The Hungry Bunny

We were gutted when Joo Chiat (Teck) Teochew Porridge closed down sometime earlier this year. It was our favourite Teochew porridge joint, our regular go-to for simple comforting fare, and we'd loved it so...so much so we would actually drive all the way to its far East location at Frankel Ave. It was just the absolute best and no one else measured up. Since then, we've been on the hunt for a worthy substitute. Which brought us to Heng Long Teochew Porridge . It made the news about a year ago when a brawl broke out in the wee hours of the morning at the coffeeshop. Salacious, albeit unsavoury, activity aside, I remembered that reports of the scuffle had also mentioned that Heng Long was a popular Teochew porridge joint frequented by taxi drivers. And we all know how taxi drivers are the most reliable sources of hawker gems. And so we made the trek to Upper Serangoon, which was so far northeast it was more like Hougang really. [quick random musing: I don't know why, ...

Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine Restaurant is our new favourite for Teochew fare. It's been a long while back that I last dined at the illustrious upmarket option under the Imperial Treasure group restaurant. And it's apparently gotten even more celebrated, and picked up a Michelin star in the last year along the way. While Chui Hui Lim remains one of our top go-tos for when a craving for Teochew food hits, Imperial Treasure  shines that little bit brighter with its unparalleled refinement. Here at Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine , the essence of Teochew cooking is captured: exquisite, polished, and delicate. The Poached Baby Milk Cabbage in Chicken Broth ($20), or 'nai bai', was an exercise in restrain and simplicity. The mild crunch of the leafy green picked up the nuanced notes of the collagen-rich chicken stock. An absolute must-try, the Teochew Braised Duck ($20) here is the best rendition of braised duck I've ever had. Fresh, lusciou...

As with Peranakan restaurants, I'm always on the lookout for good Teochew restaurants. They're both my heritage, and because both grans have passed on, without passing on their recipes, I've had to settle for restaurant fare, to supplement the rare meal where I've resorted to bribing my way into friends' homes for homecooked Peranakan or Teochew food. I'd heard about Huat Kee back when it was still in the CBD along Amoy Street, but never got around to visiting the old-timer until it moved to the Orchard Road district. And since we were at the Shangri-La Hotel nearby, we thought to have some Teochew a little up Orange Grove Road at Huat Kee . Huat Kee turned out a mixed bag, some dishes were tediously middling, whereas some others were absolutely fantastic. In this regard, I feel Chui Huay Lim is still best for Teochew cuisine. Though service was resoundingly first-rate; from the kindly owner/chef with twinkly eyes who reminded me so much of my gran (she i...

I'm always on the lookout for good Teochew restaurants. Of course, nothing can beat my gran's Teochew food, but since she's no longer around, I'll just have to settle for whichever restaurant serves the best Teochew cuisine. We rotate between two favourites, Chui Huay Lim for when we're feeling a little fancier, and Swa Garden for when we're unwashed and shabby. But since the latter closed down, we've only had the former to satisfy any Teochew food cravings. So then a foodie friend says nice things about the Paradise Group's Teochew restaurant concept, and even though I'm not a fan of any of Paradise's restaurants, I thought I'd give its Scotts Square branch a shot. As expected, Paradise Teochew Restaurant wasn't great. To be fair, they had decent renderings, and the dishes weren't altogether horrid. It's just somewhat unimpressive, and in every aspect, Chui Hui Lim just fared better. Except for the service. Like Chui Huay...

So, Joo Chiat Teochew Porridge (aka/fka Teck Teochew Porridge ) has moved premises, again ! This is like their 4th location since their original location at Joo Chiat. Seriously, the stall has to find a more permanent home. Because it was quite the roller-coaster of emotions to have to hit up their last site at East Coast Road and be terribly disappointed, and then elatedly discover that they'd hauled ass further east to Frankel Ave. Anyways, I love love love Teck Teochew Porridge . We think it's the best Teochew porridge in Singapore. The seafood is swimmingly fresh, and because everything is cooked only upon order (save for the braised dishes), you get food piping hot off the fire. There's an ice counter flush with an array of fish, prawns, clams, crayfish, scallops and the occasional lobster, for the picking and the kitchen will steam them, Teochew-style, or fry them up with black beans and chilli. Don't be shy to ask the staff to explain what's available for...

There are very few things I can stomach whenever I'm sick and feeling crummy: porridge ranks top of the short list. There's something about drinking rice that's just so comforting and fortifying. So, I was recently down with an especially virulent flu, and craving Teochew porridge in the middle of the night. With a hacking cough and difficulty breathing when lying down, I couldn't sleep anyway. My favourite Joo Chiat stall was a little too far away, so a friend told me about Ye Shang Hai Teochew Porridge , a late-night joint that's on the fringes of town, and crazy popular with taxi drivers. Turns out I've passed by this coffeeshop many times, our favourite Hainanese curry rice hawker is just at the coffeeshop round the corner. For some reason, we just never ate here. At just over $20 for 9 dishes, Ye Shang Hai Teochew Porridge is incredibly wallet friendly. I don't think it's as fresh as Teck Teochew Porridge, but it's probably a more worth...

(quick aside: pardono for the radio silence. I was out recuperating from a torn ligament, and then away travelling Down Under.) I love Teochew porridge. It's just so damn difficult to find a good one. Oftentimes, the dishes are less than sparkling fresh, having been left out in the cold for hours on end. But then, there's Teck Porridge , a recent discovery of ours but apparently a stalwart in the Teochew porridge scene. Once a fixture of the Joo Chiat enclave, they uprooted to a hawker stall in the popular Old Airport Road Food Centre, before moving back East again, several blocks away from their original haunt, along East Coast Road. It's been quite the frenzied movement in just a short span of 2 years, and to draw its loyal-but-bewildered fans back, Teck Porridge has rebranded as " Joo Chiat Teochew Porridge ". Whatever its name, this is the best Teochew porridge place ever. The food here is impossibly fresh, with most dishes cooked to order, save for the b...