooked and did not have any dryness, roughness or sticky issues.

To sum up, the food here was average tasting and slightly lacking in meat ingredients. Unless you are a hardcore fan of herbal soup, my advice is to avoid this stall and visit other alternatives in the same food centre.

Ways for the owners to improve their food ratings:

Add more pork ribs and reduce the amount of Chinese cucumber in the soup's cooking process.