To win, user plays a virtual host and gets to ‘host’ as many tables as you want, inviting 9 friends to join him/her at each table. Once a table is full, those not on a table can open more table and invite another 9 different friends. Every filled table will be entitled to a lucky draw and the prizes are stated below:
Dian Xiao Er Grand Reunion Contest
The mechanism sounds complicated, but it is actually quite easy when you play and experience the game yourself. You may encounter some glitches with the game as I did due to the high volume of users playing the game. No worries, sit back, relax and try again. There is still time till the contest deadline.
This contest started on 10 January 2013, at 12.01am (Singapore time) and will end on 9 February 2013 at 11.59pm (Singapore time). Entries shall be deemed to be received at the time of receipt by Dian Xiao Er and not at the time of transmission by the participant.
2a. Fan(s) can create or host as many table as they would like to have, with the following options:
Public – anyone can join the table
Friends Only – any friends of the host can join the table
Invitation – only those invited by the host can join the table
*Note: All tables hosted, must not have the same people joining
2b. Fans can also join any table opened to them
Each table can only accomodate up to 10 people including the host, and that table is considered ‘full’.
Once the tables which is ‘full’, the host of that table will be qualified to win the grand prize and the fans of that table will win one of the 9 x S$88 Dian Xiao Er voucher.
In a previous blog post, I mentioned I will be giving out 5 x S$50 Dian Xiao Er dining voucher to five lucky readers to try out the food at home-grown restaurant chain Dian Xiao Er (店小二).
To ensure fairness, I conduct a random draw using Research Randomizer. Bloggers who mentioned they can blog about the tasting were given 2 name slots vs one for the other participants. The results are as below:
Dian Xiao Er voucher winners
Congratulations to Kelvin Koh, Sin Ern, Caren Foo, Sarina Lim and Kiyomi Lim! Dian Xiao Er will be contacting you soon on the details for the vouchers collection.
“I like the Herbal Duck, crispy on the outside… suculent on the inside!” – Kelvin Koh
“Its always a pleasant dining experience at DXE . my fav dishes are the roasted herbal duck and kailan with lime. hope i get the chance to eat for free this time! :)” – Sin Ern
“I like Dian Xiao Er’s food because they always give me the feeling that it’s a very Chinese & Family oriented dining place. Unlike western restaurants where everyone orders a main dish individually, over there it’s Chinese style where many dishes are ordered and shared among the Family! Not forgetting they really have great food such as their signature Herbal Roast Duck, the choice flavor of Angelica Herb – Dang Gui is something i’ve not tried any where else. Every time my Family & I visit Dian Xiao Er, we will definitely order this dish! Looking forward to try out other dishes too the next time my Family & I visit them again! :)” – Caren Foo
“I want to try the food @ Dian Xiao Er (Singapore) because… ALVIN’S BLOG’S PICTURES ARE FREAKING TEMPTING! > <” – Kiyomi Lim
“Claypot Frog & Jumbo Prawn Bee Hoon with Wine looks mighty fine and i want to try it!” – Sarina Lim
If you are interested to visit Dian Xiao Er, they currently operates eight outlets in Singapore. You can visit any of them and be assured the quality is consistent. The boss, Samuel Yik personally make surprise visits to all of them for tasting to ensure this:
1. Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard #02-203/4 | Tel: 6337 1928
2. Vivocity, 1 Harbourfront Walk #02/137/8 | Tel: 6376 9786
3. Ang Mo Kio, 53 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 #B2-02 | Tel: 6484 2268
4. Jurong Point, 1 Jurong West Central 2 #03-26/27 | Tel: 67926268
5. Lot One, 21 Choa Chu Kang Ave 4 #B1-32/33 | Tel: 6766 1776
6. Terminal 3, Changi Airport #03-42/43 | Tel: 6542 3789
7. Tampines One, 10 Tampines Central 1 #04-07/08 | Tel: 6783 6068
8. Nex Serangoon Central #02-09/10 | Tel: 6634 4828
Have you dined at home-grown restaurant chain Dian Xiao Er (店小二) before?
Ever wonder why their business is so good? During lunch and dinner times, there are always long queues.
I had the rare opportunity to sit through dinner with the founder of Dian Xiao Er, Samuel Yik and his wife, Eliza. Both of them are super nice folks with “no air” that people like to stereotype with Chinese towkays.
Inside Dian Xiao Er restaurants
Samuel spoke with strong passion on how he started and operated Dian Xiao Er. He also shared some dining tips on their speciality dishes and enthusiastically explained to us the background of each dish.
I asked Samuel a lot of questions on his business operation. He answered everything candidly and was open to sharing just about everything (sans the recipes to his signature dishes of course). This is a hands-on boss who is on-the-ground and knows what he is doing, definitely not one shaking his legs in office.
Some people say the standards have declined in the past couple of years, but now that the founders are back in control (as of mid-2012), it is definitely worth visiting again.
Well, I am giving out 5 x S$50 Dian Xiao Er dining voucher to five lucky readers to try out the food at Dian Xiao Er!
Now, allow me to introduce to you, some of Dian Xiao Er’s signature dishes so you know what you can expect. 🙂
I am no stranger to Dian Xiao Er restaurants and am a fan of their signature Herbal Roast Duck since I first tried it at their Marina Square outlets a few years ago:
Dian Xiao Er signature Herbal Roast Duck
A lot of work goes into the preparation of the roast duck. Those who cook will know how tedious it is to prepare roast ducks.
The ducks at Dian Xiao Er are prepared daily for freshness. The ducks are marinated overnight to allow the herbal flavours to permeate each duck. A generous mixture of Chinese wine and herbs are sealed within the duck throughout the marinating process. The ducks are then roasted with the herbs and wine sealed inside their stomach. The roasting process releases the alcohol content of the wine while cooking with the herbs, resulting in the flavourful sauce that resides within the duck. This flavourful sauce is to be served with the portioned tender duck meat.
A lot of people has the mistaken notion that the herbal sauce is prepared separately and poured onto the duck, it is able to maintain the flavour, precisely because it is cooked INSIDE the duck.
Dian Xiao Er Herbal Roast Ducks are available in three flavours: Angelica Herb (当归), Ten Wonder Herbs (十全) and Wild Ginseng (泡参). Price for a small portion (approx. 2-3 pax servings) starts from $12.90++, a really reasonable price for a very tediously prepared dish.
Other favourites includes the following:
Dong Po Pork
Dong Po Pork
This special cut of pork belly is well marinated with a concoction of spices and steamed till soft and tender. A flavourful dish with a “melt in your mouth” sensation. The skin is finished with some hot oil for better texture. Pork belly is sinful food, but I absolutely dig it.
Mongolian Spare Ribs
Mongolian Spare Ribs
Another of Dian Xiao Er’s signature dish. The crispy ribs are coated in a layer of sauce with flavours of plum and black pepper, delivering a tangy, yet slightly hot taste.
Stir Fried Lotus Roots with Macadamia Nuts
Stir Fried Lotus Roots with Macadamia Nuts
This dish is one of the all-time favourite at Dian Xiao Er due to the unique blend of ingredients. The ingredients look very simple and the dish looks unassuming, but this is an area where Dian Xiao Er excels – delivering culinary delights through simple dishes. The Macadamia nuts crunch down well with the lotus roots.
Silver Cod Fish in Superior Soy Sauce
Silver Cod Fish in Superior Soy Sauce
Deep fried Silver Cod served with a dash of Dian Xiao Er’s special soy sauce mix. I love cod fish, but it is difficult to cook because of it’s oily texture. I like how the cod is crispy on the outside, yet soft and smooth on the inside.
Claypot Frog & Jumbo Prawn Bee Hoon with Wine
Claypot Frog & Jumbo Prawn Bee Hoon with Wine
Frog legs and jumbo prawns in a comforting stock spiked with Shaoxing wine and beehoon to soak up all the goodness. This is Dian Xiao Er’s own creation and I find the mix of frog legs with jumbo prawns rather intriguing as I do not recall these two items being cooked together in any other dishes in Singapore. The result is pretty amazing though. I slurped up every last drop of the flavourful soup.
If you are interested to visit Dian Xiao Er, they currently operates eight outlets in Singapore. You can visit any of them and be assured the quality is consistent. The boss, Samuel personally make surprise visits to all of them for tasting to ensure this:
1. Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard #02-203/4 | Tel: 6337 1928
2. Vivocity, 1 Harbourfront Walk #02/137/8 | Tel: 6376 9786
3. Ang Mo Kio, 53 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 #B2-02 | Tel: 6484 2268
4. Jurong Point, 1 Jurong West Central 2 #03-26/27 | Tel: 67926268
5. Lot One, 21 Choa Chu Kang Ave 4 #B1-32/33 | Tel: 6766 1776
6. Terminal 3, Changi Airport #03-42/43 | Tel: 6542 3789
7. Tampines One, 10 Tampines Central 1 #04-07/08 | Tel: 6783 6068
8. Nex Serangoon Central #02-09/10 | Tel: 6634 4828
A L V I N O L O G Y 