Nowadays, the price for crabs has very much surpassed the threshold i am willing to pay even though i have a great love for the crustaceans with their big, meaty claws.
Hence, my eyes couldn't resist lighting up when the Great Kon mentioned of a tze char place in Yishun that was selling crabs at an offer of S$10 each (minimum of four)!
Of course it didn't take long for us to come to a decision and drive to Mr Teh Tarik Eating House after picking up Alex from Yishun stadium. psst, the bugger now trains amateurs in table tennis!
I am going to dive straight into food as the setting was our typical kopitiam style and i don't think it needs further description! Just to note, we took four crabs and asked for them to be cooked in two styles which required an additional top up of S$5.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Personally i would have preferred the pork version but this is a Halal dining establishment! As the name suggests, you have a mix of both sweetness and sourness. One word to describe it all; unmemorable.
Fried Tang Hun
This was said to be the signature dish for the tze char stall and you might not even get to lick a strand if you arrive after 6pm on certain days. Maybe business was slow on the day we visited as it was already close to 8pm and the tang hun was available!
Each strand was infused with the flavourful stock which should have resulted in the dish being labelled a darling by most tze char lovers, with the exception of one minor yet critical factor; a bit too salty was the verdict from the Gang of Four.
Butter Sotong
Encased in what seemed to be turmeric-powdered flour, this deviated from what we thought to be sotong drenched in thick yellow sauce. The others found the sotong to be chewy and a tad too heavy given that we ordered quite a lot for just four persons.
Fu Yong Omelette
Quite normal and didn't wow any of us; might have performed better with an oilier sheen and a more charred appearance to bring out the flavour.
Salted Egg Crab
Given that each crab only cost S$10, we can't really complain on their small size and freshness. To be honest i was already quite thankful to find them quite meaty!
This was more buttery with just random speckles of salted egg taste and we thought it could do with a heavy dosage. It's funny that salted egg crab tasted like butter crab while butter sotong didn't feel buttery at all! Maybe the chef could use the style used on salted egg crab on the sotongs!
Chilli Crab
This was delicious with gravy that was hot, spicy and filled with the fragrance of chilli and egg. What's missing was a basket of crispy hot buns to soak up the gravy and enhance the dining experience!
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Location
Block 846, Yishun Ring Road,
#01-3603 (opposite Khatib MRT Station)
Map
As above
Menu
As above
Pricing
Sweet and Sour Chicken - S$8.00
Fried Tang Hun - S$5.50
Butter Sotong - S$10.00
Fu Yong Omelette - S$5.00
Crabs - S$45.00
[No GST and No Service Charge]