Sik Wai Sin Eating House, Singapore

Anyone who wishes to eat real Chinese food, the kind of food we eat at our homes, nothing fancy but good down to earth food, must go to this place. If you are a non-Chinese, first time exploring Singapore and have not tasted Chinese food, this may or may not be the place to go. There is no air-con, no cushy seats, and if you are willing to have beads of perspiration trickling down your back and front, then this is the place to go. And of course, if you are willing to wait in line, without a number risking someone who came after you get a table earlier than you without your temper rising, then by all means proceed.

The trip there was meant to be a birthday treat to my buddy. She was game enough to wait for a good half hour in line. Old lady showed us to the table at the far end of the shophouse ground floor unit where the eating hall is. Away from the direction of all wall mounted fans. There is no menu. This is good old fashioned Chinese style ordering. You just have to look around at what the others are eating and you can just point to the dishes at the other tables.

These are mainly what they serve:
Watercress Soup
Steamed Fish Head in Soy Bean Paste
Stir Fry Kale
Soy Beancurd Cake (Semi Hard Tofu) with Prawns
Sweet Sour Pork Cubes
Salted Fish with Minced Pork

As there was just the both of us, we are restricted by our choices. If we had a bigger group, we could easily try out all of them.

The steamed fish head (half a head actually) was nicely steamed without a trace of muddy smell. Fermented bean paste mixture is then poured over with spring onions and chili slices for color presentation. I would have preferred the fish meat to be seasoned then steamed but I guess they believe in healthy style of cooking and not interfere with the topping. The paste is not overpowering with cubes of fried pork lard give the whole dish a different effect. When you crunch the fried pork lard in your mouth with a mouthful of fish meat and bean paste, everything comes together so beautifully.

 This dish was a bit too much for the both of us too but we nevertheless devoured all of it. The bean curd cubes were fried with the inside remaining soft, outside a layer of "skin". Prawns are relatively big and succulent but did not have a sweetness to them as some other restaurants do. I believe oyster sauce was the main sauce cooked with beaten egg garnished with spring onions.  This is the kind of food that granny cooks for homecoming. This is comfort food. This is best eaten immediately dished out of the wok and taste better in winter time.

The best performer to me, is this simple green. Lots of pork lard is probably used which gives it its shine and taste. The stems are soft because I think they parboiled it. I could eat the whole dish. Dollops of oyster sauce poured onto stems and leaves and when you bite into a piece which comes with the leaves and the stem, you taste the goodness of the vegetable nicely blended with the oils, sauce and its moisture. If you have a knife to cut the long pieces or a pair of scissors to cut before you eat then good for you. Otherwise, eat them leaves first. There is no other glamourous way to eat them unless you have a pair of scissors with you.






This is not the place where you can pair it with wine. You pair it with Chinese tea. And don't expect a receipt. There is no fancy cash tills and a pretty receptionist at the counter. Just an old couple at "front desk" where the old lady remembers what you ordered earlier and recites out what you ordered. She announces the figure that you have to pay. Ours with two small bowls of rice came up to SGD50. :)
We were overall satisfied with the food as we had no expectations. I will definitely include my folks in the next outing!

Sik Wai Sin Eating House
287 Geylang Road
Singapore