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Another exciting development has hit the West. Hailing from Beijing with over 140 native outlets and more to come, the crispy Chinese burger chain, Bingz 西少爷, has opened its first Singapore outlet at Westgate.
To get there, head down to level B1 and make your way towards Sushi Express. Their menu features an assortment of rou jia mo which can be paired with a number of Chinese dishes like noodles, soup and wonton.
According to my colleague, Kai Le, there was an enormous crowd in the afternoon. It seemed to have thinned when I arrived at dinnertime, though there was a short wait for seats to be available.
We opted to get 1 combo meal each, which consists of a Crispy Entree (Chinese burger), a Perfect Match (accompanying dish) and one beverage at a S$3 discount.
The first Perfect Match we tried was the Sizzling Chilli Noodles (S$6.99), topped with chilli flakes and spices. Adding pork brings the price to S$8.99.
Once tossed, the broad noodles are given a red shower of oil. It was a bit searing for me, but the average spice tolerance won’t yield too easily. Most of the flavour here is an earthy savouriness, which was quite fragrant and worked great with the springy noodles.
The garlicky scent of the Sizzling Chilli Noodles was superseded only by my Hot & Sour Glass Noodles (S$6.69). A remarkable smokiness backed by the strong acidity had us expecting a great deal. It turned out to be so mild in piquancy I had no trouble casually sipping away.
The sourness doesn’t let up, making the soft, chewy glass noodles equally flavourful. My only gripe was with the few bits of shredded chicken. Even the soup was unable to redeem the meat as they were unpleasantly tough despite being so thin.
Of the 8 Crispy Entrees available, we picked out The Signature Pork (S$5.59) and Spicy Chicken (S$5.59). Bingz also offers vegetarian options like BBQ Mushrooms (S$5.49) and Healthy Veggie (S$4.69). A more interesting filling would have been the Butter Chicken (S$5.99), which we had initially missed.
Pieces of the burger were flaking off as we handled the Spicy Chicken, a testament to the crispiness of its exterior. We managed to reach the innards with a single bite, revealing well-marinated chicken that sported a vinegary profile amid whiffs of cumin. it definitely delivered on the ‘Spicy’ front.
My Signature Pork, on the other hand, was dry but densely packed with flavourful shredded pork.
There really was no better complement to the Chinese burgers, as the hot & sour soup was perfect for dunking it in. Slurping on the sopping wet burger while chewing on the savoury meat was utterly delightful. I only wish we’d discovered this at the start of the meal.
Our drink choices were Plum Fizz (S$3.69) and Hong Kong Milk Tea (S$3.69). The former was, as expected, heavy on the plum notes with a soda-like carbonation while the milk tea can be described as kosong. No addition of sweeteners.
Bingz had run out of the Brown Sugar Ice Jelly (S$3.89) and Coconut Ice Jelly (S$3.89) then, which would have only cost S$1.99 as add-ons to our combos. Perhaps we’ll try those on a second visit.
From 9 to 15 Dec 2023, the first 50 customers daily can get a free ‘I love SG’ canvas bag with any purchase as part of their first outlet opening special.
Cai Lin Ji has new Hubei-style dishes like Hu Tang Fen & Mian Wo from 11 Dec
