Address: 181 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068529

One of my seniors (and favourite people) at my work place had introduced me to this place when I first joined the workforce. It was our favourite place for lunch, where my seniors and I often gathered to, as my favourite now-ex-senior would put it, “have a good honk” over the curry (it was so steaming hot and spicy and sourish, it drew tears to our eyes and made our noses run). It was also the place to bitch about our terror-of-a-boss then.

Alas, now-ex-senior quit the Firm a few months after I joined (for greener pastures and a higher pay, obviously) and we haven’t been there together for a long, long while (hey dudette, how’s Oz?).

A few months back, some of my remaining colleagues and me (there are not many of us foolhardy ones left in the Firm) braved the rain and the long, long queue at the coffee shop to revisit this old haunt.

The highlight of this place is, of course, the fish head curry. This Chinese-style curry comes in a huge, bubbling claypot brimming with vegetables (tomatoes, lady’s fingers, brinjal…) and a huge fish head (with lots of tender meat in its cheeks). The vegetables have been simmering in the curry for so long that they literally melt in the mouth. I think I would be able to gain some much-needed weight if I just eat loads of white rice drenched in that heavenly curry (and quit my job - stress kills the appetite).

Apart from their signature dish of curry fish head, they are also good for their otah and prawn paste chicken. They also do a decent chilli kangkong and stir-fried squid. We ordered the prawn paste chicken, kangkong, squid, beancurd and pork chop. The pork chop was unremarkable, but the other dishes did not disappoint.

Unfortunately, the otah was sold out by the time we got there, so we had to settle for the omelette. I did not like it. The omelette was cold, thick and rather bland. It also had too much vegetables lurking in it for my liking (I think there were pieces of long beans that made annoying squeaking noises when I bit into the egg..urk). As the only dish that disappointed, it merits a separate mention and picture of its own! Squeak…