Zi Char - Yen Sen Seafood
678A Choa Chu Kang Crescent #01-01
https://www.burpple.com/yen-seng-seafood-choa-chu-kang-crescent
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| Hot Plate Venison (SGD $18) |
Reliable Heartland Zi Char
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $25 per person.
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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.
Ambience at Yen Sen Seafood is shared with the coffee shop it's located in. This means functional modern furniture, bright lighting, and a relatively clean but bustling space. The extensive menu of pictures is displayed storefront, drawing the eye.
Service at Yen Sen Seafood is friendly but brusque. Staff display good product knowledge of the menu, offering recommendations and brief descriptions, though they always seem hurried. With limited seating, they clean up quickly when diners are done.
Food at Yen Sen Seafood is typical Singaporean style zi char. Ingredients are fresh, and quality is about average, neither terrible nor fantastic . The kitchen fulfils orders fast. Portions are sized for sharing. Prices are comparable to elsewhere, budget about SGD $25 per person.
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| Yen Sen Seafood Kitchen |
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| Yen Sen Seafood Signage |
A straightforward White Rice (SGD $1), fluffy sticky with grainy sweet flavour. A reliable staple to pair with gravy-heavy dishes.
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| White Rice (SGD $1) |
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. Worth ordering!
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| Sambal Sweet Potato Leaves (SGD $8) |
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| Sambal Sweet Potato Leaves |
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. Good!
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| Fermented Bean Curd Celtuce / Fu Yu You Mai (SGD $9) |
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| Fermented Bean Curd Celtuce / Fu Yu You Mai |
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. Could be improved.
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| Pipa Chicken (SGD $13) |
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| Pipa Chicken |
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. Good!
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| Cereal Prawns (SGD $13) |
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| Cereal Prawns |
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. Highly recommended!
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| Hot Plate Venison (SGD $18) |
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| Hot Plate Venison |
Our favourite dish here, the Claypot Fermented Red Bean Curd Nam Yu & Pork Belly (SGD $18) has a large claypot filled with a robust nam yu / fermented red tofu bean curd gravy, lending bold sweet savoury salty flavour. 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. Best paired with white rice. Highly recommended!
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| Claypot Fermented Red Bean Curd Nam Yu & Pork Belly (SGD $18) |
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| Claypot Fermented Red Bean Curd Nam Yu & Pork Belly |
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| Claypot Fermented Red Bean Curd Nam Yu & Pork Belly |
The Pork Trotters Vermicelli (SGD $11) has wobbly gelatinous chunks of pork trotters, tossed with silky rice vermicelli noodles, wispy egg, crisp bean sprouts, and crunchy choy sum / Chinese flowering cabbage. This carries a lovely smoky fatty meaty eggy vegetal sweet savoury flavour, feels decadent. Good!
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| Pork Trotters Vermicelli (SGD $11) |
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| Pork Trotters Vermicelli |
We loved the Dry Beef Hor Fun (SGD $7), which has excellent wok hei / breath of the wok. 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. Can see why this is popular. Highly recommended!
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| Dry Beef Hor Fun (SGD $7) |
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| Dry Beef Hor Fun |
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