Sherman's Food Adventures: Hakka Masti

Hakka Masti

Hakka Masti, I remember you very vividly.  Considering the fact you are an inconspicuous Indian-Chinese restaurant smack dam in a whole lot of other joints along Scott Road, one might wonder why I can't forget you.  Was it the food?  Well, it was okay.  But the real reason for my unforgettable memories is that I ate there just prior to one of my worst episodes of food poisoning and/or stomach flu.  Let's just say I didn't leave the washroom for 3 days.  Was it the food there or was it something else?  Only one way to find out - go back.

To be fair, we will never be able to find out the real reason for my stay at the Chateau Washroom, so it may have been something else.  This go around, I started with the Cream of Corn Soup which was pretty typical being the watered-down, starch-thicken canned type.  It was okay though as it wasn't overly sweet.  Rather, it was more on the saltier side.  It was pretty thick though and remained so til the last spoonful.  As for the Hot & Sour Soup, it was exactly how I remembered it.  There was a low-rumbling spice that lingered while the plethora of cilantro dominated the flavour profile.  The soup base was actually quite mild with some savoury elements.

For my mains, I tried the Chili Chicken first and it had a noticeable spiciness that was purposeful.  That meant I could taste it without burning off my taste buds.  Moreover, I could get the garlic, cumin and coriander from the sauce.  However, there was a bit too much soy for my liking.  The chicken was a little dry due to the deep fry, but the ample sauce helped things out.  Next, the Szechuan Fish was really good with big pieces of flaky, moist fried filets.  The sauce was garlicky and spicy with just the right amount of sweetness to balance the flavours.  The noted acidity didn't hurt things either. 

What the hey, I decided to pay them another visit the week after and went for the Mushroom Soup to start.  I didn't really like this starch-thickened soup as it really had no inherent flavour other than a whole lot of salt.  Furthermore, the bits of mushroom were of the canned variety which made it taste artificial.  For my first dish, I tried the Coconut Shrimp which was a whole lot more sauce than protein.  To be fair, for the price, I didn't expect a lot.  Despite being few in number, the shrimp were cold-water crunchy though.  As for the sauce, I got more green onion and cilantro than coconut.  I did like the consistency and purposeful spiciness though.

Lastly, I had the Black Bean Beef that looked typical but was much spicier than ones found in Chinese restaurants.  In addition to the spice, there was a pronounced salty black bean flavour combined with garlic.  The slices of beef were medium thickness and were tenderized enough.  Based on the 2 revisits, I personally prefer Green Lettuce more than Hakka Masti (in terms of portion size and overall flavour impact). With that being said, Hakka Masti still remains a decent choice for Indian Chinese food along Scott Road.

The Good:
- Friendly staff
- Something different

The Bad:
- Flavours are good, but could be more pronounced

Hakka Masti Restaurant on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

Data said...

In your past life, somehow I have a feeling that you were a taste tester for an ancient Roman Emperor.

Unknown said...

They had fast testers in Rome :S ?

Sherman Chan said...

@Data You could be right...

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