A Visit To Mama Rice Roll
I love street food. 10 years of my life were dedicated to making it, so when I see a concept that makes its way here that encompasses simplicity, a commitment to the craft, and a quality product, I get excited. I especially love concepts that specialize in one thing. It shows a sense of confidence in the dish and a dedication to making it well.
That being said, I recently visited Dragon City Mall to the new Mama Rice Roll on the ground floor. The shop, owned by the same family who owns the popular Mama Dessert a block over, specializes in cheong fun, or rice roll, made to order and served with your choice of fillings. This is the type of cheong fun that is very popular right now with the thin rice sheet that envelops the fillings in intricate folds that hold the sauce and chili oil and resemble satin sheets.
It’s in a class of its own unlike the dim sum style which has a slightly thicker noodle and a more simple roll, or a snack house “chee cheong fun”, which is named for the pig intestines it resembles, cut up and served with hoisin, sesame sauce and chili oil. It’s all about the texture here which can be attributed to the stone mill they use to grind the rice in-house to achieve an ultra-smooth finish that also carries some elasticity and strength. This ensures that when rolled, the sheet takes on the “thousand layer” look you can feel when you take a bite.
This was the case when I ordered the 3 topping rice roll with shrimp, squid slices, and fish paste. I also got a bowl of congee with the classic pork and pi dan. Yes, this shop is cozy, so take your order to go or be prepared to “daap toi” if it’s busy.
Mama Rice Roll is located in Chinatown in Dragon City Mall.
The Aimless Cook Podcast Chinatown 2-Part Special