Joining the enclave of buzzy eateries in the area is Restaurant Aisyah which specialises in Xinjiang cuisine – think handmade noodles, rich beef stews, cumin lamb, spicy dumplings and meat skewers.
Similar to Sichuan cuisine, the dishes pack a punch with its generous use of fragrant spices like peppercorn, cumin and more. Popular for its hand-pulled noodles, choose from five variants of noodles – take your pick from flat wide noodles to thin, delicate strands aptly called 'capillary' noodles. Signature dishes include the stewed mutton noodles and stewed beef tendon noodles which is perfect if you need a quick and filling meal.
But if you have more time and more people at the table, don't skip on ordering the skewers and dumplings on the menu. The meat dumplings with spicy sauce are doused with fragrant and savoury chilli oil and the dumplings are stuffed generously with meat. The best part: you get to pick your meat of choice between beef, chicken and mutton. The skewers start from $1.20 and all meats are rubbed with the special Xinjiang spices.
If you need a switch-up from the usual hotpot dinner, pay a visit to Restaurant Aisyah for a different sort of comfort food that still packs bold and exciting flavours.