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On 7/19/2015 at 6:39 PM, KennethT said:

Next dinner was here:

 

 

This place is completely off the tourist radar - most taxi drivers didn't even know where it was!  This place was recommended to me a few years ago by an eGullet member who lives in Singapore.  He said he used to go to this restaurant all the time, and I can see why.

 

They are known for this dish:

 

 

This is sambal pomfret.  A pomfret is coated in their heavenly sambal paste, which is a combination of fermented shrimp paste, chili, and who knows what else, and is then fried.  The result is shrimpy, slightly spicy and ridiculously addictive.

 

We also had this:

 

 

This is how chili crab should be.  Their sauce is much deeper and aromatic compared with the sauces of the big name restaurants...  by comparison, the big name ones taste like ketchup (which I actually think may be an ingredient in their sauces).  Also pictured are fried mantou buns, which are great for sopping up the sauce. 

 

Not pictured is a plate of baby kailan, stir fried with garlic.  I love this vegetable.  Kailan (or gailan) is the chinese name for what we'd call here Chinese Broccoli, although I personally think it has nothing to do with regular broccoli.  In most of the versions here, it is actually the stems you eat, and only a little bit of the leaves - the stems actually resemble asparagus (in appearance, not flavor or texture).  This is also the standard type of kailan that you'd see in Hong Kong.  But in Singapore, the "baby kailan" is the one that is ubiquitous.  I don't know if it is really just a young version of the other type, or if it's a different strain.  This version is very leafy, with thin stems that are tender, but a little crunchy.  I love this vegetable... I could eat it every day... one of these days, when I get more time, I have to set up my leafy windowsill garden again and start growing it so I can have a never ending supply.

I am sad to report that I just found out that (Old) Lai Huat closed as of November 26, 2023.  The owner wanted to retire and had no one to pass the business to, which is becoming a trend in Singapore.  Yes, some of the younger generation get an MBA and then expand their parents businesses to become a mini chain around Singapore, but many more just close for good.  I plan to make my sambal fish soon in their memory....

On 7/19/2015 at 6:39 PM, KennethT said:

Next dinner was here:

 

 

This place is completely off the tourist radar - most taxi drivers didn't even know where it was!  This place was recommended to me a few years ago by an eGullet member who lives in Singapore.  He said he used to go to this restaurant all the time, and I can see why.

 

They are known for this dish:

 

 

This is sambal pomfret.  A pomfret is coated in their heavenly sambal paste, which is a combination of fermented shrimp paste, chili, and who knows what else, and is then fried.  The result is shrimpy, slightly spicy and ridiculously addictive.

 

We also had this:

 

 

This is how chili crab should be.  Their sauce is much deeper and aromatic compared with the sauces of the big name restaurants...  by comparison, the big name ones taste like ketchup (which I actually think may be an ingredient in their sauces).  Also pictured are fried mantou buns, which are great for sopping up the sauce. 

 

Not pictured is a plate of baby kailan, stir fried with garlic.  I love this vegetable.  Kailan (or gailan) is the chinese name for what we'd call here Chinese Broccoli, although I personally think it has nothing to do with regular broccoli.  In most of the versions here, it is actually the stems you eat, and only a little bit of the leaves - the stems actually resemble asparagus (in appearance, not flavor or texture).  This is also the standard type of kailan that you'd see in Hong Kong.  But in Singapore, the "baby kailan" is the one that is ubiquitous.  I don't know if it is really just a young version of the other type, or if it's a different strain.  This version is very leafy, with thin stems that are tender, but a little crunchy.  I love this vegetable... I could eat it every day... one of these days, when I get more time, I have to set up my leafy windowsill garden again and start growing it so I can have a never ending supply.

I am sad to report that (Old) Lai Huat is now closed as of November 26, 2023.  The owner wanted to retire and had no one to pass the business to, which is becoming a trend in Singapore.  Yes, some of the younger generation get an MBA and then expand their parents businesses to become a mini chain around Singapore, but many more just close for good.  I plan to make my sambal fish soon in their memory....