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| Braised Platter ($28) |
My family loves Teochew food, so it is a wonder why we have only just paid our maiden visit to Sin Chao Gardens, an eatery along River Valley Road well-known among fans of Teochew cuisine. Its owner, Mr Arthur Chia, is a veteran in whipping up Teochew food who occasionally appears on tv programs featuring Teochew cuisine.
Hence I wasn’t overly surprised to find so many hits here. The Braised Platter puts together all the best braises that Sin Chao Gardens offers - pork face, pork belly, duck, pig skin and bean curd. The meats are one of the most tender I have come across, though the braise sauce is slightly sweeter than the typical ones you get elsewhere. For $28, the portions are generous and is an ample sharing platter for all.
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| Fried Prawn Rolls ($16) |
I'd recommend the fried prawn rolls too. Powdery crisp on the outside yet retaining the meat juices inside, with an accompanying tangy & spicy achar. Everyone at the table loved it and it was polished off in no time.
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| Steamed Sotong ($16) |
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| Pork Trotter Jelly ($12) |
How could we not order the pork trotter jelly at a Teochew place? This traditional Teochew dish made up of trotter meat and pig skin is perfect when paired with garlic vinegar chilli. While I liked the texture of the pig trotter jelly here, it was just slightly bland and less fragrant compared to my favourite over at Chui Huay Lim.
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| Sweet Sour Pork ($12) |
We ordered the sweet sour pork primarily for the kids. It was competent to say the least - sufficiently crispy with a tangy, gooey coating of sweet sauce that just clung on to the morsels of crispy pork. A little too dry for my liking, though, and I would give this a miss on my next visit.
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| Kai Lan in Flat Fish Sauce ($10) |
The kai lan in flat fish sauce was our fibre-for-the-day, and I congratulated myself on a great choice. The fragrance of the flat fish was very pronounced that paired perfectly with the sauteed kai lan. I caught myself spooning some of the flat fish gravy onto my rice and wolfing it all down.
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| Chye Poh Kway Teow (($12) |
Sin Chao Gardens also serves up another Teochew classic - the chye poh kway teow which was quite outstanding. This was quick-fried at high heat and the kway teow was full of the requisite wok hei which was accentuated by the fragrance of the chye poh. The crunchy chunks of kai lan stems also added a contrasting texture to the dish. It was so good, I regretted ordering the smaller portion.
There is no GST or service charge here, which makes the final bill very reasonable considering that this is restaurant fare. Another perk is that parking is free within the compounds, on a first-come-first-served basis.
The huge letdown here though is the service. We were given cold treatment from the female staff the moment we arrived, brusquely telling us off as we stood to wait for a table; throughout the meal, every request we made - be it for extra utensils or to clear empty dishes - felt laboured and was met with a deep sense of unwillingness.
It is a big pity for a place where the food more than met expectations in terms of quality and value.
Opening Hours: 11am to 3.30pm, 5pm to 10pm
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