Hua Ting Pt 2

Hua Ting was one of the first few places where i had my little adventure with food begin. I went back again after one year to relive the extremely tasty fish paste noodles. You may view my previous visit here. To sum it up, it's still as good as ever but the surprise is lost.

Address: 2nd Floor Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Road

Contact: 67396666 or 67343872

Price Range: $35-40 per head (lunch and dim sum only)

The fabled double boiled soup fish paste noodles with seafood ($28)

This was the only reason i returned to this place. The noodles previously left a great impression but i was too stuffed to really appreciate it. This time, we made sure there was space for the meal. To be honest, it didn't disappoint, a thick, milky double boiled seafood broth with 2 medium sized scallops and 2 medium sized prawns with assorted mushrooms and fish paste noodles. The noodles maintain the same chewy texture and fragrance i remembered but sadly, i found the broth not hot enough. This dish should be served piping hot for the best effect but it was not to be. My other gripe is the portion of seafood which was rather miserly compared to my previous visit and finally, the broth itself was rather saltier then before. Nitpicking i suppose but it did fare better in my previous visit for sure.

Abalone Dumplings ($5.40 for 3)

We also ordered an assortment of dim sum to start the meal and the abalone dumplings were a start. The abalone was small but fragrant and chewy along with the chives in the dumplings. Its reminiscent of Crystal dumplings in terms of the skin but a little thinner and more tender.

Prawn dumplings ($4.50 for 3)

I'm a sucker for prawns and this was one of those excellently sweet and crunchy prawn dim sums i'd easily fall for. It helps that the specialty is how its wrapped in fragrant vegetables (I forgot what kind) which gave it its delectable color.

Custard Buns ($3.90 for 3)

Inside look

Overall, this was a disappointment. Custard buns, to me at least, are supposed to be slightly molten and flow out of the bun when one bites into it. This version was pasty and rather solid. Taste wise, the custard was balanced, which means its not too sweet but not something i would praise otherwise.

Fish Siew Mai ($4.80)

Another prawn filled dish with crunchy sweet prawns. I'm very biased towards these so you know what kind of verdict i would give for it. On the flipside, i found the skin too elastic and difficult to tear through though.

Beef Fillet Tenderloin ($9 per piece)

Another look

The beef tenderloin is tender, fragrant and tasted strangely sweet with the coating of sauce and ground nuts. The coating could be likened to sweet and sour pork's tomato base but with more sourish taste in it. I liked it but can't say the same for my gf.

The bill

The final bill came to $77.76 for a moderately satisfying meal.

Final Score: 6.5/10

Last Word:
Sorry about the extremely late post but i'm struggling to find time for posting these days. On this meal, i'd say the experience is rather monotone with nothing truly exceptional for me to report. The standard of food is average but could be better.