[Food Delivery] LaBuLa Mala Hotpot (辣不辣麻辣香锅) - A humble restaurant offering delicious food, Singapore

A Northwestern Chinese or DongBei-style (东北) Cuisine Restaurant, LaBuLa Mala Hotpot (辣不辣麻辣香锅) is a place to have delicious food. Located in various parts of Singapore, this restaurant / food stall will definitely sate your hunger. The northwestern part of China is known for its bitingly long and cold winters. Hence, the Dongbei-styled cuisine is characterised by its use of pickled cabbage, potatoes, carrots, as well as wheat and corn, instead of rice.

I chanced upon this restaurant and is constantly impressed by its extremely high food quality and aromatic flavours. 

Read on to find out more. Do note that some reviews lack images. I forgot to take photos when I immersed myself with the food. 😝

Spicy Chicken ($16.80) 招牌辣子鸡

The Spicy Chicken or Laziji (辣子鸡) is a typical Sichuan-style cuisine. It is a stir-fried dish, consisting of marinated then deep-fried pieces of diced chicken, dried Sichuan chilli peppers, garlic and ginger. Often times, toasted sesame seeds, roasted peanuts, and sliced spring onions are often used to garnish the dish.

This is one of the must-haves if you intend to order something from the menu. The deep-fried diced chicken cubes were beautifully marinated. The savoury and flavourful taste of chicken cubes exploded at each bite in the mouth. The generous use of spices and seasoning were well mixed with the chicken, adding the extra spiciness and aroma to this dish. Even when microwaved the leftovers the next day, the dish was still delicious and the fragrance was mouthwatering. You can either eat it on its own or accompanied with steamed rice. (Food rating: 5/5)

Chongqing BBQ Fish 重庆烤鱼

Besides Tan Yu, this was my second attempt to have BBQ Fish home delivered. If you are expecting something like a charcoal grilled whole rish in spicy and numbing broth (i.e. Mala), you will be disappointed. The Chongqing BBQ Fish arrived in chopped pieces of deep fried fish. The fish was of course freshly prepared. The spicy broth had a very nice fragrance of various spices. Accompanying the fish was potato slices, bean sprouts, and Chinese lettuce. The portion would be just right for 3-4 people. Despite the way this dish was presented/ prepared, you somehow just keep eating it until it was finally gone. (Food rating: 4.5/5)

Mapo Tofu ($10.80) 麻婆豆腐

If you'd enjoyed Shinsen Hanten or Chen's Mapo Tofu's renditions of mapo tofu, you may love this too. This dish of silky tofu stir-fried in a spicy, fragrant Sichuan peppers inflected sauce, accompanied with steamed rice, is extremely wholesome. It costs a fraction of the Michelin Bib Gourmand Chen's Mapo Tofu and tastes as great. (Food rating: 5/5)

Fried Mutton Xinjiang Style ($20.80) 孜然羊肉

One of the most famous Xinjiang dishes similar to the Fried Mutton Xinjiang Style is the lamb kebab (羊肉串), where skewered lean and fat lamb meat lavishly sprinkled with cumin and red pepper powder are cooked over an open fire grilled. Although different in texture and cooking method, both Fried Mutton Xinjiang Style and lamb kebab both share the aromatic flavours that result from cooking lamb meat with cumin and other spices. Personally, either cooking works for me as they are both extremely tasty and full of aromatic flavours. Because of the dish's intense flavour, it goes extremely well with steamed rice or plain noodles. Personally, steamed rice works best. (Food rating: 5/5)

Spicy and Sour Potato ($8.80) 酸辣土豆丝

One of the perfect appetiser to start your gastronomic journey is enjoying a dish of spicy, yet vinegary stir-fried julienned potatoes. The julienned potatoes were potatoes cut into long thin strips, similar to match sticks. The texture remains crisp when cooked. Best for breakfast or dinner potato dish. (Food rating: 5/5) 

Sauteed Shredded Pork in Sweet and Sour Sauce ($13.80) 鱼香肉丝

A good "fish-flavoured" shredded pork tastes sweet, sour, salty, fresh and delicious. The amalgam of seasonings makes the dish the "fish" flavour. Technically, this famous Sichuan dish does not contain fish or fish sauce, but only a recipe that the local Sichuan people used to cook fish. In this "fish flavoured" shredded pork dish, it has a pleasant taste but lacks the sharp touch in contrast. It was very gentle and delicious. The ingredients were fresh and generous. Best accompanied with steamed rice. (Food rating: 4/5)

Red Bean Pancake ($7.80) 四川锅饼

This dish is a delicate balance of sweet, savoury and crisp. The sweet red bean paste is  wrapped with savoury pancake, and then deep-fried to crisp. It is one of the popular snack in Chinese restaurants and is usually served as a dessert or dim sum. The red bean pancake is one of the better desserts I had so far. This red bean paste was dulet, not saccharine. The pancake was thin and crispy at the same time. (Food rating: 4.5/5)

LaBuLa Mala Hotpot (辣不辣麻辣香锅) is one of my favourite restaurants, thus far. Do you feel the same?  

Address: 405 Jalan Besar, Singapore 209011

Price: $

Food rating: 5/5