It seems that decades ago, Uncle Ho Hoi Ching or “Ah Ching” use to be the head cook at the original famous Geylang Claypot Road for over twenty years. He then left to start his own stall in a coffeeshop in Bedok South, but these days, you can find him at:
430 Upper Changi Road, #01-09
East Village
Singapore 487048
This eatery is owned by Mr. Teng and occupies two units. It used to be called “Eng’s Wanton Mee & Claypot Rice East Village” but the signboard has since been changed and doesn’t include the word “Eng’s” any longer. Our friends who took us there, chose to sit outside under the evening sky as the weather was really pleasant. Mr. Teng then brought me to the kitchen to have a peek at Uncle Ah Ching and his assistant at work. The heat was so intense from the multiple charcoal stoves, the younger man’s shirt was soaked through with sweat.
The claypot rice was indeed every bit as amazing as May described. One of the wait staff did the final touches for it right at the table - lashing on the thick black sauce before giving the contents of the claypot a thorough mix.
I found the salted fish used to be of superb quality - it’s moist and intense, lending a stunning funky savouriness to the dish. The rice was very fragrant, and the chicken pieces - large, juicy and incredibly tender to the bite (yes, even the breast meat). As for the “lap cheong”, it was decent and there was a reasonable amount of “chye sim”. We were also given some sambal chilli to spice things up if we wanted.
The portion May got was good for 4 to 5 pax and it proved plenty partly because she also ordered a few other dishes, but that’s another story which warrants its own post 😊