Peng Restaurant and Catering

If you lived in Hougang, Upper Serangoon and even now Sengkang area, if you are a Teochew or a Catholic or all of the above then you must know Ah Peng or Peng Restaurant and Catering Services because they are Teochew, Catholic and in Hougang serving Teochew food to many for many years. 

When I got married, the food catered during the day at lunch was Peng's. Over many years, the food and restaurant scene has changed tremendously. You have either very big restaurants at hotels and shopping centres, restaurant chain, foreign franchises or new age wannabes but Peng has been constant in a sea of change. In fact, it is no frills an authentic.

For some folks, this is a traditonal favourite.

The original Teochew restaurants of old served goose meat. These days they are all mostly braised duck. 

Har Cheong Kai or prawn paste chicken are everywhere but at Peng's it is really well done.

Fish maw soup here is okay. The one at HK Chef @ Ci Yuan is better.

Typical Teochew steamed pomfret is a must but I would prefer other types of fish like halibut or threadfin. Pomfret is higher in cholesterol than beef. While all fish has some cholesterol they have lots of omega-3 but pomfret has the most.

The prawns are fresh and good with oats. In fact, prawns are good with anything from sambal to sweet and sour.

Stir-fried spinach with mushroom is easy to eat and nutritious.

At Peng's the oyster omelette is different. It is wet! Try it.

Teochew food has a special dish - the chai poh kway teow. It looks white but put it in the mouth and feel the breath of the wok. We call it ''wok hei".

We ended dinner with the teochew ''Or-nee". 

We went back again to try a different chai poh kway teow. This version is coated with flour and fried then cut into pieces like pan cake. It is equality good and a must-try! 

I was telling you about threadfin. Threadfin is a great fish. I remembered when I was young, my parents would buy and mum would steamed threadfin in light sauce for me especially when I was unwell. It is a big sacrifice for them as it is a very good and expensive fish. 

Mum would sometimes cook fish in this braised style with leek in the past. So I brought them to Peng to try not the steamed but the "braised threadfin tail with Leek".

To me, the threadfin tail braised with leek is out of this world. A definite ''Must-Try''! So tender inside but the best part is the skin as they are fried crispy first before they pour the gravy over it. Eat all the meat between the bones and around the fins. 

It is not true that Peng is no longer as good. They are really still good but I think you need to know what to order and what are you comparing with. I will go back to Peng anytime and every time.