Dian Xiao Er, VivoCity

Can you believe this was my very first time to Dian Xiaor Er? I have always skipped it when deciding on where to dine as I am not really a duck person. Friends had told me it was really very good but somehow I was not convinced. So it must have been a blue moon when I agreed to try it earlier in the month.

As usual, there was a long line though it did move fast. We were given a menu to browse while waiting for a table, and the waitress came to take our order just before we were shown to our table. That helped to speed up the process as the food came shortly after we were seated.
The seasame chicken. It was not too bad, the sauce was sweet and the seasame seeds fragrant. The chicken was a bit tough though, so it would be easier to eat using your fingers.

Baby kailan with lime and salted fish. I liked this dish. The veggies were fresh and crunchy, the lime gave a tangy twist to it and the salted fish added a new dimenson to the taste.

The famous dish - roasted duck in 10 herbs sauce. There were 3 options for the duck (Angelica - Dang Gui, 10 herbs and Ginseng) and we chose 10 herbs. It was surprisingly good. The sauce was not overpowering or herby, instead it was a bit sweet. The gravy was light and not thicken with starch. The meat itself was not very gamey which was the reason why I dislike duck. The meat was tender and lean and the skin was crispy. It kind of grew on me after a while.

Now I know why there are always long lines outside all the Dian Xiao Er restaurants. They do have pretty tasty duck and veggies. There are also other signature dishes such as the cereal prawns, dongpo (stewed pork belly) and mongolian ribs and spinach with salted and century eggs. Hmmm...dishes to try for next time.