Sin Hoi Sai has got to be one of Singapore’s best, not-so-hidden treasures for many years. The food here is simply sublime that dignitaries and Chinese superstars sometimes come to this no-frills eatery right after their concerts in the wee small hours. After a 15 minute, 120 kph drive with Claire and Raymund, we finally met up with Greg and Viv in this gem of a place in Tiong Bahru.
Greg started coming to Sin Hoi Sai as a child with his parents and continues to introduce this place to happy patrons (such as ourselves) to this day. With over-sized aquariums and cages full of monstrous-looking crabs,
he said the place started humbly as a small corner haunt with its nondescript plastic chairs and tables serving fuss-free, hearty old-fashioned Singaporean cuisine. Today, it has expanded and extended to the adjacent corner so that the alley is now filled with a crowd of good vibes and Sin Hoi Sai goodness.
One of their signature dishes has been this Sri Lankan Crab In Salted Egg. With very little effort at presentation, we relished this crustacean bursting with the sweetest meat coated with creamed salted egg. Another dish I truly enjoyed was the Butter Crab, more surprises from one of the largest crabs but crusted with golden garlic mixed with some chili and curry leaves (so hard to take photos when your hands are covered with yummy things!).
It’s almost hard to believe that something that looks so menacing can taste so heavenly.
One of my favorite dishes in Singapore is Bamboo Clams In Garlic. It’s quite the curious shape, a narrow, elongated 5-inch clam filled with meat similar to small scallops!
I’ve religiously done the rounds of Long Beach, No Signboard and Crystal Jade upon entry to Singapore but after trying Sin Hoi Sai, I actually feel that this is the place that defines the Singaporean culinary experience :) Ultimately, there is nothing fancy about the place but its welcoming character is all about home-cooked flavors that warms the heart and makes you smile.
Cherie Altea Bitanga finds herself constantly making food, talking about food and around people who know food. Her daily adventures go beyond her own kitchen in Singapore, spanning from the nondescript holes-in-the-wall to sumptuous dining adventures. She believes in the art of slow food and scours places in hopes of bringing home unique spices, salts and oils. She is also the occasional artist and food writer who learned how to cook early in life by inheriting culinary family traditions from her motherland: the Philippines.
For over a decade, this blogger’s career as an ESL instructor provided a multicultural atmosphere working with diplomats, celebrities, nuns, priests, politicians as well as high school and college students from all over the world. When she grows up, she hopes to cook for a living to celebrate her family’s culinary legacy.
