Huat Kee (Teochew) Restaurant (70p)

74 Amoy Street Tel: 6423 4747

WADA rating: 45 +25= 70 pts
QPI: 7 ($40-$50 per pax for a Chinese Banquet style meal with Shark’s Fins and Roasted Suckling Pig)
WFI: B+ (Free corkage, more than adequate stemware, DIY service )
Tasted a few times, most recently being a lavish 60th bdae dinner for my aunt last week.

This must be my eldest uncle’s favourite restaurant because everytime there is a celebratory occasion there’s only one place he suggests…much to the dismay of my cousins. Although…this place really does serve excellent Teochew food. I understand this is also a Lao Zhi Hao (old brand name) restaurant with long history and tradition with a refurbished look under the next generation of management. Excellent business luncheon / dinner place as well as being somewhere that you might want to bring grand-dad or granny to.

What's Hot?

Roasted Suckling Pig
One of the better suckling pigs that I have tried. This is textbook suckling pig done to a perfect crisp with enough gloss and juiciness still evident in the skin. What makes this special is the distinct “nan ru” (fermented beancurd sauce) that covers the under belly, adding a whole new dimension of aromas and salivalating flavours.


Braised Superior Shark’s Fin Soup
I am actually a half-activist for Sharks. I disagree to having it at my wedding but will eat if being served at someone else’s banquet….why let the shark die in vain. Anyway, this shark’s fin soup presents a strong argument for keeping Shark’s Fin on the culinary menu. Perfect consistency. The superior stock is just nice, doesn’t overwhelm and brings out the quality of the fins. Savory with hints of sweetness…most probably due to chicken in the stock. Sinfully, I have to admit I love it.

Braised Goose Web
Silky and soy saucy dark brown sauce perfectly balances against the sinewy goose web and brings the dish together. The sauce really makes the difference here. This is the epitome of teochew braising sauce. Almost shares similar taste profiles as the Shark’s Fin except the sauce here is more bashful and upfront.

Yam Paste (Orh-Ni) with Pumpkin
I don't really fancy Orh-Ni cos its supposed to be fattening with lard mixed in. But this is special .Not overly sweet and the bits of natural sweet pumpkin mixed into the solid, firm. dense milky, purple yam paste makes the difference between Kellog Frosties and the Cornflakes. ..the extra icing on the cake. Aftertaste is not oily but quite refreshing...amazingly so ...


What's Not?

The butter crayfish is bordering on fakey butteriness...feels like the chef ran out of recipes and decided to throw in expiring knobs of overnight butter.

Other Dishes Tasted

Steamed fish (garoupa and promfet) is good here and big on freshness and just enough savoriness in the accompanying sauce.
The cold dish combination is pretty special with some exotic choices like pork jelly , pig's tongue jelly and all other kinds of weird gelatin looking items that is actually quite palatable though I am not a big fan.

Wine Pairings Done

2006 Hardy's Shiraz
WADA rated 75pts
Sweet confectionary nose backed by toasty coffee oak. Quite quaffable and balanced. Just loses out on the finish but for a supermarket wine, this is good.

2006 Pondalowie MT Tempranillo, Bendigo (JH93)
WADA rated 77+pts
Sweet raspberry fruit tart bordering on fake sweetness. Good body and generally a juicy wine. Definitely a crowd pleaser and good as an introductory wine for first time wine drinkers.

2004 Paterson's Gundagi Shiraz
WADA rated 78pts
Some funk at the start...a little corked but it all blew off after sitting a while in the glass. Nice dark chocolate, oak and plummish fruits. Elegance and balanced in its approach.

2004 Chateau Beauchamp, Begarac Sec
WADA rated 63pts
Flat, dry white with some mineral and citrusy nuances but ...that's as far as it goes.

Pairing Suggestions

I would love to have some really good chards here. ..chards with lots of character and depth, preferably off dry with some white fruits. Pinots would work lovely with the food here.