Welcome to Telok Ayer. Looking for Chinese places?

Halal Chinese Xinjiang restaurant?! 👀 Head over to Restaurant Aisyah on Arab Street, famed for its handmade pulled noodles and tender braised mutton! #BurppleBeyond members, enjoy 20% off when you order any two noodle dishes.

Must-try: The Spicy Dry Beef Noodles — perfect for spice lovers! These noodles are a steal, especially with leek leaves adding extra flavour and a fiery kick. And don’t miss the Chili Oil Dumplings! These generously filled, thin-skinned dumplings come with your choice of chicken, beef, or mutton.

Photo by Burppler Raine Liu

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Had a weekday lunch with my fellow colleagues at Fu Lin Bar and Kitchen. They have an interesting and unique concept, being a bar by night and a yong tau foo place by day, both extremely popular in their own right.

The first thing that caught our attention, which definitely cannot be missed, is their interior design. It is well decorated with a special theme that pays homage to the early era of modern China, centered around Chairman Mao memorabilia.

They offer a wide variety of the standard yong tau foo options, which you pick out and pay for immediately afterward. The speed of their service was shockingly fast. No more than five minutes after I returned to my seat, my buzzer rang for me to collect my food.

In that short span of time, they had re-fried the items I picked out, and they were all crispy and piping hot. What makes them stand out, however, is their meat gravy, which is generously blanketed over the yong tau foo and mixed in with the bowl of noodles. The meat gravy had many chunks of meat, with a perfect level of consistency and just the right amount of saltiness.

They are located right in the heart of the CBD, along Telok Ayer Street. As usual for any popular lunch spot in the area, the place becomes extremely packed starting from 11 am onwards, and rightfully so for their excellent food quality, efficient service, and affordable price!

Crispy, savory, addictive!
Deep-fried prawn paste chicken from Lai Huat is a must try item!
Succulent chicken pieces coated in a flavorful prawn paste, fried to a golden crisp.
Umami flavor explosion in every bite!
Highly recommended.

Chef Eugene See informed us that the Charred Marinated Octopus (SGD $32) would soon be removed from the menu, as the season was ending.
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This features a whole octopus leg, perfectly grilled then marinated in Sichuan pickled green chili salsa, sun-dried joyn tomato, feta cheese, and baby arugula / rocket leaves.
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Paired with toasted charcoal pita bread and spring onions, you mix everything together and stack it within the bun.
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This has soft springy juicy crisp textures, with lovely bready earthy savoury sweet vegetal herbal sour flavour.
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Birds Of A Feather
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/06/birds-of-feather-2024.html

The Oxtail Mapo Tofu (SGD $38) was delicious, hearty, and filling. Served in a hefty stone bowl (which keeps it warm), the large bone-in braised oxtail has meat and tendon which just falls off the bone.
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Together with the rich mapo tofu (with tender minced beef and soft silken tofu bean curd) and its garnish of crisp spring onions and crunchy white sesame seeds, this carries rich meaty grainy savoury salty sweet spice vegetal nutty flavour.
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Accompanied by a bowl of soft fluffy moist steamed white rice dressed with crunchy black sesame seeds, carrying grainy sweet nutty flavour.
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Birds Of A Feather
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/06/birds-of-feather-2024.html

The Barramundi Chazuke (SGD $36) is now on its 4th revision.
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This latest version features a classic hearty Sichuan / Szechuan stew of pickled mustard greens, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, leeks, spring onions, and Japanese white rice, in a warm fish bone soup / broth that has been stewed for hours.
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The ingredients are soft and tender while the soup / broth carries robust grainy sweet savoury sour salty earthy spice flavours.
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The medium large slab of pan-fried barramundi fish fillet sits on top, with a garnish of juicy ikura / salmon fish roe that bursts with briny salty flavour.
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The boneless barramundi fish fillet is tender flaky moist, with a smoky sweet savoury flavour that is nicely enticing.
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The bubbling stew looks so appetizing when served, and the crisp rice wafer gradually dissolves within.
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Birds Of A Feather
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/06/birds-of-feather-2024.html

The Winter Melon Tea Ice Jelly (SGD $16) is a novel modern dessert creation.
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This features soft juicy compressed winter melon chunks, wobbly gelatinous winter melon tea infused ice jelly / aiyu jelly, chewy dried longan and goji berry / wolfberry meringue, and a rich compote of winter melon and dried longan, dressed with edible flowers.
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This carries a lovely aroma, with distinct fruity earthy herbal sweet floral candied flavour.
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Birds Of A Feather
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/06/birds-of-feather-2024.html

The Crab And Avocado Bruschetta (SGD $18) is a little morsel of luxury. A base of fluffy soft toasted brioche bread is topped with a chunky moist tartare made from deshelled crab meat, avocado guacamole, and Sichuan spices.
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Garnished with crunchy pomegranate seeds, crisp green apple slices, juicy sturgeon fish caviar, and edible flowers. Bite in and you get the lovely smoky bready sweet vegetal earthy salty briny savoury fruity floral flavour.
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Birds Of A Feather
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/06/birds-of-feather-2024.html

The Find The Chicken In The Chillies (SGD $19), also known as Laziji / Spicy Firecracker Chicken / Mala Chicken, features marinated then deep-fried pieces of boneless chicken chunks, tossed with dried Sichuan chilli pepper, spicy bean paste, Sichuan mala peppercorn, garlic, ginger, leeks, spring onions, and white sesame seeds.
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Each satisfying bite of the crispy tender chicken releases a bold savoury salty spicy flavour, tingling the palate and piquing the appetite. Yummy and addictive, among the best renditions I've had.
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The 2024 version doesn't include kale anymore, though price has remained the same as before.
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Birds Of A Feather
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2024/06/birds-of-feather-2024.html

Exemplary

Once in a while these ridiculously priced things deliver and I am happy. Tea tree mushrooms, ridiculously tender Duroc pork belly that's perfectly fatty, crispy claypot rice that's better than most hawkers(it's not burnt at all), fried kale, sichuan spices and onsen egg.

Blast after blast of incredible umami and texture. One of the best things I've eaten

The wait time is more than 20mins so call ahead to let them prepare in advance

Must try