Was invited to try this zhi char 煮炒 stall that is located within the 7th Mile Coffeeshop at Blk 18, Toh Yi Drive. Toh Yi Dirve is somewhere near Jalan Jurong Kechil. HDB dwellers whom are living nearby, could simply walk to this place for lunch or dinner. Very convenient.
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| communal dining |
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| usual signage within a coffeeshop |
Our host ordered plenty of food, and it felt almost like a wedding dinner!
First, we had the Steamed Sotong with Golden Garlic 金蒜苏东. I must admit. Never had this style of blanched squid dressed with soy and topped a plenty with minced garlic butter before. Very likeable. Tender sotong with nicely light soy sauce that's not too salty and fragrant garlic butter.
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| Steamed Sotong with Golden Garlic 金蒜苏东 @$25 (Medium) |
Next, was what would become my favourite dish for the night. The 7th Mile Pork Ribs 七英里排骨. If the dish is labelled with the shop's name, it had better live up to the expectation! Verdict? I wasn't disappointed. The size of the ribs was huge, meat still retained a certain bite but not tough, and beautifully caramelized with such tasty sauce. Might come across as salty for some but I liked it this way.
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| 7th Mile Pork Ribs 七英里排骨 @$30 (Large) |
Next up, hae zhor 虾枣 or prawn rolls. Truth be told, have never seen such a big hae zhor before. As big as a golf ball! A mound of minced prawn and minced pork meat, with that occasional chunks of waterchestnut, wrapped with a thin beancurd skin and deep fried till golden brown. The meat has bounce and delightful to eat with the sweet sauce. Or, with the belachan for extra oomph!
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| hae zhor 虾枣 @$10 (Small) |
Still missed the olden taste of hae zhor though. My hometown hae zhor
would be smaller in size, with a ratio of more pork meat as compared to
prawns and tighly wrapped before fried to a deep brown. To be eaten
with watery chili that's vinegary, sweet and spicy. Yums!
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| Har Cheong Gai 虾酱鸡 @$8 (Small) |
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| Big Prawns with Salted Egg 咸蛋大虾 @$25 (Medium) |
The har cheong gai or prawn paste chicken was well marinated, battered and fried to the right colour and consistency. The wings were still juicy and best eaten with the housemade belachan sauce for that extra kick. Would have preferred the marinade to be of a stronger prawn paste flavour though.
The prawns were good and the light golden coating of the salted egg yolk was rather attractive.
How do you like your fish to be done when eating at zhi char stalls? Usually, my family would go for steamed fish. The grouper that we had were slightly less than a kilo in weight prior to cooking, so expect the price to be around $55 to $60 per fish. For seafood that goes by market price, best to enquire from the staff prior to ordering.
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| Deep fried Grouper Fish @$6/100gms |
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| Hong Kong Steamed Red Grouper @$7/100gms |
Our final dish for the night, was the Crab Bee Hoon. A very imposing looking dish when presented. The crab was arranged as though it was protecting the bee hoon!
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| Crab Bee Hoon 螃蟹米粉 @$55/kg |
The crab that we had, had probably weighed around 1.5 kg. Just take a look at its claws. So huge. Unlike other places, the version served here is of the dry bee hoon type. Expect to pay around $100 for this dish for similar crab size.
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| give it a good mix |
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| let's dig in! |
Dishes that got my vote for repeat orders (
assuming a weekend dinner for 2 pax) , would be the pork ribs and the hae zhor or prawn paste chicken. Add a plate of greens as well. The crab bee hoon, prawns and fish would be for special occassions, or when cravings strike.
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| come on in for reasonably priced good food in neighbourhood coffeeshop |
The restaurant does accept telephone reservations for food and table. In order to avoid long waiting time especially for larger groups, you might want to call them up ahead first so that food can be prepared prior to your group's arrival.
Special thanks to Mabel and Ken, and to the HGW team for the invite.
7th Mile Seafood Restaurant 七英里海鲜
Address: #01-97, Blk 18 Toh Yi Drive, Singapore 590018
Telephone: 64650833
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