Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine

Do you know what ''Chui Huay Lim" or 醉 花 林 means? It literally means ''Drunk Flower Forest''. I am not a flower expert but I do no think there are any flowers called drunken flower but rather it could have been a name that was apt a the time this club was formed 170 years ago and now Chui Huay Lim Toechew Cuisine has been housed here. It was established in 1845 and has a rich history and was originally set up for Teochew businessmen to engage in business networking and other recreational activities. 1845 means during the period of the Qing Dynasty so this is one of Singapore's oldest clubs. Some called it the Teochew Gentlemen's Club. 

The Teochew increased in numbers and became more prosperous and have more social engagements. I read that it was founded by one Tan Cheng Bao but with his passing in 1879, ten members donated $400 each to make a total of $4000 to purchase the land. Now I could afford $400 but those days $400 must have been like what? Can you imagine? Can you imagine how much it is worth now? This land at 190  Keng Lee Road.

I was told by some older Teochew folks that it was a millionaires' club. So it was patronised by wealthy Teochew businessmen and in the old days rich men have many wives (see what money can do to people) not just Teochew but most rich men. They would bring their mistresses to clubs where they would play mahjong. 

Today, at this club, they are promoting Teochew heritage and Chinese culture, a venue for family recreation, a cultural centre and international business hub and a networking centre for Teochew from all over the world. If we were still living in the old days, I would never have been able to come here since I am no millionaire but today most Singaporeans are asset rich thus many millionaires. Those were the days when people dream of having four figure salary if you are not aware. 

This was what greeted me when I got out from the lift from the basement car park. This was me when I was a young millionaire, haha (in my dreams). Inception, like the movie, a dream within a dream.

The food is Techew cuisine and so Swatow based and authentically Teochew set in a 4,000 square foot restaurant.  

From the first taste of the tea you know the quality of the food. That is what first impression is all about.

The presentation is equally faultless.

Teochew dishes are unmistakable especially some of the dishes which are inherent since time immemorial. Cold crab is certainly one of them. 

This is a potent sauce, a sweet plum sauce frequently used by Teochew for dipping the cold crab and is also very good together for large squids. 

The cold crab here is one of the best I have had. They must have selected the quality of the crabs really carefully, each having exquisite meat texture and with lots of roe. A health nuts' nightmare indeed.

Equally exquisite are their pork trotter jelly aka 猪 脚 冻。Truly well made. Of course there are some out there that use cheat codes to prepare it by adding gelatin. The Real McCoy uses pig trotters and skin with lots of collagen boiled in to a thick broth. Purely prepared trotter jelly does not goes soft or melt nor disintegrate when left at room temperature for awhile. 

The Ngoh Hiang and Heh Cho are fabulous. You must try the liver roll. I think here they used bean curd instead of spring roll skin which explained its crispiness. 

Well, here goes the braised goose meat. Goose meat probably disappeared from Singapore dining for many years. The last time it was popular and famous was at the Swatow Restaurant in Shenton Way. The accompanying bean curd were pretty good too. Only recently did goose meat returns.

Teochews are known for their food that are usually less oily, have less salt and fats and usually clear with much natural taste and renowned for their steamed dishes especially with fish and the classic teochew steamed fish is the Pomfret. Tomato, sour plum, ginger, spring onions, mushroom and some lard are the standard ingredients but we  opted for  a steamed grouper instead. Perfect timing for a steamed fish is key and this grouper was as fresh as it could be. 

Spinach with different eggs is not exactly Teochew I supposed but you cannot compare Teochew in Singapore with the original. Even when my grandma was around, she spoke a mishmash of pasar language that was mixed into our dialects such as tuala for towel and sabun for soap and even roti for bread. 

But kway teow is kway teow for this flat rice noodle and the locals have char kway teow that is with dark sauce but the Teochew's traditional one is fried with chye poh, a preserved radish. This one here has fiery wok hei. Fabulous.

Salted egg prawns. Don't think its teochew dish but a very common tze char or seafood dish. Here, the batter is thin.

Chinese orchestra musical instruments are all on display. You look around while waiting for the finale.

Which is a very unique and delicious mee suah.

You actually can't tuck in anymore but it has a light touch so it is easy.

This is how it looks when looking out from the main lobby. A reminder of how it feels to be worth a million bucks in the old days perhaps.

Stone lions guarded the entrance.

The Jumbo Group has taken over not only the Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine but also the Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup or Bak Kut Teh.

The Drunken Flower Forest for authentic Teochew food.

I was thinking what I should have for a sweet tooth. The typical famous teochew dessert - yam paste with ginkgo nuts aka ''orh nee'' or ''tau suan''.

I settled for their signature ''ah bor leng'' with white fungus. Basically they are sweet peanut fillings wrapped in glutinous rice into a ball. Yes, peanuts do have feelings. You must also know that a good authentic orh nee comes with pumpkin which we called ''kim kuay'' the golden melon.

This is paying tribute to long standing culinary tradition to one of Singapore's founding Chinese dialect groups. Befitting indeed. Well, we all want to learn a bit more of ourselves. Where we came from, your race, your dialect, your origin. Then we could make out  the good and bad of it and you will always begin and end out with food. Food is cultural ain't it? So let us eat more and fight less. This way we share the joy and spread the love.