Zi Char - Teck Ee Seafood

Zi Char - Teck Ee Seafood
277C Compassvale Link #01-13


Decent Zi Char At Buangkok MRT

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 6
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $14 per person.


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Teck Ee Seafood is a neighbourhood Zi Char outlet located directly outside Buangkok MRT. Residents of the nearby Compassvale / Sengkang East are relatively familiar with it, and Teck Ee Seafood tends to draw crowds during dinner time on weekends. I feel the food is rather decent, simple but done well, but Teck Ee Seafood is only worth visiting if you're nearby.

Ambience at Teck Ee Seafood is semi-relaxing, as the place is completely open, sheltered only by a high ceiling. Surrounded on on side by plants, the road and main shopping area is some distance away so it's not annoying or noisy. Spacious enough even for many groups of diners. However, high ambient temperatures and wet weather could cause problems for Teck Ee Seafood diners.

Service at Teck Ee Seafood is decent for a Zi Char place. Staff are relatively friendly, and quick to seat you and take orders. They'll able to converse in both English and Mandarin, though don't expect restaurant quality service, it's more of a casual, heartland style. While staff here do make recommendations, I notice they also try to upsell the more premium seafood dishes. Food is prepared and served very quickly, typically within 10 minutes even during peak periods.

Food at Teck Ee Seafood is typical Chinese style Zi Char, with their specialities including their Red Grouper Fish Head Steamboat, Assam Fish Head, and Pork Ribs. Dishes are mostly decent, tasty enough, but not high-end restaurant quality, good enough for a simple meal. Portions are designed for communal dining. Prices vary depending on what you order, in general, budget about SGD $14 per person for a meal here without any seafood. With seafood dishes, budget about SGD $25 per person.


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The large, open area here is often packed during dinner time, especially on the weekends. Despite being completely sheltered, wet weather may still affect some of the tables, due to the high ceiling, as strong winds could blow rain droplets into the sheltered area.

Teck Ee Seafood Kitchen

Teck Ee Seafood Menu 01

Teck Ee Seafood Menu 02

The Garlic Nai Bai / Milk Cabbage (SGD $8 Small / $10 Medium / $12 Large) has nai bai / milk cabbage that is fresh and crunchy, stir fried well such that it's clean tasting. Simple, but done well, and tasty.

Garlic Nai Bai / Milk Cabbage

The Sambal Kang Kong (SGD $7 Small / $9 Medium / $10 Large) is rather average. While fresh and crunchy, I felt the chili could have been slightly more spicy, and the vegetables less oily. Overall an average dish, nothing terrible or outstanding about it.

Sambal Kang Kong

The house speciality of Assam Fish Head (SGD $20) features a fresh, meaty piece of red snapper fish head, in a tangy, sour gravy of tamarind, loaded with various vegetables including long beans, tomatoes, onions, pineapples, lady's fingers / okra, and chili. The gravy is wonderfully tasty, not overly spicy, and goes great with rice, and the vegetables are fresh. The fish is easy to eat, albeit with a few small bones which need to be picked out carefully.

Assam Fish Head 01

Assam Fish Head 02

The house speciality is the Assam Fish Head, and they've used the soup / base stock to create their own version of Tom Yum Seafood Soup (SGD $6 Small / $10 Medium / $15 Large). You get a strong assam / tamarind flavour in the soup, a hint of lemongrass, and a good punch of chili heat. Definitely not a traditional Thai Tom Yum Soup, but tasty nonetheless! Packed with vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, straw mushrooms, and tomatoes, but I felt the actual seafood was rather lacking, having only a few slices of batang / spanish mackerel fish, squid, and prawns, not enough to fuly distribute to all diners. If you're going for seafood, skip this, but if you want a tasty soup, you may consider ordering it. I personally didn't mind not having enough seafood, because the soup was delicious!

Tom Yum Seafood Soup 01

Tom Yum Seafood Soup 02

The Pork Ribs (SGD $10 Small / $13 Medium / $16 Large) here are super tasty! The pork meat is deboned, served in small, bite sized chunks, and is tender and moist. But the winner is the sauce / marinade, savoury and sweet, like a sticky glaze that holds well to the meat. Very good!

Pork Ribs

The Signature Beancurd (SGD $10 Small / $13 Medium / $16 Large) features large cubes of soft tofu, topped with a reddish, minced pork meat and black bean sauce. Mildly spicy, the meat sauce is incredibly savoury and addictive, I wished for more of it to eat with rice / porridge!

Signature Beancurd

The Prawn Paste Chicken (SGD $10 Small / $13 Medium / $16 Large) is satisfiyingly crisp on the outside, yet still moist and tender inside. The skin is tasty and crunches nicely, while the chicken meat is piping hot and fresh. Above average dish worth ordering!

Prawn Paste Chicken

The Dried Shrimp With French Beans (SGD $8 Small / $10 Medium / $12 Large) has fresh, juicy, still rather crunchy french beans, lightly stir fried with a little dried shrimp. I like that this isn't too oily, and the shrimp taste is not overpowering, you can still taste the freshness of the vegetables! Simple dish, done well!

Dried Shrimp With French Beans

The Yam Ring (SGD $16) has an excellent, well fried yam ring exterior, crisp outside but soft and savoury inside. It's let down somewhat by the rather average stuffings within... Even though it's filled with chicken chunks, shiitake mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, onions, broccoli, and fresh prawns, the overall taste profile is decent, but not outstanding. The gravy could also have been more gooey and savoury.

Yam Ring

The Beancurd Thick Soup (SGD $8 Small / $12 Medium / $15 Large) is possibly among the best dishes here! The soup / broth is thick and savoury, absolutely fragrant with sliced shiitake mushrooms, soft tofu / beancurd, and diced prawns. Comforting and satisfiying, highly recommended!

Beancurd Thick Soup

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