Westlake Restaurant Review @ Queen's Road 西湖小吃

Can't remember how but buddy Eva mentioned in passing that Westlake (at Farrer Road MRT station) is one of her family's favourite eating places. Suddenly memories of this old place flooded my mind. I had eaten here in the 1980s as I lived and worked nearby briefly. My last time here was in 2005. (Yeah..., this picture isn't the most photogenic but this is their signature braised pork belly with steamed buns or kong bak pau.)

I don't remember much about the setup of Westlake, it was too long ago. But the same cosy, casual, family friendly warmth is still there. Low social media profile but thriving due to its loyal following and new fans.

Eva is a regular at Westlake, so we let her decide on the orders 😋 First things first, Westlake's famous kong bak pau or stewed pork belly with steamed buns 西湖扣肉包.

The way to enjoy this is to slot a slice of stewed pork belly between the spongy flaps of a steamed hinged bun. It was nice - mostly layers of sweetness from the bun and fatty pork undergirded with a bit of infused savouriness from the fermented bean paste / soy sauce stewing stock. The stewed pork belly was oh... so... juicy soft. The savoury sweet flavours were well balanced, perhaps leaning slightly on the sweet side. It is easy to like and everyone of us loved it.

I like the mild but flavourful, well balanced savoury sweet sauce. I think I can eat a bowl of plain white rice just with it. No kidding 😋

Very good rendition of Malaysian style Butter Prawns.

The fresh good size prawns were fried till invitingly deep golden brown outside. Served with fried egg floss and butter topping.

The shelled prawn was crunchy and juicy. It tasted crustacean sweet with a bit of a savoury buttery flavour spiked with subtle spicy notes from aromatic curry leaf.

Steamed Beancurd. A visually nondescript but tasty dish.

What can I say. The tofu was like a soft custard (tau huey or bean curd) studded with corn and minced pork. The tofu was smothered in a thick eggy gooey sauce on a bed of blanched greens. It had layers of gentle sweet savouriness with a bit of green flavours from the leafy vegetable.

Fried French beans stir fried with sambal. The French beans had a nice crunch and still had ample sweet juices inside. The overlay of savoury umami from the sambal added complementary flavours but did not overwhelm the delicate natural sweetness of the beans.

Makan kaki Philip 👍In the 80s - 90s, almost every meal was rounded up with a Hot & Sour Soup of tofu, mushroom, bamboo shoot, wood fungus etc and vinegar. I have some friends who love its mildly sour, savoury, sweet, spicy flavour a lot. This was a Must for them. For me, it is mostly nostalgia as I never really liked starchy soups much even way back then.

Tau Sah Pancake for dessert - another nostalgic flavour.

The tender fried pancake tasted sweet savoury with sweet red bean paste inside the doughy gummy envelope.

We were all comfortable with the pricing. Truth be told, I wasn't mind blown but always more than happy here. This is a no gimmick, no thrill, predictable, good food place. The food is nice with well balanced flavours, ingredients are fresh, dishes well executed, the environment is cosy, prices are reasonable and Westlake consistently delivers that satisfying experience since I first ate here in the 1980s. All in our party enjoyed the lunch at Westlake today.

Restaurant name: Westlake 西湖小吃Address: 4 Queen's Rd, #02-139, Singapore 260004 (steps from Farrer Road MRT station)Tel: +65 6474 7283Hours: 11:00 am - 2:00pm | 6:00pm - 9:30pm Non Halal

Date visited: 31 Jul 2020