Tze Char – comforting and frills-free Chinese dishes that are cooked upon patrons’ orders and served in round tables setting. A characteristic of a good tze char restaurant is determined by its lively ambience peppered with animated conversations of various groups of families and friends gathered. No fine dining or fancy plating here. Just good old excellent and down-to-earth Chinese food with exceptional wok-hei thrown in.
Therefore, we round up 5 of the best tze char restaurants we have tried; each introducing the dish that propelled them to tze char fame, and a few other yummy recommendations that’s gonna make your stomachs growl with craving by the time you are done reading this.
1. Por Kee Eating House
Por Kee is one of the best and longest standing tze char restaurants in Singapore. They were closed for approximately 7 months back in 2014 due to internal conflicts, but thankfully opened its doors again to the delight of everyone. Por Kee dishes out plenty of delicious Cantonese comfort food soaked in flavoursome gravy, making our bellies very happy.
A must-have:
Signature Homemade Tofu
Deep fried with crisp skin and silky insides, you can’t say you’ve been to Por Kee without trying their Handmade Tofu. Served with mushrooms and veggies with a wok-hei infused gravy that is ever flavourful, you would want to finish the entire plate by yourself.
Other signature dishes include Champagne Pork Ribs, Thai Style Live Sea Bass, Deep Fried Salted Chicken, and Cereal Prawns.
Address: 69 Seng Poh Lane Singapore #01-02
Call for Reservation: 6221 0582
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 11:30pm; daily
2. New Ubin Seafood
New Ubin Seafood first came to prominence with their delicious and hearty non-traditional tze char dish – the US Black Angus Ribeye Steak Cubes. The restaurant is a delightful mish-mash of Chinese and Western dining – Steak vs Hei Zhou; Chinese Tea vs Single Malt Scotch. With its unpretentious setting and solid food, we have no qualms travelling to the far west just for it. You can also bring along your own alcohol – no corkage fee is charged here.
A must-have:
US Black Angus Ribeye Steak Cubes
Charred to perfection (although they do slip up once in a while) with the insides still pink and rosy, these satisfying beef cubes are served with potato wedges and caramalised onions on the side. Oh, and it also comes with a plate of Heart Attack Fried Rice where the rice is fried with the charred fats and burnt ends from the steak. Super decadent, and definitely heart-attack inducing, but ever gratifying.
Other signature dishes include the Boss Bee Hoon, Hei Zou, and Orh Ni (Yam Paste).
Address: Lam Soon Industrial Building No. 63 Hillview Ave
Call for Reservation: 6466 9558
Opening Hours: 11am – 2pm, 5pm – 10pm; daily
3. Kok Sen Restaurant
A little walk down from the start of Keong Saik Road is Kok Sen – a tze char restaurant which has made it to the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2016. Plastered all over its walls on brightly coloured papers are the names of its signature dishes as its menu. Unfamiliar with the Chinese words? Ask the servers or try out our recommendations below.
Kok Seng doesn’t take reservation unless you are a group of 6 or more, so go early if you are walking in! For a hipster experience, dine outside at the back ally with dim lighting and graffiti walls where they also have tables set up.
A Must have:
Big Prawn Bee Hoon
Beehoon immersed in a robust and flavourful prawn stock with 2 huge succulent prawns makes a really comforting dish on cold windy nights, or when you just need to pamper yourself after a long day at work. If you are with a big group, at least order a medium portion of this to share!
Other signature dishes include Black Pepper Beef/ Pork Ribs with Bitter Gourd, Claypot Yong Tau Foo, Har Jeong Kai.
Address: 30-32 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089137
Call for Reservation: 6223 2005
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2.30pm; 6:00pm – 10.30pm (Closed on Mon)
4. JB Ah Meng Restaurant
Be prepared to wait in a long queue at JB Ah Meng if you go after 7pm. They used to be at Geylang Lorong 23 with tables set up in the dark and dodgy alley. But that definitely did not deter people from queueing for their famous San Lou Mee Hoon and White Pepper Crabs. Having shifted to a more spacious and well-lit space at Lorong 30, we are a tad bit disappointed to find out that the rustic experience of dining in an alley in a red-light district wasn’t a contributor to the great taste of its food 😉
A must-have:
JB San Lou Mee Hoon
You may wonder if you made a mistake with your order when this dish is served. Looks aside, this mee hoon packs a strong wok-hei and is wonderfully gratifying. Pray that your mee hoon comes as dark as possible – for the darker it is, the more flavour it has absorbed.
Other signature dishes include White Pepper Crabs, Salted Egg Prawn Roll, and 3 Delicacy Beancurd.
Address: 534 Geylang Road Lor 30 Singapore 389490
Call for Reservation: 6741 2418
Opening Hours: 5:30pm – 2:30am; daily
5. Hua Yu Wee
This might come as a surprise to many who might not have heard of this place before. Hua Yu Wee is rarely featured on food blogs, but it serves the most legit tze char and seafood by the sea (before land reclamation took place) in an old colonial bungalow since the 1950s. A comfortable, nostalgic, and laid-back restaurant to have a sumptuous dinner at. Also, it’s quite cute to see that your food is serve by waitresses donning SQ-inspired batik blouses as uniforms.
A must-have:
Black Pepper Crab
Arguably the best Black Pepper Crabs in Singapore – this is cheaper and more flavourful than the other major seafood restaurants. The black pepper chup (gravy) is done on point with just the right amount of spiciness and pepperiness. The sweetness and juiciness of the crab meat is also not overshadowed by the chup. Two pincers up!
Other signature dishes include Chilli Crab, Feng Sha Chicken, Thai Style Tofu, Cereal Prawns.
Address: 462 Upper East Coast Rd, Singapore 466508
Call for Reservation: 6442 9313
Opening Hours: 5:00pm – 11:30pm; daily.
