Blk 18 Toh Yi Drive #01-97 Toh Yi Gardens, Singapore 590018
Tel: 6466 0833
This was a media invite attended by representatives from Hungrygowhere and some other reviewers, including Purple Taste. The tasting event was hosted by Mabel and Ken - two foodies as well, who enjoy having good food from all over the world on their extensive travels, and they also operate a Spanish restaurant at Dempsey area (keep a lookout for review on this soon).
Their dishes are priced reasonably, and there's a wide variety on the menu to choose from. The food here also possess good "wok air" (known as "wok hei") in Cantonese, meaning that the combination of skills and fire - something like that. You can taste it in the dishes here definitely.
I loved the Chilli Sauce they made themselves - spicy and thick. Mabel was so generous she gave me a tub to bring back, seeing how much I loved it. I was a little embarrassed to take it, offered to pay but to no avail - so now I get to enjoy this delicious sauce during all mealtimes.
They started us with Steamed Squid with Golden Garlic (SGD$25.00 for medium), a rather unique way of eating squids - the only other times I get to eat steamed squids are at home, prepared lovingly by the Mom. Anyway, these squids here are chewy, soft, springy, all in one, infused with the flavourful gravy and golden garlic.
The Prawn Paste Chicken (SGD$8.00 for small), more commonly known as "Har Cheong Kai" is another delicacy on its own - crackling skin flanking tender chicken flesh within. The skin was sapid with prawn paste flavour, smelling and tasting like prawn crackers literally, making it utterly delicious.
Following that, we had Pork Ribs (SGD$30.00 for large). Upon contact with the teeth - the sweet honeyed exterior gave way gently to succulent flesh, every bite was a luscious treat, every mouthful reaped deliciously sweet and smokey meat that was very easy on the teeth. It was almost melty - another dish well executed.
Next, Salted Egg Prawns (SGD$25.00 for medium) made its way into my heart as well, noting that I am a huge fan of anything-salted egg as well. The entire prawn was fried so crispy, that the shells were edible. I love this kind of crispiness! Accentuating the natural sweetness of the prawn flesh is a thick coating of salted egg, strongly aromatic and filling the palate deliciously. I had 2-3 of this but could easily have jsut finished an entire plate of this on my own - oh but to add on, this level of deliciousness is only attainable when the restaurant uses fresh prawns- so the texture of these prawns were testimonials on their own.
The Deep-fried Grouper (SGD$54.00) is another amazing dish. Sitting on a small pool of sweet sauce, this crispy fish dish boosts of lovely slices of pure white flesh.
The Hong Kong Steamed Red Grouper (SGD$56.00) is also drenched in a pool of nectarous sauce, boosting of luscious fresh, flakey flesh that is soft, springy and simply lovely on the tongue. Freshness is the most vital element in these steamed fish, and this dish was able to present that element well.
Finally, their signature Crab Bee Hoon (SGD$99.00) that came as a surprise because I was expecting the usual broth-soaked beehoon. This dish consisted of a large crab wrapped around moist strands of beehoon stir-fried with butter and crab meat. The ingredients were fresh and light in flavour, boosint of crab's natural sweetness. I thought it was a little bland, but the beehoon (vermicelli) had a good springy texture.
Overall, this is a place for good, hearty zichar dishes for family and friends; a simple but satisfying meal in which freshness and quality precedes anything else. Thank you Mabel and Ken of 7th Mile Seafood Restaurant for the wonderful hosting and grateful to Hungrygowhere for the invite!
