Zi Char

The robust cloudy soup / broth is stewed for over 3 hours with pork bones and dried sole fish, resulting in a punchy meaty fishy savoury sweet flavour.
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Garnishes of crisp napa cabbage, tender yam / taro chunks, wispy seaweed, and crunchy cai xin / choy sum, combine to lend vegetal earthy sweet flavour.
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The generous chunks of bone-in and boneless red grouper fish are tender and flaky, with meaty sweet savoury flavour, holding up well in the roiling boil of the charcoal fire steamboat. Note that no milk is added.
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While each order of steamboat already comes filled with ingredients, you can opt to add-on additional ingredients.
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Nan Hua Chang (Traditional) Fish Head Steamboat
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/08/zi-char-nan-hua-chang-traditional-fish.html

The Cuttlefish Kang Kong (SGD $12 / $16 / $20) features fresh crisp kang kong / water spinach with vegetal sweet flavour, and slippery smooth chunks of cuttlefish with neutral flavour, in a piquant thick gravy of fermented shrimp paste, plum sauce, hoi sin sauce, and rock sugar, resulting in a sweet sour salty herbal nutty flavour. Enticing to the palate.
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The Signature Fermented Bean Curd Fried Pork Belly (SGD $12 / $18 / $22) has tender chewy chunks of pork belly coated in a crisp red fermented bean curd batter, and each bite carries lovely savoury meaty earthy salty flavour. Served with a light chili and white vinegar sauce on the side for a touch of sour spicy heat that tingles.
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The Salted Egg Chicken (SGD $12 / $18 / $22) has boneless chicken chunks stir-fried with salted egg yolk and curry leaves till crisp crunchy in texture, carrying addictive eggy salty savoury spice flavour. Their rendition is well coated, with the salted egg yolk sauce clinging to each piece of chicken.
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The Oyster Omelette (SGD $12 / $18 / $22) features an egg omelette that is crisp fluffy around the edges, and soft tender in the center, with eggy savoury salty sweet flavour. The large juicy oysters carry briny salty savoury flavour, pairing well with the spicy chili sauce on the side.
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The Signature Tofu Bean Curd (SGD $12 / $18 / $22) features dense spongy soft tofu bean curd strips, covered with a crisp batter. Each bite has a pleasant grainy salty savoury sweet flavour. Their rendition seems more dense than elsewhere.
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Nan Hua Chang (Traditional) Fish Head Steamboat
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/08/zi-char-nan-hua-chang-traditional-fish.html

We loved their rendition, which has excellent wok hei / breath of the wok.
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The wide flat rice noodles has absorbed the soy sauce stock, completed with wispy egg, crisp bean sprouts, and tender moist beef slices. Bursts with smoky grainy savoury salty meaty eggy sweet vegetal flavour.
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Can see why this is popular.
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Yen Sen Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/05/zi-char-yen-sen-seafood.html

Our favourite dish here, this has a large claypot filled with a robust nam yu / fermented red tofu bean curd gravy, lending bold sweet savoury salty flavour.
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The pieces of succulent tender juicy pork belly, chewy dried bean curd sheets, crisp carrot strips, crunchy black fungus / wood ear fungus, and fresh coriander, combine for meaty vegetal savoury salty sweet earthy grainy flavour.
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Best paired with white rice.
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Yen Sen Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/05/zi-char-yen-sen-seafood.html

Established since April 1997, Yen Sen Seafood is a humble heartland zi char stall in the far flung north of Singapore. With a captive audience and regular footfall, Yen Sen Seafood is well patronised, and their menu is extensive.
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Loved the Hot Plate Venison (SGD $18), with the tender medium thick moist slices of venison tossed with spring onions and ginger. Combined, the flavours of smoky meaty savoury salty vegetal herbal spice are delicious and robust. Served sizzling on a hot plate, so satisfying.
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An uncommon dish, the Fermented Bean Curd Celtuce / Fu Yu You Mai (SGD $9) has crunchy fresh celtuce / you mai, glazed with a light fu yu / fermented tofu bean curd gravy. This has light vegetal savoury sweet flavour, nice.
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The Sambal Sweet Potato Leaves (SGD $8) are well stir-fried, the sambal belachan / fermented shrimp paste chili coating the soft tender sweet potato leaves. This has nice vegetal earthy spicy savoury salty flavour, yum.
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The Cereal Prawns (SGD $13) were well executed, with the crisp juicy shell-on prawns peeling easily. The crunchy cereal oats coating lends an addictive grainy salty savoury spice note to the natural sweet savoury flavour of the prawns.
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Disappointed by the Pipa Chicken (SGD $13), largely because the roast chicken was dry in texture, though it held meaty sweet savoury salty flavour. The gravy carries robust fermented shrimp paste, tasting similar to a rojak gravy.
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Yen Sen Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/05/zi-char-yen-sen-seafood.html

The star is the rich creamy soup / broth, infused with sweet savoury herbal flavour from the crab, tempered by the silky smooth thick rice vermicelli noodles with mild grainy sweet flavour, and the crisp napa cabbage with vegetal sweet notes.
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The large meaty fresh Sri Lankan crab holds excellent sweet savoury flavour, and the shell is already pre-cracked to make it easy to peel.
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Will return just to eat this again next time.
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Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/01/keng-eng-kee-seafood-2023.html

Among the iconic dishes that Keng Eng Kee Seafood is known for.
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This Chinese Zi Char dishes packs loads of wok hei / breath of the wok, infusing the mix of wide flat rice noodles, egg, mackerel fish slices, deshelled prawns, spring onions, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and pork lard, with beautiful smoky aroma.
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The combination of ingredients have a smooth slippery juicy crunchy bouncy tender texture, and carry robust smoky savoury salty sweet flavour.
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Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/01/keng-eng-kee-seafood-2023.html

This was recommended by staff, and it was possibly the best dish here.
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Sourced fresh, the chicken was perfectly roasted, with a crisp crunchy skin that bursts with salty savoury flavour. Beneath, the bouncy tender chicken meat comes easily off the bone, carrying lovely meaty sweet savoury flavour.
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Paired with a light chicken salt on the side for added depth of salty savoury notes.
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So good, we wished for more.
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Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/01/keng-eng-kee-seafood-2023.html

This has small bouncy squid rings coated in a crispy salted egg yolk batter.
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With a light crunch when bit, followed by pleasant salty spice savoury flavour next, this was rather addictive.
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We kept reaching for more.
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Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/01/keng-eng-kee-seafood-2023.html

Among the better renditions around.
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The pork ribs, boneless and well-marinated with a thick coffee reduction glaze, are tender and juicy with a light chew to texture, carrying robust smoky earthy meaty savoury sweet salty flavour.
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Keng Eng Kee (KEK) Seafood
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/01/keng-eng-kee-seafood-2023.html

This was excellent, a highlight of our visit.
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The crisp chicken skin and juicy tender chicken meat comes cleanly off the bone, releasing an addictive burst of meaty sweet salty savoury flavour with each bite.
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Served with chicken salt on the side, though I felt the chicken was already sufficiently delicious on its own. Yum.
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Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2022/08/jia-wei-chinese-restaurant.html

A visual treat as it's served in a boat-shaped opeh leaf.
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The silky thin rice vermicelli noodles pick up the gravy well, having a bold sweet salty savoury earthy flavour.
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The garnish of "ocean gems" include tender boneless mackerel fish chunks and bouncy deshelled prawns, both with meaty sweet savoury flavour, along with crunchy leeks and tender straw mushrooms with vegetal earthy sweet flavour.
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A dish that practically begs to be slurped up.
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Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2022/08/jia-wei-chinese-restaurant.html