Everything with Fries (Holland Village)

My sister is amazed that I eat alone sometimes. Why not? If it was a must for me to find company everytime I eat something outside, I would have missed out on many a good meal. Last Thursday was a good example, as my school would start at 3.30pm and I needed lunch beforehand. Holland Village is near my school, so I headed there for lunch by myself.

Many times I have been to Everything with Fries only to be informed that they have run out of their Chargrilled Char Siew ($15.90). Eventually I got curious about how it tasted like, and it happened that on my recent visit there, it was available. All main dishes came with a choice of Fries (I chose Shoestring) and a flavor (Curry is my choice everytime, amongst others like Original and Sour Cream & Onion), as well as Caesar Salad. They were still having their National Day promotion, which was the option of adding an Iced Lemon Tea and Chilli Crab Soup to a main dish for $4.70. I opted for the add on mainly because I was curious as to how the latter tasted like.

The soup and drink arrived quickly. I was impressed by the Chilli Crab Soup, for it had a robust flavor and tasted very similar to the gravy in Chilli Crab dishes. 'Fake' crab sticks were chopped up and sprinkled on top the soup, and provided a nice bite in the warm and hearty soup. I finished every drop. It was a pity that the cubes of bread provided at the side were a little burnt, for I don't take to the charred flavor of bread.

Just when I was finishing my soup, the main dish arrived. The portion was, without a doubt, very generous. Two hulking big round pieces of pork, garnished with garlic and a sizeable portion of fries and salad. The Char Siew was excellently executed, extremely tender and no hard chewing was needed. The fat no doubt lent to the texture and while the charred fats were a sinful indulgence together with the meat, eventually it felt like too much and by the time I was done, a quarter of the plate was filled with pieces of cut out fat. The fries were generously coated with the curry seasoning and were a delight to snack on. The Caesar Salad was crisp and well garnished with cheese, croutons and bacon.

On previous visits I have always ordered the Breaded King Salmon ($18.90), which comes as a huge slab with the aforementioned fries and salad. The top of the salmon has a breaded crust, while the fish itself is done medium-well, rendering the fish extremely tender, and the flavor of the fatty and fresh fish to shine. The crispy crust and the soft flesh of the fish go very well together. This is one of the best salmons I've eaten in Singapore restaurants.