Dumplings & Noodles @ 9696

Not knowing where to go for dinner this evening, S**** and I ended up at 9696 Cafe at the Pelita Commercial Centre. 9696 is exactly opposite Hot Cross Buns.

We had not had eaten here before, so we decided to give it a try. There were not much choice. There was a stall right in front of the shop, and it sold kolo noodles, dumpling soup, chicken and pork leg rice.

S**** and I stood in front of the stall for such a long time, perusing at the menu board. The guy behind the stall wasn't much helpful though. Hmn. Standing in front of the stall however, we could smell that ultra aromatic scent of a good bowl of kolo mee. So I was eager to try the noodles here. Finally, we made up our minds and ordered a dumpling soup (水饺) and a bowl of kolo mee to share.

We did not have to wait long for our food. Our noodles arrived, topped generously with minced pork and chopped spring onions. However, the char siew was missing. Hmn. So they served kolo mee without char siew. Instead, I could find chopped shitake mushrooms in the mince. Taste wise, the kolo mee was quite up to par. Except that I would have to remind myself to bring my own char siew the next time I wanted to have kolo mee here.

A few slices of char siew would make this a perfect bowl of noodles

The dumpling soup came next. The dumplings were quite sizeable, and I counted at least 7 pieces in the bowl.

Dumplings in soup

I liked the dumplings. They had good texture, as they were filled with minced pork, shredded carrots, diced jicama and shitake. Crunchy, sweet and quite balanced in taste. The soup was quite bland, but it's good not to consume too much salt. You can dunk the dumplings in a vinegary ground chilli dip for that extra spicy kick.

Large amounts of shredded carrots in the dumpling.
Not for you if you are not fond of carrots

Overall, I would not mind eating here again, though I still wish they had char siew in the kolo mee. ;)