Seletar Hill Restaurant

There are all kinds of restaurants and restaurants everywhere ranging from the big hotels to big name ones but every occasion demands a certain preference out of convenience, location, budget or simply their specialty.

The grass always seems greener on the other side. To some people, marriage is like going to a restaurant - you order your food and then when your food arrived at your table and when you look over at the next table, the other guy's food seems more interesting and you wanted to order that.

Although Singapore is a very small place, there are many interesting stuffs out there even for restaurants. Though I knew about the place, it was really the first time that I set foot there - Seletar Hill Restaurant.

All the awards and write outs are there on the wall outside the restaurant.

The menu is simple and they offer you set meals which includes most of their specialties. So if you haven't a clue what to eat, just order the set for the number of people you have at various prices.

Th simple cold dish of "heh cho", jelly fish, prawn salad and garlic pork cannot be faulted. They play tricks on your tongue since you use different parts of your tongue to detect sweet, sour, bitter or salty even if you do not know it.

You do not really need shark's fins soup when you can have fish maw soup. You save the sharks, look politically correct unlike President Obama who visited a Chinese restaurant with shark's fins soup on their menu and at the end you pay less for it.

Their smoked duck is different. Most smoked ducks everywhere taste a bit like sausage. They may be smoked but they do taste a bit like processed. This smoked duck here really, well, smokes! And it tasted like duck. Just a soft and airy version.

If you walk around South Bridge Road from and along Hong Kong Street and the vicinity, they used to peddle sea cucumbers. Wholesalers even put them out to dry under the sun and they would sort them by different quality and grade. When you see them in the raw, you probably don't want to eat them as they do look like xxxx. However, once you dabble with it through the hands of a skilful chef it becomes quite a delicacy. Usually duck becomes a victim here. You save sharks but what about the ducks?

Kang Kong is a casual favourite for many and one of the favourite style is to be fried with belacan. Their version here is one that is quite dry and offered a slightly different feel to it in texture.

We all know that tofu is good for us and the bonus is that it is always very easy to eat. I notice that the mapo tofu is a favourite even among Japanese. Frankly, all you need is mapo tofu poured over your bowl of rice and it is good enough on its own. Just like that. 

Now this is the clincher! It is not easy to do steamed or fried fish. An overdone fish never tasted good. When fish is served, it has to be devoured first, that very moment when it is served. This garoupa was wonderful as it was packed in with lots of garlic and onions. You need to try it.

I know some of you, ok make that many of you would love this. Eat it with your rice or stuff a piece into the pao skin then chomp on it. Feel it oozing and melting in your mouth as you chew. I am not sure how your heart or cholesterol meters will read. 

Uniquely at this restaurant, they offered a good version of chendol. Fresh cocount milk, lots of red beans and good chendol but most of all and ultimately a solid Gula Melaka.

Finally, when my mum and dad says it is good, it is probably true! They have even greater experience than me when it comes to food. I mean they have tasted more salt than I had eaten rice right? Besides, mum is a great cook.