Conveniently located right beside UE Square, this Teochew Muay restaurant is a bright old fashioned welcome to the rather hipster River Valley Road. Set up by 54-year-old Jacky Tan and 38-year-old Chen Wen Kai, they wanted a comfortable setting for fans of Chao Zhou porridge. Mr Tan dabbled in the construction and trade industry before switching over to the food and beverage trade.

Do it without the sweltering humidity from a coffee shop, and enjoy the cool breeze from the air-conditioner; plus a knowledgeable service crew who will be serving you the wonders of Chao Zhou porridge, all the dishes laid out behind a glass panel or you could order ala carte from the menu. And also ample space – roomy enough to sit 30 comfortably.

Due to its convenient location and the air-conditioned environment, you can expect a crowd of the genial office crowds to frequent the place. You have been warned.

Selling typical Teochew Muay dishes, you can look forward to the likes of the big squid with homemade sauce ($6.90), steamed fish (seasonal price), a braised platter that includes duck, pork belly, large intestines, egg, bean curd and tau pok ($16.90) and of course fried preserved radish omelette ($2.50, $4.50) – you can never go wrong with this last one.

But the star among these homely-cooked dishes has got to be the steamed meat ball with ahm (porridge water or “milk”, $5.50 per piece). A rarity in most Teochew Muay places, this traditional dish is made from scratch (daily) with ingredients such as minced pork, dried preserved Chinese cabbage and other secret ingredients – we tasted hints of ginger and carrot.

ChaoZhou Porrdige
221 River Valley Road
10.30am-5am, Daily