127 reviews
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Pricey Teochew Zichar. Teochew Steamed Pomfret (Small): $75++ - Damn fresh. Crispy Fried King Prawn coated with Salted Egg Yolk (Small): $20++ 😋 - Very nice. Famous Homemade Beancurd: $15++ Stir-fried Kailan with Garlic (Small): $12++ Teochew Kway Teow (Small): $12++ Teochew Yam Paste served with Gingko Nut (Small): $5++ 😍 - Traditional and nostalgic. Cover Charges: $2++/pax - Wet Towel and Tea. Snack: $4++ - Heated Braised Peanuts. Service was still okay lah.
Ivy Koh
Here's the edited review: Food is good, but the dining experience is dampened by the manager's poor service. We ordered steamed fish, sweet and sour pork, asparagus, deer meat, and caipo kway teow. There is a cover charge of $2 per person.
Shelly Sim
Came here after watching a YouTube video series called 'Art Beyond Museum' by Lotus On Water, a top-notch fengshui gallery in the world. Must try the steamed fish and the yam dessert. Their cai pok kwey tiao and fish maw soup were great too!
Asphalt 9 Kakis
I've been to the Bedok branch before, but it was quite some time ago. I was here for a simple lunch and ordered some dim sum, pork jelly, and cai po kway tiao. (A note on the cai po kway tiao: order it if you don't mind the saltiness of the cai po. I'd recommend ordering it for sharing, and the wok hei was wonderfully fragrant.) The food was decent, and it's clear they are very proud of their Teochew-style cuisine. The service staff was attentive and friendly. The restaurant is located on Level 2 of Canberra Plaza; to get there, walk straight after coming up from Level 1 via the escalator. The whole place was spacious and comfortable. One thing that took a star away was the lack of information about the cover charge. Honestly, cover charges are not new to some restaurants, and I personally think it's reasonable, but it's crucial to brief customers so they are aware of what they are paying for and what they are entitled to. Thanks to Manager Florence, she apologized and was willing to waive it for this time (as we ordered aiyu ice, didn't drink tea or water, and returned the wet towel). I will definitely return again for the great food, tea, and service.
Gary Eng
Came here for dinner with our family today. Finally tried this so-called hidden gem of Canberra (a Chinese restaurant). Quite disappointed in the portion size. Taste and flavour were pretty good, but for the price and portion, we will most likely choose to visit nearby zi char instead, as the service here is mediocre. Good to be in an air-conditioned setting within a mall, that's all.
Priscilla Pei
The dishes were good. The dining area was spacious. Service was really bad, from the manager to the waitress. Well, if the manager is rude, what can we expect from the waitress?
Christine Ang
The food isn't salty, which is good. It's healthy cooking. It's not crowded, so the staff keeps coming to our table. The food is good, but the business isn't attracting a large crowd. Maybe they could do more promotion.
Ann Jay Lim
Here's an edited version of the review: We arrived on a Saturday at noon. There were plenty of tables available, but we weren't sure if we should walk straight in or wait to be seated because no one was at the entrance. So, we ended up scanning the Safe Entry and just walked in ourselves. However, someone did come after that and led us to a table. Both the main menu and dim sum menu were placed on the table, but no one explained the ordering process. We guessed we had to fill out the dim sum menu, but no pen or pencil was provided or found on the table. We ended up having to ask an 'auntie' for one so we could place the order. The process is basically to fill in the quantity in the brackets on the dim sum menu and then get someone to come over and place the order on an iPad. A male manager (we weren't sure if he was a manager, but he was wearing a black blazer) came over, took the paper, and placed the order, but we didn't hear him say anything at all. There were no interactions with him, though they were actually very friendly to the seniors dining there and seemed to care less about younger patrons. There's a $2/pax cover charge, which includes your choice of Chinese tea (teapot & refillable), wet tissue, and water. They will also serve a small dish of braised peanuts as an appetizer ($4), so if you don't want it, you can just tell them. Items ordered: 1. Teochew Pig Trotter Jelly (4 pieces): My husband liked it, and it was my first time trying it. The flavor was good, but I'm just not used to eating 'jelly meat' (it's a cold dish). 2. Siew Mai (3 pieces): Normal, nothing to rave about. There was a small, full-sized prawn inside. 3. Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice: Normal, not as fragrant as I would have liked, but my husband kind of liked it. 4. XO Sauce Pan-Fried Carrot Cake: Nicely pan-fried, crispy on the outside, soft and melty inside, but the flavor was not robust. Song Garden has a really nice XO Sauce Carrot Cake, though, and the one here cannot hold a candle to it. 5. Charsiew Bao: I really liked it because the filling inside was leaner meat, and the bun was really soft. The size of the bao was on the smaller side. Servers would help refill our tea whenever they walked by, but I just think they could have explained the ordering procedure when they seated us, especially those wearing the black blazers, instead of not interacting at all. I would go back to try their other items, though, because the food was not bad, to be honest.
Ming Heng Tay
Food **** Price *** Ambience **** Service **** First time here. I must say it's pretty spacious (not cramped and not noisy), and the food is pretty good. I love the coffee spare ribs; you could smell it the moment the aluminum foil unfolds. Simply one of the best I've ever had. The orh nee dessert is also worth mentioning. It looks very different from what I usually get out there, and I feel it's really smooth and not gelat. The oyster omelette is pretty good, with plump, juicy oysters. I think the flavour is pretty good. (Pricing for the oyster omelette is on the high side, in my opinion.) Do note it's available on weekdays only, but we tried our luck, and they made it upon our request. The cai po fried kway teow is a simple yet flavourful dish. It also had good wok hei. The wait staff were attentive and friendly. I will go back again to try the other dishes.
Sunny Mok
Second visit: January 7, 2023 Time: 11:45 AM Pre-CNY lunch The food was good all around: prawn roll (hay zhou), 大菜 (stewed mustard), roast chicken, deep-fried soon hock fish, stir-fried asparagus, 炒菜谱粿条, lo hei, and yam paste dessert. First visit: One of the undiscovered Teochew restaurant gems in the North. Very good dim sum and other dishes. It's also a tea shop where you can order tea and have a nice chat.