Hoy Yong Seafood Restaurant 开洋海鲜菜馆

Chef Hoy Yong was a disciple of one of the 4 Heavenly Kings of the culinary world, Chef Tham Yu Kai. Set up in 1981, it was once listed World Street Food Masters and has gained its own legion of followers over the years. In particular, the seafood hor fun was featured on the local TV program 古早味 where Chef Hoy personally whipped up his hor fun for the cameras.

The ordering system is a little unorthodox - you will have to grab a seat at a table with a Hoy Yong table tag first, before joining a physical queue in front of the stall. Order-taking strictly starts from 6pm onwards, and there's no urgency to do it quickly either, so do be prepared to wait in line for quite a while.

One thing to note though - the service isn't exactly top-notch here. If you've read Google reviews mentioning the dodgy service attitude, I can vouch - it's pretty much true. You can detect this air of frostiness among some of the staff that perhaps comes with the (unofficial) tag of being the best zi char in Clementi.

Additionally, I texted the eatery personally to make a reservation and was told that they only accept walk-ins. But when I swung by that day, I spotted one large table reserved for someone else. Probably for a VVIP then, but I was a little annoyed with the double-standards.

The Food

Crispy Duck Roll ($15) (Recommended)

Our dining experience may have started off on the wrong foot, but we got our starters right with the Crispy Duck Roll. In my opinion, it's every bit as good as touted. The contents were moist and juicy, enveloped by a skin that was shatteringly crisp. In fact, the meat was so tender that I couldn't really tell it was duck. Mixed with bits of pork, diced prawns, carrots and coriander, this was well done.

Deep-Fried Intestines ($30 - medium)

Several foodie friends told me that the Deep-Fried Intestines were a must-order. While these were admittedly well-cleaned, we couldn't get around the fact that they were rubbery to the bite and not as crisp as it looked. My dining partners are one of the biggest fans of fried intestines, yet we struggled to finish this. It comes served with sliced pineapples and a dollop of hoi sin. At $30 for this portion size (above), however, it is overpriced.

You Mai with Fu Yu (Fermented Bean Curd) ($15) (Recommended)

I’ve always liked you mai for its crunchy texture plus its nutritional value – it is supposedly rich in Vitamins A, C, K and high in both calcium and iron. The most common style is the simple stir-fry with garlic, but I may have just found my favourite style thanks to Chef Hoy Yong. The fermented bean curd sauce is creamy and savoury, and a little spicy and tangy from the sliced chillies and julienned ginger. The smattering of fried garlic bits on top further enhanced the taste of this dish.

Prawn Paste Chicken (Medium - $23)

I’ve been on a har cheong gai trail for a while now, trying to suss out where I can find the best ones amongst us. The Prawn Paste Chicken here doesn’t quite make my cut – the marinade could have been more profound - but hey, the kids at my table just walloped them all up in double-quick time, so what do I know, right?

Claypot Tofu (Medium - $28) (Recommended)

I still remember the very first time I tried claypot tofu 沙煲豆腐 donkey years ago. I recall how I was swept away by the savoury braise sauce thickened by the assortment of ingredients and enhanced by the flavour of siew yoke (roasted pork). Unfortunately, I forgot the most important thing – where I had it (I was too young then).

Hoy Yong’s Claypot Tofu helped jolt those memories a little with a wonderful braise sauce. The variety of ingredients thrown in made for a potpourri of flavours, and it of course helped that it arrived bubbling hot. 

Signature Hor Fun ($16)

On to Chef Hoy Yong’s signature – the Seafood Hor Fun. The flat rice noodles were lightly-charred (not much wok hei) covered in a viscous, garlicky gravy. Nothing mind-blowing, but the assortment of seafood was plentiful. I must praise the lard though – freshly rendered, light and crisp. A pity there wasn’t much to go around!

Due to the rah rah from various reviews and multiple media features, I probably had (too) lofty expectations of the hor fun. It’s above average, but I can rattle off a few other eateries I’d rank higher than this. 

Glad to have tried it though, it’s something on my makan bucket list that I’ve always wanted to check off.

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables ($23)

We were enticed by the stock photo of the Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy 梅菜扣肉 on the signboard and proceeded to order this as an add-on. It's a good portion size and the pork belly came in thick slices and nicely (but not overly) fatty. We felt the braising sauce  was a just a little too sweet for us though, 

Yang Zhou Fried Rice ($11)

Yang Zhou Fried Rice was ordered specially for the kids. My frank opinion is that it's nothing extraordinary apart from the fact that this costs 11 bucks...

All in, Hoy Yong Seafood Restaurant serves some unique dishes, some of which really hit the spot. Do be aware of the prices for the dishes, as there are some dishes which offer good value while others do not. They currently do not accept phone reservations, so try to come in about 20 minutes before 6pm to ensure that your wait is more bearable.

Address: Block 352 Clementi Ave 2 Coffeeshop #01-153 Singapore 120352

Opening Hours: 6pm to 10.30pm daily. No phone reservations allowed.

Date of Last Visit: 28th January 2024