Xi Duo Duo: Underrated Chinese stall with Danlao-style scrambled egg rice & noodles, classic zha jiang mian & dumplings
Maxwell Food Centre has quickly become one of my favourite spots for delicious yet affordable food. However, the long queues at some of its popular stalls can be a bit daunting. Hence, I decided to give one of the more underrated stalls, Xi Duo Duo, a go.
Xi Duo Duo is a Chinese food stall with absolutely no internet presence. When I visited Maxwell Food Centre on a weekday, the stall had no queue, allowing me to conveniently place my orders without having to wait.
The menu at Xi Duo Duo includes both classic Chinese dishes and a selection of Danlao-style scrambled egg rice and noodles— a pretty bold move, given how the famed Danlao operates in the same hawker centre.
What I tried at Xi Duo Duo
I decided to try the Braised Pork and Egg Rice (S$6), which came topped with pale yellow scrambled egg and a decent portion of braised pork cubes.
This dish was so simple yet so comforting. The scrambled eggs were of the perfect consistency with a very light and fluffy texture while the braised pork chunks were meaty and fairly tender. The braised sauce coated the rice beneath nicely, giving the entire dish a pop of flavour.
This reminded me of a zhng-ed up version of Taiwanese pork rice, and I loved how homely it was.
I’d never encountered scrambled egg noodles before, so I decided to give the Chicken Cutlet and Egg Noodles (S$6) at Xi Duo Duo a go. I was presented a bowl of mee pok noodles topped with the same fluffy eggs and a chopped chicken cutlet.
I was immediately a little thrown off by how obviously overcooked the chicken cutlet was— the meat had become slightly translucent and was hard to the touch. Though the skin was crispy, the toughness of the meat made this quite unpleasant.
The noodles beneath had been tossed in sauce and oil, making them flavourful even on their own. Though I felt that the scrambled egg worked better when paired with rice, I still enjoyed them with these tasty noodles.
If my chicken cutlet had not been served overcooked, this would have been a pretty satisfying dish.
I moved on to the classic Chinese staples on the menu, starting with the Beijing Zha Jiang Noodle (S$5). The thick noodles were submerged in a pool of starchy zha jiang sauce. Tossing them around for a bit allowed for the sauce to nicely coat each strand.
This dish was a little sweeter than the usual zha jiang mian, though it wasn’t overly saccharine and struck a good balance with its sweet and savoury flavours. I was surprised at how generous Xi Duo Duo was when it came to the amount of pork within the dish, and I liked how saucy the noodles were too.
The Sichuan Spicy Dandan Noodle (S$5) was another stellar dish— straight away, I was impressed by the mountain of minced meat on top of the noodles. Xi Duo Duo certainly did not skimp on this front.
Taste-wise, this was pretty similar to the Beijing Zha Jiang Noodle. It was a bit creamier and pretty sweet too, though I didn’t find it spicy at all. For just S$5, this huge portion of noodles was super value-for-money!
Finally, I ordered the Shan Dong Fried Dumplings (S$7 for 10 pieces). The crispy crust was a huge standout as it broke off easily and was super addictive with its light crunch.
The dumplings themselves were generously packed with minced meat and chives. I loved how the silky skin, chewy fillings and crispy crust all came together nicely, making this a very satisfying and delicious treat.
Final thoughts
Aside from the overcooked chicken cutlet, Xi Duo Duo surpassed my expectations in every possible way. The stall’s biggest selling point is definitely its prices, with most dishes coming in at just S$5 or S$6. The large portions made each dish very filling and satisfying, and I enjoyed every creation I tried.
Xi Duo Duo is definitely on my radar the next time that I visit Maxwell Food Centre!
Expected damage: S$5 – S$7 per pax
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