Xiao Ya Tou Review: Wacky East-Meets-West Fusion Brunch At A Retro-Chic Bistro

Opened by the same folks behind Symmetry , Xiao Ya Tou serves a brazen menu of hybrid brunch creations by infusing Asian flavours into Western cafe staples. The lure of mythical-sounding dishes like u nagi eggs benedict and m antou ice-cream sandwiches was too hard to resist, and so I headed down on a Saturday morning to check out their brunch offerings.

Xiao Ya Tou - Unagi Benedict And Mentaiko Mac And Cheese At Duxton Hill Food at Xiao Ya Tou Every order of a main dish will get you a complimentary bowl of soup – Tau Suan (sweet mung bean soup) in our case – accompanied by a Deep-Fried Mantou bun. Even though this starter was nothing out of the ordinary, the sheer satisfaction of dunking a piece of fluffy, slightly crispy mantou into warm sweet bean soup is real.

This solid pairing served as a prelude to brunch, and with my senses jump-started, I looked forward to finding out what their mains had in store for me. The accompanying tamarind peanut sauce made for an excellent complement to the otak rolls – with a good balance of sweet, tangy and spicy.

If anything, a little more acidity would have been appreciated, to cut the sinfulness of the the deep-fried otak sticks. Unagi Benedict ($23++) is an unconventional combination comprising grilled slabs of unagi , yuzu hollandaise, a pair of wobbly low-temperature eggs and a generous layer of duxelles (minced mushroom paste), all atop two fluffy fried mantou buns.

The level of umami in this dish is intense, all thanks to the killer combination of teriyaki -glazed unagi , minced mushrooms and nori flakes. The flavour of the succulent grilled eel was also enhanced by the sweet, slightly crisp mantou , with the buttery duxelles and creamy lava egg lending some extra richness to the dish.

My one gripe was that the yuzu in the hollandaise didn’t stand out, having been overpowered by other components. It would have been great if the yuzu had been more prominent to contrast against the richness in the eggs benedict.

From the minute I saw Mentaiko Mac & Cheese ($16++) on the menu, I knew I had to order it. It’s definitely not what you’d expect mac and cheese to be; it lacked the characteristic creamy sauce and gooey golden-brown crust of melted cheese typical of most mac and cheese dishes.

There is nothing like a Mantou French Toast Ice Cream Sandwich ($7++) to cap off a supersized brunch. This dessert is made of hokey pokey ice cream, a fried mantou bun, a generous dose of gula melaka syrup and a heap of NESTUM 3-in-1 Cereal. I thought the sprinkling of NESTUM was ingenuous, giving an extra touch of nostalgia to this sweet slider.

Another thing that worked was the combination of hot fried mantou and cold ice-cream. It would be great if the dessert came with the option of having other ice-cream flavours in the mantou . The Verdict I was impressed by the ingenuity of Xiao Ya Tou ’s fusion brunch menu.

If you’re looking to treat yourself to an adventurous, indulgent brunch in an awesome space, Xiao Ya Tou is sure to check all the boxes.