Seow Choon Hua Restaurant @ Sultan Gate (Beach Road) - Handmade Foo Chow Fishball and Yen Pi

Located along Sultan Gate in Beach Road, stepping into Seow Choon Hua Restaurant, you will find oneself stepping into coffeeshop with interior dated back to the early 80s.  As per my understanding, it has been around for more than 70 years. It offers a number of noodle dishes and its known for the handmade Foo Chow fishballs and dumplings.

Foo Chow Style Lor Mee 3/5

First is the Foo Chow Style Lor Mee ($5/$6). I have to admit I do not know what is Foo Chow Style but I find the version is a bit lighter than the usual. The "Lor" or gravy for the noodle is light and not as starchy. Why I didn't quite like the gravy which I find lacking depth, I applauded the lavish offering of ngoh hiang, egg, char siew, fish cake and deep fried dumplings that comes with it.

Red Wine Chicken Mee Sua 3/5

Like the Lor Mee, I find the gravy of the Red Wine Chicken Mee Sua ($5/$6) lacked the robustness and depth. The taste of the red glutinous wine lees was quite mild in the bowl of mee sua. Apart from that, it is a decent bowl with silky mee sua and tender chicken pieces.

Foo Chow Mixed Soup 4.2/5

Our favourite probably is the Foo Chow Mixed Soup ($6 - $10) which comes with an assortment of Foo Chow Fish Ball, Yen Pi, Dumpling and Fish Dumpling. We also ordered a bowl of kway teow soup to go with it.

For those that is used to eating factory made fish ball, you will find the Foo Chow Fish Ball's texture is kind of soft, almost pillowy. It doesn't comes with the bouncy, QQ texture that we usual have. Biting into the huge golf ball size Foo Chow Fish Ball, you will also find marinated minced pork filling in it.

Not forgetting the Foo Chow Yen Pi, which I am really curious as I have never heard or eaten before. The shape looks similar to our wanton dumpling but its puffed up with lots more minced meat and chestnut filling wrapped with wanton skin. The result is more meat less skin, unlike our wanton is more skin less meat. Some people says that it is like eating a crossbreed of wanton and siew mai.

I find the lor mee and red wine mee suace pretty average here. I would recommend the Foo Chow Fish Ball and Yen Pi, which is very uncommon nowadays in Singapore, especially they are hand made some more. Besides what we tried, the restaurant also offers fried nian gao and suan pan zi if you want to try them in your next visit.


Seow Choon Hua Restaurant
33 Sultan Gate
Singapore 198481
Tel: +65 62982720
Nearest MRT: Nicoll Highway (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Nicoll Highway MRT station. Take Exit A. Take the overhead walkway to Beach Road. Turn left and walk down Beach Road. Turn right onto Sultan Gate. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

AquaMarine @ Marina Mandarin Singapore - Unlimited Serving Of Peranakan Delights For The Month Of October

Aquamarine, the halal-certified buffet spread at Marina Mandarin Singapore changes its theme monthly, and Peranakan Delights take centrestage for the month of October.

Salmon Fillet with Otah-Otah Mousse 3.8/5

East meets West with this very well executed Salmon Fillet coated with Otah-Otah Mousse. Unlike the usual Otah in which the fish and paste are mashed up, the fish is presented as a whole fillet, larded with the otah-otah mousse. The latter is crusted, forming a nice textural contrast with the tender salmon. I love the pineapple salsa at the side. It brightens the taste with its acidity.

Stir-fried Marron 3.8/5

Available during Dinner Buffet is this Stir-fried Marron with Tamarind. The caramelised tamarind sauce (assam) has a good consistency that coats and flavors the Marrron just right without overpowering the crustacean's natural sweetness or weighing down its flesh.

Byonya Braised Duck 4/5

A must-have is the Nyonya Braised Duck with Tamarind and Coriander - fork tender meat with a melt-in-your-mouth skin which to me is always the best part. Although my portion had a great deal amount of fats underneath the skin, the piquant tamarind sauce took care of it. The sauce may look rich but it is surprisingly light on the palate.

Nyonya Spiced Chicken Shawarma 3.8/5

An interesting corner is the Nyonya Spiced Chicken Shawarma where you get to make your own Nonya style kebah. Shawarma preparation delivers chunks of juicy chicken thighs with a charred exterior, lending extra flavor to your bun. All the condiments on the table go well with the meat but be sure not to miss out the piquant green chilli, just to add some vibrancy to the taste.

Ayam Buah Keluak 4/5

And of course, you have your classic Ayam Buah Keluak - very tender meat and even the bones seem to have absorbed the flavours of the nutty gravy.

Nyonya Lam Mee 3/5

Amongst the spread, you can even DIY a traditional Nyonya birthday noodles for longevity - Lam Mee. The broth is light and slightly starchy. You can also throw in chicken, prawn, egg omelette and bean sprouts in it to go with the noodles.

Nonya Kuehs 4.2/5

One of the highlights is the desserts! The assortment of Nonya Kuehs are decadent. I tried all and I considered them one of the tastiest in recent memory. The sweetness level is well controlled. Each is rich in coconut but not too cloying. For example Kueh Salat, the glutinous rice still exudes that natural taste of grains. Kueh Kosui has a melt-in-your mouth consistency, while the classic Kueh Lapis Sagu is tender and slightly bouncy. The savoury Lemper Udang can get a little spicy when you bite into the fiery dried shrimps filling but the sweet glutinous rice mellows it down. I like the texture of the rice too, which has been steamed long enough to break it down to almost mochi like.

Other staples of the buffet spread are the Cold Seafood station, Indian Cuisine Station, Japanese Station, Cold cuts and salad. The Cheese and Bread Station is worth a visit too, with exquisite offering such as Australian Fruit Cheese and Flavored Cheddar cheese.

Pricing
$60++ per adult and $30++ per child for lunch daily
$72++ per adult and $36++ per child for dinner Sundays to Thursday
$82++ per adult and $41++ per child for dinner Fridays, Saturdays and eves of Public Holidays

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


AquaMarine
Marina Mandarin Singapore
6 Raffles Boulevard
Level 4
Singapore 039594
Tel: +65 68451111
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 630am - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit B or D. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]