PangPang (胖哥俩肉蟹煲) @ Guoco Midtown II [Bugis, Singapore]

The Greatest Kon is extremely well travelled and as my primary and reputable source of food recommendations; he recently proposed dining at a new eatery in Bugis called PangPang.

Hailed from the motherland of China, PangPang is actually known as Pang Ge Liang (胖哥俩) in its country of origin and famous for their crab pot; hence, the suggestion from Kon since both Alex and I love crabs. 

According to its Chinese name, I am guessing it meant two fat brothers and from the mascots right outside the eatery; my guess should be correct. Anyway, this eatery is located at Bugis, at the new Guoco Midtown II building! 

Let's start with our meal! p.s. do note that with every Google review, you are entitled to one free drink! Not exactly something I look forward to since I rely a lot on Google review scores when I am overseas. 

Tamarind Ice Tea & Lemon Lime Juice - our free drinks; tamarind was better than lemon lime (which was just normal and tasted as its name suggested) with a tapered, comfortable flavour that wasn't as sour and as strong as suspected. Free, so I could hardly complain.   

Shrimp Paste Bowl - looking like mini prawn balls soaked in a mala concoction! The best way to describe this - they were literally prawn paste from Haidilao rolled into a ball, and there's no doubt the balls were tasty, albeit with a bouncier texture! 

The numbing-spiciness was a flavor enhancer, and I did enjoy the addition of enoki mushrooms and cabbage. Only thing; could I replicate this dish easily at home? Maybe.

Wu Chang Rice - I have to be totally honest here; as an ethnic Chinese yet true blue Singaporean, I am surprisingly not picky when it comes to the different types of white rice. Hence, what's the deal with this Wu Chang Rice? I also don't know. 

Signature Crab Pot - here's the star of the show, which was non-spicy (you can also choose from three levels of spiciness) and came with extra prawns that we topped up for a small cost of just $9.90. There's one thing inside that I don't really like though; chicken feet! 

With the dare from the Greatest Kon and that he claimed this was the best chicken feet he ever had when he first had it in the branch at China, I decided to gave it a try. Okay, it was not bad, and quite fatty. Still not my cup of tea.

I may not be picky with my rice, but it's a different story with crabs and prawns! In this case, the latter was alright tasting and the former had a mushy texture. To be fair, the rest said the crabs they had were firm. My gripe, was also with the size of the crab as a one-kilogram crab would only cost about S$20 more, and provide much better satisfaction. 

Maybe diners don't come for the crabs? The highlight for me was actually the brownish sauce hidden underneath. It was savory and flavorful; similar to the sesame oil chicken from Shoon Huat Bak Kut Teh! 

Sauce went so well with the Wu Chang Rice! So sedap it was; I cleaned up the entire bowl! By the way, pieces of tofu was also included in the crab pot and they had this fermented taste that made me frown everytime I took a bite.

Fried Mochi Fritters -  I thought this was quite interesting and persuaded the rest to order this! Sitting on a bed of mixed black sesame seeds with sugar, they looked like mini youtiao with a puffed up "filling" in the middle.

Dipping into the "seasoning" was a necessity.

Otherwise, it would just be plain blandness. 

So how did it fare? The "filling in the middle was actually mochi but it's not the stretchy kind. As the fritters were essentially youtiao, they turned to be quite heavy on the tummy after just one piece. Recommended to share in a group of five! 

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I am unsure if I would be back. As far as crabs are concerned, my money would be better spent at Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood Restaurant, and as China-branded restaurants, I am better off with Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine! 

Address

20 Tan Quee Lan Street, 

#01-13/14/15/16, 

Guoco Midtown II,

Singapore 188107

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Tamarind Ice Tea - S$5.80

Lemon Lime Juice - S$3.80

Shrimp Paste Bowl - S$15.80

Signature Crab Pot - S$78.00

Add Prawns - S$9.90

Wu Chang Rice - S$2.00 a bowl

Fried Mochi Fritters -  S$8.80

(Subject to GST)