Mooi Chin

Who would have expected that a split-up between partners of a restaurant business, set up in 1925, could become Singapore's oldest Hainanese restaurant today? Founded by Hai Chin, Mooi Chin opened in 1935 at the corner of North Bridge Road and Purvis Street serving western food. Chinese cuisine was added after World War II and the restaurant currently shares space with the lobby of Landmark Village Hotel (formerly known as Golden Landmark Hotel) at Victoria Street. With no ambience to speak of, the simply furnished restaurant looked dated. Our order of Hainanese Mutton Soup was thoughtfully portioned into individual bowls for us with the remnants in the large bowl placed on our table. For someone who does not usually take mutton, the soup was surprisingly pleasant and not oily, with an herbal taste that stopped short of coming across as an herbal soup. Ingredients included red dates, wolfberries, crunchy black fungus and tender meat.

No wonder the Hainanese Pork Chop here is an old favourite and raved as a must-try dish. Crisp crust made of breadcrumbs from air-dried fresh bread, which coated lean and tender meat, did not turn soggy (though it was no longer crispy) after being soaked in its thick savvy gravy. The specially concocted French-style gravy, not the more common tomato-based sweet and sour sauce, is made with flour and butter. Yummy and well-complemented by the potatoes and green peas the dish came with. We also ordered Fried Fish Maw that, according to its website, "has all the goodness of natural flavours instead of the usual Chinese wine and sauces used for Cantonese cuisine". Loved how the fragrant and spongy, not mushy, fish maw went well with the cabbage, prawns and squid in a light gravy.

Last but not least was the not-too-oily chicken rice with a faint fragrance and separate, but not whole, grains. Just like previous dishes, the quarter chicken was tender and not oily (no visible jelly layer of fats which I hate). This was topped with coriander, also known as Chinese parsley, and served with tomato slices. It tasted better when paired with the accompanying minced ginger, dark soya sauce and chilli sauce – sweet, spicy and tangy at the same time with a subtle taste of garlic. Overall, I thought the food was good but not outstanding enough to go out of the way to eat. Unless you want to have Hainanese Mutton Soup, Pork Chop, Chicken Rice and Beef Noodles in air-conditioned comfort without shuttling between coffeeshops. Then this nostalgic place, having survived the decades, might fit the bill for a simple homely spread of traditional Hainanese cuisine.