The week’s gonna start again and thinking of what to have for lunch after all that weekend feasting? If you’re working in CBD, check out Chao Ting that serves Pao Fan (泡饭) - rice in seafood soup.

Popular with lunch crowd, this casual dining outlet by Jumbo Group never fails to attract queues during lunch hour.

Not the most common of hawker dishes, Chao Ting’s version has been modernised to cater to the modern palette. The soup is packed with umami in every mouthful as the stock is slow cooked using prawns, fish bones, pork and chicken for hours. Fragrant steamed jasmine rice is added to the broth similar to Teochew porridge.

I had the fried fish pao fan. The fish slices were thick, flaky and fresh and were coated in a light batter making it easily palatable. Standard toppings include fried egg floss and crispy rice added an additional dimension to this soupy delight.

While this was delicious on every note, my only concern is the amount of MSG added as I felt a lingering aftertaste for the rest of the afternoon.