Despite its humble location at a quiet neighbourhood, Zi Yean Restaurant certainly does not have humble beginnings. It is run by Hong Kong-born chef Fok Wing Tin who made his name in the 1990s at Empress Room in Raffles Hotel and later Xin Cuisine Chinese restaurant at the Holiday Inn Atrium hotel.
Occupying the entire ground floor of a HDB block in Lengkok Bahru, this brightly lit restaurant will not easily escape the attention of anyone passing by. It is divided into two parts: an open area dedicated to zi char (home-cooked fare) and an air-conditioned area for more upmarket stuff like bird’s nest and abalone.
As we were there for zi char, we sat in the cool open area which was brightly lit, very clean and very tidy. Wonderful! When it comes to meals at neighbourhood kopitiam (coffee shops), places where you can dine under sanitary conditions is very much a rarity!
After 5pm, Zi Yean has a dinner special where 35 dishes go for $5.60 each. We took advantage of this and had a rather good mix of four dishes.
S$5.60
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To our disappointment, the first dish that was served was not well done at all. The sambal kang kong was bland and tasteless. There was no hint of sambal or belachan (fermented ground shrimp)! The chef could really afford to be bolder in his flavouring. I have had several renditions of this popular vegetable dish at various places, and this was definitely the worst.
S$5.60
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Not really having any high hopes for the following dishes, I sampled the sweet and sour fish next and got a pleasant surprise! Coated in a paper-thin crispy skin, the moist white flesh of the fish was extremely fresh. The fishy stench had been skilfully masked by the tasty sweet and sour sauce. It was eye candy as well as the dish had been garnished beautifully with tomato, onion, pineapple, etc. An instant favourite!
S$5.60
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Even better was the chicken, fried Thai style. The meat remained tender and juicy after frying, and was covered in a golden coat of crispy batter. Sweet Thai chilli sauce drenched the chicken, making it extremely savoury and delightful. Best of all, the chicken didn’t seem too oily. I loved it! The accompanying green apple shavings were somewhat unusual additions to the dish, but made perfect sidekicks anyhow. Yet another instant fave!
S$5.60
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The most memorable dish of the night was the deep fried home-made special beancurd (tofu). For someone who’s not particularly fond of tofu, I am somewhat wary when it comes to tofu dishes. Well except for tau huay (beancurd custard with syrup) of course. But for something as bland as tofu, how good can the dish get?
As it turns out, Zi Yean’s home-made special beancurd is every bit as special as they claim. Egg had been used to make the tofu, so when I bit into one I could taste the rich egg flavour. The tofu had been deep fried until it had a golden brown, crispy surface which was very flavourful. Even more commendable is the texture of the tofu; it’s almost as soft as tau huay! The tasty brown sauce that had been poured over the tofu is worth mentioning as well. Instead of the bland dish I thought it would be, zi yean’s beancurd was bursting with flavours!
S$1.20
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More beany goodness follows with a tall glass of soybean drink to wash down all the food. Once again it is home-made and nutritious.
So that marks the end of a very colourful and sumptuous meal. Zi yean serves dim sum as well. One of these days I’m gonna head over there for a nice dim sum breakfast. I’m so glad this popular eatery is now in the neighbourhood!
56 Lengkok Bahru
#01-443 Singapore 150056
Tel: +65 6474 0911
Jul 22, 2006
10
All the food looks good. I rememeber when I went to Hong Kong the food and the presentation of the food that was presented to me was just extremely excellent. I hope I’ll go there again….making me hungry.
Jul 22, 2006
3472
Ahhh yes Hong Kong. I never really did like the place when I went there last year for my birthday trip. But I do agree the Hong Kongers pay much attention to the aesthetics of their food, almost as much as the Japanese! The desserts look like art on a plate.
Jul 22, 2006
18
Believe me, I’m amazed at how you are always able to describe the food, to the extend that I’m kind of tempted to try it! A pity that it’s really far from home! Hmm, they always say that tofu dishes are good for the skin complexion. The adults are lying, really. Haha. Tofu’s one of my favourites! Not because of its taste, but for the fact that I don’t have to chew. :P
Anyway, the sambal kang kong looks really bad. I love those with really lots of belachan in them! :D *drools* I’ll ask my mum to cook sambal kang kong one of these days! Hehe.
Jul 23, 2006
HI!
i stumbled across your blog through the google search function…
hahaa.. i was searching for ‘esplanande’ and it kinda captured ur blog..and so i was captivated to read…cuz of all the foodies… hahaha…
u remind me of a food crazed fren from NUS comp sci who recently jus grad too… caizuan..
congrats on ur employment…
and i’m still lookin for a job.. hiaz…
Jul 24, 2006
3472
Hey Lain, there are quite a number of “grandmother” stories floating around, like how tofu improves skin complexion (because it’s smooth?), and how eating chicken breast leads to… ummm I’m sure you know what I’m referring to. Haha these are quite interesting but it’s wise to take them with a pinch of salt!
Jul 24, 2006
3472
Hi Jo, I have no idea who Caizuan is even though he/she is in my cohort. How about you? Are you an SoC graduate too?
Oct 22, 2008
1
you really shd have tried the other dishes, they are way better. Get the emperor chicken, savoury and not too salty. The beancurd with chicken and salted fish in claypot as well. You will need rice to slurp up all the gravy in the 2 dishes. Get the yam basket as well, my bf loves it. Oh and the sauteed french beans is also very good, they use baby french beans, which is much much nicer. They do this veg dish better than anywhere else in sg.