Little Hutong | Little Bay

The weather has been perfect as of the last few weeks, as winter's doors close to let spring take charge. What a better way to enjoy your well deserved time off away from the busy city nights, then to relax in the sun at Little Bay! It is such a quiet location, almost the perfect spot for a romantic date. Then once you are all worn out from those "long walks on the beach", drop past one of our newly-favourite Modern Asian Fusion Restaurant, Little Hutong!

We were invited by Robert and Viveri along with Little Hutong's wonderful crew to come and dine at their establishment. We had an early seating, but the tables filled up fast!

You are presented with a very rustic menu and an ordering sheet. Select your items, mark them on the piece of paper and ta-da! No more missed orders, no more accidental mishaps.
Such a simple (and our preferred) ordering system.

 

When Christie takes over, everything is covered in smiley faces.

We absolutely loved the atmosphere. Good food normally tends to create a much happier environment don't you think? You had better book for an individual table, unless you don't mind sharing a long table with others. Personal preference.

We really love it when you can actually see the chefs preparing the food! Not only does it give you peace of mind, but the occassional sizzling of pans, or momentary flashes of large flames hitting the roof really do make the experience that little more enjoyable.

Pu'erh Tea

We had tried Pu-erh tea before and fell in love with it. Because the night had turned quite cold, Christie ordered some tea. It had a great fragrance and was a very light tea. The longer it remained infused, the stronger it was. It worked perfect with some of the chilli dishes we chose as it helped take the edge away. Unfortunately, we didn't realise how much caffeine was in this tea as we were up all night afterwards!

Hutong 5 Spice Pork Crackling

Prepare yourself for a flavour invasion! This pork crackling is one of the Little Hutong signature dishes as it is engulfed with chinese five spices! Admittedly, the flavour was a little strong, however when mixed with the hoi sin sauce, it balances out the impact of the spices. The pork crackling however.... It was cooked AMAZINGLY. I would give credits to the chef, but I am pretty sure they could hear us happily crunching away! It is definitely a winning dish, but better enjoyed with other dishes.

Miso Mayonnaise Scallops

Another Little Hutong signature dish that we had to try, and sure glad that we did. It was a the clear winnng dish of the night and it sure started the night off well. The scallops were elegantly presented with miso paste, shitake mushrooms, seasame seeds and bonito flakes. They are so well dressed that you feel bad to move them. The Hokkaido scallops were some of the best scallops we had tasted before. The texture was very creamy and we really loved the japanese mayonnaise which gave it plenty of flavour. This was Christie's dish of the night, while Matt struggled between this and the Laksa (below).

Curry Laksa

Throughout our short time food blogging, we have encountered many different variations of Laksa. Some have been quite thick, some have been tasteless. This was pure gold. 

I would be happy eating this dish every, without fuss. There is a trend I am noticing, in which Little Hutong sure knows how to flavour their dishes. This was no different! The curry soup was spicy and creamy, yet it was still very light and easy to ingest. The combination of the egg noodles and rice noodles really won me over, as it constantly tasted like a completely separate dish.

After working your way around the noodles, you find little floating islands of happiness. The bean curd, which had captured all the flavour from the curry soup! Sadly enough, although there was an abundance of chicken, it was quite tasteless. That didn't stop Matt from labeling this dish the best of the night. One we would definitely be back for!

Won Ton Noodles

Christie had previously seen this dish on Instagram and was enticed purely by the looks (for good reason!). The dish was served with Hong Kong style dry egg noodles and topped with smaller pieces of the crispy pork belly. The noodles were the star of the dish and even though they were dry, the dish in entirety was quite balanced. Provided with the noodles is an anchovy broth which is housed a couple of pork money-bag dumplings! Overall, the dish has plenty of smaller elements which makes one hell of a meal.

Vanilla Bean and Durian Ice Cream

Lastly is dessert. Robert had come around to our table to chat and convince us to order dessert. We were reluctant at first, but when we saw the options, it didn't take long to change our minds. 

Matt had the Vanilla bean which tasted bounds beyond your average vanilla ice cream! Christie decided on the Durian ice cream. Durian can be an acquired taste for some; you either love it or hate it. Obviously, Christie loves her durian!

We would like to thank Robert and Viveri for inviting us and treating us to an invaluable experience. We would also like to extend the thank you to the kitchen staff for all the amazing food you prepared tonight. It was a great night and we absolutely love your menu. There are too many options to choose from, that we will have to come back and resist trying to the same food (even though it was so good!). Christie will definitely take your advice on the Toothfish bowl before your supply runs out!

Overall, this restaurant is a treasure cove, which is located off the coast of Little Bay and is full of riches to share. Robert in particular made the night enjoyable and with the addition of his little daughter, it was great to see how family oriented the restaurant is!
Highly recommended!