Ga-Hock Seafood

While some of us were craving Cze Char, we decided to return to Ga-Hock for dinner for their laid-back and Malaysia-lookalike environment was something we looked forward to. 

Having tried out their noodles on their menu after a few sessions, I will conclude that their standard item like this Hor Fun on the menu was nothing to shout able. It was plain and common with standard ingredients like fish cakes, pork, egg and vegetables.

Hor Fun

The group's Cze Char Session will not be considered to be completed without ordering their Prawn Paste chicken too.

Prawn Paste Chicken

Could not have done having the earthen pot of Curry Fish Head with our bowls of plain white rice! Their Curry Fish Head is undoubtedly the regulars' all-time favourite. Loaded with a generous portion of Tau ki, mixed with lady fingers, brinjal and Tau Pok. The Curry Gravy was not too spicy and makes a great pairing to our bowls of rice. 

Curry Fish Head - $30

Not many places do offer this dish as these Baby Sotong have to be fresh enough to be served in such a cooking style.  The simple execution made was prepared with ingredients such as ginger slices, garlic and spring onions to reduce its seafood smell. We enjoyed this particular dish.

Sotong

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Posted on 7th December 2022

After all these years, we were back here for their Seafood again. The rustic and Malaysian Style dining environment is really a charm and unique of its kind. During the weekdays evenings, this place is bustling with people too, not to mention weekends.

We ordered a small plate of prawn-paste chicken as a side dish. These crispy mid-joints were well marinated but they still lacked that kind of flavour we were looking for. They were decent but not the best we had.

Prawn Paste Chicken - $10

The Fried Mee Sua was pretty decent with vegetables, fishcake, prawns, lean meat and eggs. 

Fried Mee Sua - $7 (Small)

This is the main starring dish and also part of the reason to be here. The Salt Baked Crab is to die for so not many places do provide such a style of preparation. The Sri Lanka crab was rubbed with salt and baked. While patrons usually go for Chilli, Black Pepper, and Salted Egg Crab from Cze Char Stall, these styles often get us to taste the sauce which covers up the natural taste of the crab, unlike the Salt Baked Crab, we get to taste the natural sweetness of it.

Salted Baked Crab - $104

Sri Lanka crabs are known for their plump meat, these crawls from the crustaceans were big and meaty too.

Big Crawl

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Posted on 10 September 2014

Located along Upper Bukit Timah Road, Ga-Hock is a hot spot that most Cze Char lovers will want to visit. This place is hidden from the main road but human traffic is very high during meal times and parking lots are limited.

The environment was quite different from my usual Cze Char dining place where most of the time we are surrounded by neighbourhood flat. Instead, this area are sheltered with tall big shady trees or huge colorful umbrellas above our tables.

Dining Area

A booklet of their menu was given to us when settled down. Like most of the coffeeshop, there are 2 sections for dining, the smoking and non-smoking area.

Ga-Hock Seafood Menu

Dishes were pretty quick to serve and we had the spicy hot plate of vegetables served right up to our table. The tapioca leaves were fried with sambal belacan still retaining its juiciness and crunchness but it may be spicy for it has too much chilli padi in it.

Sambal Sweet Potato Leaves - $9

Believe to have prepared long before hand, they looked dry and unappealing from the exterior. In fact, as you sink your teeth teeth into them, the amount of moisture and crunchiness from its chestnut fillings are acceptable.

Prawn Fritters - $10

A dish that is so hard to skip as its menu had it printed on the main page. Gravy was thick and fragrant, very good to go with the plates of plain rice. Adding crunch to the hot claypot, fried beancurd skin was used.

Curry Fish Head - $25

Fish meat has the flavours of curry permeates its meat, however I find that texture of its meat was abit harder than the usual ones, perhaps it was overcooked. Other than that the level of spiciness and taste are just perfect.

Can you spot the fish head?

Having only a few pax dining, it was quite a challenge to order more dishes, especially the signature ones. Given the chance, I will like to try their signature salted baked crabs and others.

Rating: 3 / 5

Ga-Hock Seafood
Location: 794 Upper Bukit Timah Road Singapore 678133
Tel: 6314 5725

Heng Heng Eating House

This was my first visit to Heng Heng Eating House and there were only 2 stalls operating at dinner time which is the Zi Char Stall and the stall that sell fried carrot cake. One thing that kept me pondering the night was the coffeeshop's furnishing. Considering the recent new outlook and upgrades of Singapore's Coffeeshop, I wonder why are they still still on the old design. Looking the the Eating House's Door Frame, Heng Heng still has the "remains" of old style kind coffeeshop. Not only that, they had the kiddies ride Machines which colors were already out of tone.

Heng Heng Eating House

Heng Heng looks pretty congested to me with supplies stacking up everywhere and its Zi Char Stall was only made known by the chinese wordings on the white board underneath the Eating House Signboard. In fact, it was hidden at one corner.


Food was surprisingly good and definitely worth the wait. The lady who had served us was rather polite. The plate of crispy noodle was scrumptious and its ingredients was rather standard with prawns, lean meat, egg, fishcakes and vegetables. The gravy had summed up the dish perfectly with its non-starchy natural and rather, it was tasty and soupy.

Sheng Mian - $4

Sin Chew Bee Hoon / Xin Zhou Mi Fen packs the dish with its "wok-hei" taste. Praises to the skillful cook! They were generous with ingredients like Char Siew, egg, vegetables, beanspouts & crab meat added. Bee Hoon was springy!

Sin Chew Bee Hoon - $4

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Heng Heng Eating House 兴兴煮炒

Location: Heng Heng Eating House, Blk 506 Bukit Batok St 52 #01-91, Singapore, 650506 

Your Home Style Zi Char

Try walking along Level One Of IMM Building and one would find ourselves as if we are winding the clock back into the 60s of Singapore. With the nostalgic design of POT LUCK with its old Chinatown Settings, I bet that one can never gave a miss to this. Moreover its uniqueness had drawn many attention towards its shop, pondering what cooking in their pots by having such a quirky name? 

POT LUCK

Pillar in front of the shop was eye-catching with its oscillating barber poles and Neon lighting. It's hard to walk pass without turning our head towards that direction.

 Colorful Lightings

Enjoy a twist in the time machine as we walked into the rustic environment of POT LUCK accompanied by their 'Tao Jie' or 'Mah Jie'. Settings were authentic with formica chairs and tables arranged in the dining area. Into the shop and by the sides, customers get to experience the old looking stretch of shops with Peranakan tilings. The entire area was as good as those olden days that we had seen on the TV.

 Chinatown Setting

Copies of newspaper was placed on the table. Wait, do not mistaken these copies as the daily newspaper. The piece of thin and flimsy paper is where we get to choose our food from - the menu.

 Menu

A condiments rack was prepared on every table with ordering slips. The ordering system goes like this: Filled up the slip, proceed to the cashier for payment and wait to be served by Ah Huat, their 'rickshaw boy' or even Ali their 'Satay Man'. POT LUCK had also introduced the free flow of drinks (hot / cold) at $2.80 each, as well as rice at $1.50 per pax, these can be self help at the self-service station together with the cutlery.

 Condiments

Look at the corner of the dining table. Your table is specially "CHOPE!" by one of their crews (Ali, Ah Huat, Ah Foong,, Tao jie, Mah Jie or Muthu). Looks Cute right?

 Your Seat is Chope!

Dishes were quick to served and whipped out from the kitchen. Sizzling hot pot of Ginger Spring Onion Beef slices were tender, well marinated and fragrant.
Cost: $8.90

Ginger Spring Onion Beef

Taste the Claypot Cabbage with Mushroom! Simply brought me back to the good old days! The cabbages were sweet & half braised, therefore one can actually enjoy the best of both world, a crunchy & soft bite. Though a simple dish, it was made different by using better quality mushrooms.
Cost: $5.60

 Claypot Cabbage with Mushroom

Searching for the "Wok hei" tastes of from a Claypot Hor Fun? Yes, Potluck Hor Fun did have the Charred smell but it was not that intensive as I would have thought. Standard is abit higher than average and would serve as a great replacement to the plain white rice.
Cost: $5.90

Claypot Hor Fun

Whet my appetite! Prawn Paste Chicken (4 pieces of winglets) were well marinated and very crispy. Yums!
Cost: $7.90

 Prawn Paste Chicken

I'm quite comfortable with the amount paid. As compared to a normal Zi Char Stall, some of the prices are on pile while some of them were about the same. Factor in its service and air conditioned environment, having Zi Char in Pot Luck isn't a bad choice either.

 Dinner Spendings

Side Notes:
(1) 10% of Service Charge is not required.
(2) Be careful & Keep your hands away from the burning hot claypot, I'm scalded and it had left an ugly mark on my hand. :(