I have at least a half dozen friends that will kill me for writing this post. But I figured that it was high time that I shared with local readers a place that I’ve been enjoying eating at for the last year and a half. Not that this little eatery is only a year and a half old, just that I only discovered it some eighteen months ago. From what I can tell, it has actually been around for many, many years.
You’ll also have to forgive me because I don’t really know if this little slice of food heaven has any other name than two simple words… Teochew Porridge. Which should immediately tell you what kind of place it is. For the uninitiated, Teochew porridge describes a full meal made up of many cooked items served with a Teochew style rice porridge–which is more watery as well as less smooth than the Cantonese version. Typical dishes will include braised duck, steamed pomfret, hard-boiled salted duck eggs and belly pork braised in soya sauce. Diners will usually have several small plates of different delectable dishes with their porridge.
My favourite Teochew porridge stall is located conveniently (for me at least since I live not too far away) in the corner of a coffee shop in Block 42, Cambridge Road, in the Farrer Park neighborhood. Open only Monday through Saturdays for lunch, this little stall is easily the dominant player in the coffee shop, which also hosts another porridge shop, a cze char, a Malay stall, a Western stall, plus a few others. At any given lunch time, at least 50%, if not more, of the guests are ordering Teochew porridge (which must aggravate the other stall owners to no end).
The variety and the quality of the items at this stall are, so far, the best I’ve found in town… not that they offer more things than competitors, but what they do offer is always fresh and always delicious. My favourite items include a spicy minced pork, fried prawn cakes, the braised pork belly and a really yummy braised fish that is sold in pieces. But don’t take my word for it, check it our for yourself. Just don’t get mad if you can’t get a table right away. I often spend several minutes staring at seated customers, willing them to leave. And when you do dine there, be nice to the uncle in the see-through shirt–he can get a tad grumpy if not treated well. Enjoy!
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
