We asked the seasoned restaurateur, chef and journalist where to go for the best Teochew cuisine in Singapore
Everyone in Singapore has their own fiercely-held opinions on the best restaurants here, but with David Yip's lengthy career in F&B as chef, restaurateur and journalist, we're inclined to trust his suggestions—especially when it comes to Chinese food. For Teochew cuisine in particular, Yip points towards its penchant for “freshness and quality of ingredients, especially in seafood”, as well as “deceptively simple methods” including “steaming, poaching, and braising”. The result delivers food that gives an “impression of delicateness”, with the inherent flavours of core ingredients kept intact and brought out. Where, then, do we find such cuisine? We asked Yip for his recommendations around Singapore for you to add to your gastronomic itinerary.
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1. Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine
“Whenever my friends and I are in Orchard Road, this is one of our favourite restaurants for Teochew food. The Teochew are renowned masters of the soy braising sauce, and here one finds a wide selection of dishes submerged in it, slowly braising until the wondrous flavour of the liquid permeates every fibre of meat. The pig skin terrine and hae chor (crispy prawn roll) have become de rigueur. Among my favourites too are the braised duck, pig intestine, pork knuckle and goose web.
My friends love the braised sea cucumber and abalone—indulgences I could only afford on paydays. My happy option, instead, is steamed seafood, such as pomfret.
While I feel that the consistency of cooking does fluctuate, on average the restaurant’s quality is still superior to most of its competitors.”