Zichar Hao

If you’re every at the Commonwealth area, you just have to had this Har Cheong Gai. The fluffiest, and airy-iest and definitely well seasoned prawn paste chicken I ever had. The price is always noteworthy, although the time waited for them is a tad long (because we were there during dinner). Deep fried , til the batter is golden brown and flaky, the Har Cheong Gar, definitely don’t feel that greasy, and only I wished we had order more, because we were fighting til the last mid-wing.

Well-coated, sweet, tangy and absolutely generous with their serving. This plate of fried baby squids is my family favourite dish. The sweet and sour sauce is thin, but packs a lot of good flavour, without drowning or being overpowering. The balance is great, and very addictive!

Finally got to try the famed butter pork. And I have to say, it's quite delightfully yummy. I was really very skeptical about the use of milk powder, as quite frankly, I don't really like milk powder since young. But that generous helping of milk powder really did bring out that buttery-milky taste. Looked totally unappealing, but absolutely mouth-watering satisfying.

This place is basically Zichar gone atas. With comfortable seating ambience and fully air conditioned. Friendly wait staff, and extremely young and attentive boss on helm, the place to be when you want something laidback with good coffee around the corner, or a plate of fresh sashimi on the right.

And of course, ingredients freshly farmed locally like this plate of lala clams, you don't have to travel far just to get some. Heavily stir fried with garlic and Chilli, this plate of extremely garlicky goodness give anyone the shivers. But this plate isn't all about the mush, they sprinkle generously with deep fried shallots to give this already tasty clams extra flavour and crunch.

Family dinner be like.
Cheap and quick. But honestly I think they lost their cooking skills. The dishes came out seriously lacking. VERY DISAPPOINTED.
I mean how can you serve overcooked veggies, I'm seriously not sure. The egg is not zichar standard, it's more like Denise-can't-cook-an egg-standard. That baby squid is at best, of okay standard. And the Chili crab is appalling sweet.
The only take back, is probably that Crab Bee Hoon, with its mean peppery gravy, that soaked up well by the beehoon. Oh and the crab we're all filled to the brim with crab roe, that seriously make the dish even better.
Thank god for that last saving dish, but to come back again? I don't think so.

Could use some of this herbal, peppery broth crab tanghoon. Heavily seasoned, tasted like bak ku teh, with noted of sweetness from the whole crab. The broth is so addictive that the last drop wasn't spared. While the crab is fresh enough and meaty enough, the soup was a tad "MSG overload" leaving you thirsty. But nonetheless still so yummy.

Years back, after teaching at Changkat Changi Secondary, I would walk past the place to take the long journey back home. Fast forward to 2016, I finally had the chance to try their famous Mee Sua. The thick thick herbal chicken broth is already a winner, and throwing in generous amount of pork slices, liver and kidney, this bowl is truly a winner. Although famous, Seng Kee did not short change you. Every drop is simply slurp-worthy, unami and hearty! So good for a cold nights, or simply because you crave for something lush wholesome. I am coming back to try their Zichar menu, and their mee goreng (since almost everyone had a plate of that!)

As mention on my previous post, this place sells their crab dishes at a ridiculous prices. While my family loves their butter crabs. I personally felt that the black pepper style is better. With the right kick, and sweetness and saltiness altogether. It's not that peppery spicy, in case some would worry. But the kick that you would just keep wanting more. Grainy, slight garlicky and savoury, the sauce is seriously great with plain rice.

What a ridiculous price for these golden and buttery crabs. The fresh are fresh, meaty, even though they are small (I am comparing them to the standard Sri Lankan crabs). That dry butter coat, is well-balanced and not over salty, and because the crabs are small, they make such a good snack. The prices of the crabs are as such: 3-for-25, 2-for-30, 2-for-35, 2-for-40. When my brother told us to make a trip down for dinner, I was already blown away by the prices. Never knew such hidden-gem still kinda, sorta (well at least to me) hidden for so long. And while I am warning you guys, not to expect so much on the size, but I personally found the size to be extremely reasonable for the price you are paying. This standalone Zichar restaurant is family run, and extremely no frills. Don't expect great service because they are already jammed pack when we arrive at 6.30pm (although I found them trying and endearing). Drinks are practically self-service. There are 3 Chefs whipping out dishes after dishes, and you can see the fury of the woks and fire through the glass between the kitchen and dining. Come for the cheap thrill, and messy eating at such great prices. I am definitely coming back for more, such as their lala dishes that I saw coming out constantly and their fish head dishes!

The 1st thing I want to have fish head curry, at my family's Favourite Zichar place. But alas, it was all sold out. So we had to settle for the second best, Assam fish head. And this did not disappoint. Thick Assam sauce that is both spicy and sour enough, without you squishing your face up. And as usual, the fish head is fresh, big in proportion and good amount of white flaky meat. Just the thing you need, when you are back from a holiday.

It doesn't get any cheaper than this place, it is a classic example of affordability meets quality. Their menu and prices haven't seemed to change since the 1980s (an exaggerated expression, but you get the drift). Since we first moved to the area seven years ago, my family has come here every weekend for a good family dinner. It's so good that my mom would get lazy to cook us a meal, and make us walk over to have dinner instead (true story, and we don't mind at all! Hahaha). Because of this zi char, we have become closer, making time for family dinners and conversations. The food brought us closer together, literally. Portions here are generally larger than what other zi char places serve you. The taste of the food here is also more robust, lemak and generous. The fish head is super fresh (they are basically sold out on a daily basis!), with thick, chunky white flaky meat that just falls off the bones. The curry is so delicious that I drown my plate of rice with it and even "drink" it! This is my family's little secret hangout place, along with other families staying in this area too. #hawkerpedia

Big chunks of succulent chicken, stir fried with chilli and caramelised onions. Dosed in a marmite, the dish is a winning combo of sweet and salty, crispy and juicy. The secret Zichar store nestled in the Seletar estate, is a true hidden gem that only the residences know. Cheap, unpretentious and at a ridiculous portion (this plate is small), my family and I will always leave the place satisfied.