Da Si Xi 大四喜 : Crab Claypot Rice

Having read glowing reviews online, I decided to head there for my first family weekend eat-out after I returned to Singapore. We ordered all three items which were highly recommended by the friendly lady-in-charge and one vegetable dish.

The food came out consecutively without much pause in between, leaving us with little time to react to the massive serving size of the claypot. The Braised Crab Claypot Rice emitted such an alluring fragrance that we could not wait to dig in. Yet the main star was not the crab but the rice that was cooked with pork belly, garlic and not salted fish but 鳊鱼.

Each rice grain had a nice firm bite to it and was literally dancing in the mouth. It seems that price has raised from $45 to $50 for one crab but it didn't matter much since they were so yummy and could probably feed up to 5-6 mouths.

I could not tell if the JB Curry Fish Head ($28) was authentically JB style but I know it's the kind of Chinese style Curry Fish Head with the usual brinjals, ladyfingers, tomatoes and cabbage.

I loved the large rectangular pieces of deep-fried fu-pi that absorbed all the juices like a sponge. Though the fish was very fresh, the broth that contained coconut milk was too milky and mild. More spices would be definitely be welcomed to set off the fiery sensation.


Meanwhile, the deep-fried chestnut tofu ($14) served with mayonaise were too greasy. Might be better if the chunky rolls were reshaped into smaller servings as each was too bulky and it is easy to get "jelat" just after having one portion. 

But I would like to recommend this non-recommended item, Bitter Gourd with Salted Egg ($14). It was not the typically deep-fried vegetables tossed in salted egg yolk. Instead, each slice of bittergourd is coated with a substantial amount salted egg yolk sauce. It might not be very healthy but an interesting switch from 苦瓜炒蛋.

Despite my fever and a bad sore throat due to the mad heat wave in Tokyo, I scraped the claypot rice CLEAN as it was just SO irresistible. No GST or Service Charges but the service we received from the group of aunties were excellent:) Our meal were overall tasty and reasonably priced too. The best dish? It's the rice.

Da Si Xi 大四喜

19 Sims Way,

Singapore 388831

5pm-11pm daily except Wed