Warming Comfort Bowls and Crunchy Pork at Xiao Man's Rice Noodles

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Menu highlights

Highlights from Zen’s visit.

• Pork Buns: Super soft, steamed buns filled with juicy, seasoned pork.
• Chicken Laksa: Creamy, fragrant soup loaded with white rice noodles, chicken, tofu puffs, and fresh greens.
• Crispy Pork on Rice: Sliced pork with an unreal crunch, served over rice with a soy egg, pickles, and lettuce.

At a glance: what we ordered

• Pork Bun
• Chicken Laksa
• Crispy Pork on Rice

Warm Starters and Fragrant Soups

We started off with the pork buns, which were the perfect way to warm up right out of the gate. Served as a set of four on a floral plate, these steamed buns were super soft on the outside and split open to reveal a dark, juicy, well-seasoned meat filling.

Next came the chicken laksa, served steaming in a heavy metal pot with side handles. The broth was creamy, fragrant, and remarkably generous with its toppings, loaded with white rice noodles, chicken pieces, porous tofu puffs, and fresh green vegetables. Lifting a spoon piled high with thick noodles straight from the broth shows why this bowl feels so hearty.

The Standout Crunch

As satisfying as the hot laksa broth was on a rainy day, the star of the show for me was the crispy pork on rice. Plated neatly in a shallow dish, the sliced crispy pork sits on a bed of steamed white rice alongside a halved soy egg, crisp lettuce, and tangy pickles.

The crunch on the pork skin was unreal, delivering incredible texture and rich flavour in every single bite. While the laksa provides plenty of rich warmth, this crunchy pork dish is the standout order to add to your list when visiting Elizabeth Street.