辣不辣 Labula BBQ Sichuan Restaurant @ Hougang Village — Restaurant in Singapore

My buddy and I decided to cycle to Hougang Village for dinner, and we turned to Google Maps for restaurant recommendations. We came across Labula BBQ Sichuan Restaurant, which had an impressive 4.3-star rating. Intrigued, we decided to give it a try.

The restaurant is nestled below a block, offering a pleasant ambiance and a wide selection of Sichuan delicacies. We decided to order the Golden Boiled Fish, Grilled Romaine Lettuce, Tsingtao Beer, Grilled Potato, and Yangzhou Fried Rice.

While the Golden Boiled Fish was a bit disappointing, as it wasn't cooked hot enough and was just merely warm, the Yangzhou Fried Rice was a standout dish. The Grilled Romaine Lettuce was a bit salty, and I had to use the soup from the Golden Boiled Fish to help balance the flavor. The Grilled Potato was pretty standard, similar to what you'd find at other outlets. Overall, the food was okay, but I was hoping for a more flavorful and exciting experience, especially with the Golden Boiled Fish.

One interesting thing about the place is the toilet. You have to take the key, which is hung on the door, to access the toilet. It's always locked, which is a bit unusual, but it might be a security measure.

Initially, we thought we'd order some rice or noodles to go with the fish. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the fish came with a portion of thin rice noodles (bee hoon) hidden underneath. The noodles were quite tasty, and in my opinion, there was no need to order extra rice or noodles.

Despite the mixed experience with the food, the cozy atmosphere made our visit to Labula BBQ Sichuan Restaurant a pleasant one. I would recommend trying the Yangzhou Fried Rice, but perhaps give the Golden Boiled...

I truly wish I could give this place a better rating, but the appalling quality of service I experienced during a late-night visit makes that hard to do so.

At around 2 a.m., the restaurant was empty except for one couple dining. Since there was no one at the counter, I placed my order via Grab under the "pick-up" option, as it seemed the most convenient choice for a quick supper. After receiving my food, I sat down inside to eat, assuming it wouldn't be an issue given how empty the restaurant was.

However, an employee approached me and began yelling, stating that because I hadn't paid a service charge, I wasn’t allowed to dine in and needed to leave immediately. I found this baffling, especially since Grab orders typically include service fees in their pricing. Nevertheless, I offered to pay any additional service charge required to resolve the matter. Sadly, employee continued to yell at me rather than handling the situation professionally.

Service aside, the food itself is of good quality. The portion sizes are decent, and the taste is satisfying. If the service had been better, I would have happily given this place a full rating. Unfortunately, the rude and unprofessional treatment I received completely ruined my appetite and spoilt the mood.

Maybe consider coming here if you want to cut down on supper food—confirm lose...

Small Sichuan styled restaurant at the heartland of Hougang. Went with my best friend for dinner here as he recommended the restaurant. I google and found out that it was a restaurant chain as well with few branches around Singapore.

We ordered a few grilled meat on sticks, including chicken, beef and etc. Also ordered 水煮鱼 (boiled fish) with mild spicy. The food was great and flavourful. The meat was well grilled and nicely spiced. The soup from the boiled fish was really good and mild spicy as well. I believe it would be great if I could order more spicy but my friend cannot take spicy too well.

Service was fast as well. The only downside is that the restaurant can be quite noisy and may need to wait a bit...