Hand In Hand 手拉手 at Jalan Besar

We recently discovered this Chinese-run place called 手拉手 along Jalan Besar, just across from the Berseh Food Centre at the junction of Veerasamy Road. We went there on a random whim after reading an internet article just to try it out, and were very very pleasantly surprised that it was of reasonably good quality.

The Chinese Pizza (三鲜合子) was very well done - crispy on the outside, with a little bit of a chewy bite for the pastry on the inside. The pork/veggie filling was nicely balanced.

Close up - this was one of my favourites.

The 炸酱面 was kinda weird, with peanuts in the sauce. It wasn't really spicy or salty. But the noodles were cooked just right so that they were springy.

Dou miao fried in garlic -can't go too far wrong with this.

Their xiaolongbaos are probably among the best in Singapore, I have to say. They tasted similar to the original Crystal Jade at Scotts, and Eastern Kitchen at Centrepoint in the early days. The skin was strong, yet thin enough, with lots of soup in the dumplings. Highly recommended.

Tofu with century egg - this was ok, but it's hard to go wrong with this anyway.

The cold braised beef, which came as a starter. No surprises.

One of my favourite dishes discovered during my China stints - shredded potato with chilli. I really love this dish, and was so glad to find a place in Singapore that did it well. A bit pricy at $12 though.

Another dish that brought me back to the China days - their 饺子 was identical to what I used to eat in China as the 主食.

We ordered another 2 soup noodle dishes, and I can't recall what this was. But it was definitely better than the 炸酱面.
Pork with garlic. We had to pack this, since we were really full.

Beef noodles - this was pretty good.

The entire spread for 7 people.

Szechuan hot and sour soup - this was a bit too sweet, and I didn't quite like it.

Salt and pepper squid - I've had better in Melbourne, but it was decent enough.

The 锅贴 came upside down, with full evidence that it had been property steamed first and then fried on a hot plate. These were as good as the steamed dumplings, and slightly more enjoyable with a slight crisp edge.

For dessert, they also serve sugar-coated apples and sugar coated sweet potato wedges, that come with the melted sugar on top. You dip the pieces in ice water, causing the sugar to harden into a thin and crispy layer. The apples were much nicer than the sweet potato. This was really enjoyable.

It isn't very cheap - the bill came up to around $15-$20 per head, but you do get a decent meal for what you pay, and that's always good to know.

141-143 Jalan Besar

Tel: 62971398