Visit Full of Luck Club for progressive Cantonese cuisine in a kitschy, playful setting
Photos: Full of Luck Club
Foodies on a quest for the next big thing after truffle-topped beef rice bowls can stop the search. We’ve found it at Full of Luck Club and it’s the Moonlight Truffle Beef Horfun ($20).
The utterly decadent dish features silky smooth ribbons of wok fried horfun (rice noodles) that’s been glazed with black garlic truffle sauce, slices of US prime boneless beef and a glorious onsen (Japanese hot spring) egg masquerading as the ‘moon’.
Of Fortune And Fusion
The utterly decadent Moonlight Truffle Beef Horfun.
The casual dining spot, conveniently located near Holland Village MRT, is the brainchild of Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant. Offering a progressive and contemporary take on Cantonese cuisine — in the same vein as the aforementioned Moonlight Truffle Beef Horfun, Full Of Luck Club caters to a young and hip crowd.
Bright and spacious, the two-storied space has all the fittings of a kitschy American-Chinese restaurant. Think fusion bao-burgers, an oversized sculpture of a maneki-neko (fortune cat), cheeky Chinese phrases sprayed graffiti-style on the walls and of course, complimentary fortune cookies to grab on your way out.
Thankfully, the food isn’t sub-par Chinese takeout.
Are Baos The New Burgers?
An unexpected favourite was the meatless Panko-crusted Portobello Bao.
Hungry patrons on-the-go would be happy to know that with the Bao Bar window, they can take away a selection of steamed and fried baos, which are also available for dine-in.
The Braised Pork Belly Bao ($9.80 for two) was particularly satisfying, with the tender chunk of pork belly contrasting nicely with crunchy elements like lettuce, pickled lotus root, fried shallots and crushed peanuts. Each bite also imparts some heat, courtesy of the bird’s eye chilli used.
An unexpected favourite was the meatless Panko-Crusted Portobello Bao ($9.80 for two), which offered an explosion of flavours with fried whole Portobello mushroom paired with juicy, grilled pineapple slices. It was so hearty, it was easy to forget that there was no meat inside at all!
Hits And Misses
Crispy Aromatic Duck
Full Of Luck Club also offers their interpretation of the Peking duck in the form of the Crispy Aromatic Duck ($35 for half, $70 for whole), served with the usual suspects like hoisin sauce, cucumber, shredded spring onions and steamed Chinese pancakes. While a decent rendition, it fell short with its slightly dry flesh.
If you prefer a quick snack, go for light bites like the Golden Sand Corn with Salted Egg Yolk ($4.80). Savoury-sweet and crunchy, each mouthful of corn will take you to seventh heaven, especially if paired with one of the craft beers from Hong Kong Beer Company.
On the whole, Full Of Luck Club seems to play its cards right by combining contemporary Cantonese favourites with a modern, playful and photogenic setting. Despite targeting the younger crowd, we wouldn’t be surprised if our folks were up for a meal at this kitschy-cool dine-in.
Full Of Luck Club, 243 Holland Ave.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of Weekender, Issue 158, August 5 – August 18, 2016, with the headline ‘Lucky bits & bites’.
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