I started googling and found it actually means a type of narrow lane or alleyway in a traditional residential area in China where many of the Chinese cooking styles and tastes we know now emerged from those small back lanes. Little Hutong hold this concept close as they combine the authentic flavours from Penang, Japanese, Chinese and Peranakan food with high quality of raw ingredients and thus create a high standard for their own authentic taste!
We went here for a dinner on Sunday and not long after we arrived, this place was suddenly buzzing with locals looking for a family dinner in this modern minimalist restaurant.
We started with a pot of Dragon Well, also known as Longjing tea, this type of Chinese green tea is hand-picked and renowned for its high quality. It had subtle colour, refreshing taste and could be a perfect choice as a palate cleanser. Little Hutong source all their selections of tea from a local family business in Meadowbank.
Little Hutong has a very extensive dinner menu and it's actually hard for me to choose because I simply want everything! LOL!
After a lil bit of chat with Aliza and heard couple of recommendations from her, we finally chose this Miso Mayonnaise Scallops!
Aliza told us they bought these plumpy scallops from a certified Japanese seller and these famous Hokkaido scallops truly lived up to their name! The size was huge and it was succulent, creamy and sweet. Served with Shiitake mushroom, Japanese mayonnaise and bonito flakes, this decadent dish is definitely not to be missed~
For us, eating Malaysian food is not complete without Roti Canai! Here, it came in an ideal size for sharing and you could choose to have it with Beef Rendang or Chicken Curry - We chose Beef Rendang as per Aliza's suggestion. The flaky and light roti was a perfect partner for the tender and richly aromatic beef! Bear in mind, Malaysian rendang style is more like a dry curry - it's not saucy enough if you want to dip your roti into it.
You can't go wrong with Crispy Pork Belly with its incredibly crispy, perfectly golden skin and not to mention the juicy meat and the thick slab of fat! Served with housemade ginger chili sauce, this dipping sauce is perfect if you need a spicy kick to go along with your pork belly.
I've never heard about "Cheh Hoo" before until Little Hutong introduced this Penang Hawker-style salad to me. Aliza told us they sent their head chef to Penang (because you can only find it there) to learn how to make it so it will taste as authentic as the original.
I have never tasted Cheh Hoo before, but I was so in love from the first bite with these combination of fried bean curd, doughy prawn fritters (Mr. Nomnom said it tasted like Hee Chee from his hometown), and chewy poached jellyfish. With shredded cucumber and crunchy-yet juicy- jicama at the bottom and light sweet potato sauce at the top, this cold salad had all the sweetness, saltiness, crunchiness and refreshingly addictive!
When it comes to Penang hawker food, Char Kuey Teow is also one of the most popular. It's basically stir fried flat rice noodles with shrimp, chinese sausage (lap cheong), eggs, bean sprouts and chives in a mix of soy sauce and chili paste.
We personally love the Penang version more as it's relatively dry and pale in colour - especially for Mr. Nomnom as he always asks for a white version of Char Kuey Teow every time we go to a Malaysian restaurant.. LOL! We could smell the charred aroma, also known as "wok hei" or breath of wok, as soon as it appeared on our table and the smell alone was enough to set my stomach rumbling for sure.
We often see Sang Chow Bow that's served with chicken or beef mince but Little Hutong made their own outstanding Sang Chow Bow version with crab meat, egg bits, toasted pine nuts and rice crisps.
Little Hutong's version somehow gave me an impression of eating Fu Yung Hai (Egg Foo Young) with tasty combination of flavoured crab meat and moist scrambled egg. Served with fresh and crunchy lettuce cups, this Sang Chow Bow is best eaten with your hands~
Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience and surely it was fun chatting and listening to both Eliza and Lukie's passion for food! If you ask me which dish was my favourite, I'd choose their Cheh Hoo and Sang Chow Bow for sure! You can't simply get it anywhere else and I promised myself not to share their Cheh Hoo with Mr. Nomnom on our next visit~ LOL!
Little Hutong
Address:
Shop 4, 2-8 Pine Avenue, Little Bay
Opening Hours:
Lunch - Sunday 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner - Wednesday to Sunday 5.30pm - 10pm
Let's Nomnom dined as guests of the Little Hutong. A big thank you to Little Hutong team and Jess for looking after us. All opinions here are our own and independent.
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