"Hidden" on the 3rd level and in one corner of Midview Building in Bukit Batok, Dong Bei Cai Guan (used to be called "BBQ City") is one great restaurant to go for Chinese specialty dishes from the northeastern corner of China, Sichuan and other regions.
I/We have been to BBQ City many times over the last 5 years and have tried many of their dishes. Some dishes are so good that we ordered the same on several visits. Check out some of the photos below.
My first taste of grilled lamb with herbs was in Yunnan, China, in 2012, and I missed that great taste since then. When I came across BBQ City serving grilled lamb legs as one of the signature BBQ item, I did not hesitate to gather people to go for those tasty legs — thrice.
The grilled lamb leg (烤羊腿) is served in whole over charcoal-fire on a specially-made rotating grilling structure in the centre of the table. The aroma of the mutton with herbs and spices is so enticing that we can't stop salivating. The gaminess of the succulent lamb meat is intact and with flavours of the herbs.
At least an hour in advance is required to order a grilled lamb leg and minimum 5 pax is recommended as each leg is at least 2Kg.
Meat skewers (烤肉串) of mutton, beef, chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables, mushrooms and many others are hot-sellers of BBQ City, especially when eating with bottles of cold beer. They are tasty and flavourful — and really addictive.
The grilled lamb chop (烤羊排), about 1Kg per serving, may be a good alternative to the grilled lamb leg when there are fewer people in a group. Since both are two different dishes, the texture of the meat and spices differ too.
Braised sauce beef (酱牛肉) is a cold dish served with chilli. Savour the original taste of the beefy slices. I simply love beef and mutton.
Sweet and sour pork (锅包肉) surprised us when we first ordered it. It is unlike those "sweet and sour pork (咕咾肉)" that we used to eat at other restaurants and mixed rice stalls. The crispy fried pork cutlet is topped with a sweet honey-made sauce. This is one of our frequent dishes — and reduced my chances to try more untried dishes.
Chinese sauerkraut fish (酸菜鱼) is a sour-spicy soup dish with fresh fish meat. It used to be a very spicy dish but the spiciness level has been toned down quite a bit. It is a nice dish for big groups. Other than the fish version, there are sauerkraut beef (酸菜肥牛) and sauerkraut bull frogs (酸菜牛蛙) too, which are very unique.
Spicy chicken (辣子鸡) as the name implies is really spicy. Fried chicken dices are stir-fried with dried chilli, peppercorns, spring onions, sesame seeds and peanuts. Despite the spiciness, it is a tasty treat.
The less-spicy kung pao chicken (宫保鸡丁) is a great option to go with rice. It has more chicken, but lesser dried chillies, and other veggies, such as cucumbers, cashew nuts, etc.
Cucumber slices with chilli (麻辣瓜条) is a common cold dish in Chinese restaurants. It is always a better and tasty dish when we want something more special than just vegetables. It is spicy without doubts but cooling, refreshing and crunchy.
Shredded pork in sweet bean sauce (京酱肉丝) is also one of our favourite dishes as it is both a meat and vegetable dish. Cold spring onions, carrots, corianders, etc, are wrapped in tofu skin and eaten with the hot shredded pork.
Century egg tofu (皮蛋豆腐) is another cold dish. It is a simple dish with century eggs on large pieces of soft beancurd topped with chilli oil but not too spicy. This is our favourite dish to order whenever there are foreigners in our group. 😂
These photos are not all, just some of those times when I remembered to take photos. Despite so many visits to Dong Ben Cai Guan / BBQ City, there are still so many more dishes to try. I will find an opportunity to try their grilled fish (重庆烤鱼) and sauerkraut bullfrogs.
Address:
50 Bukit Batok Street 23, #03-20, Midview Building, Singapore 659578 (Note: Access via the lift lobby on the west side of Midview Building)
Menu:
Operating Hours:
11am to 11pm | Daily