Whenever I crave Teochew cuisine, I will always think of Ah Orh although the go-to restaurant in my group of friends is Mu Liang Zai Teochew restaurant. Since that has closed down permanently, I quickly introduced Ah Orh to my friends
Located at the void deck of a block of old housing estates in Bukit Merah, Ah Orh has been in business since 1919. Specialising in traditional Teochew cuisine, Ah Orh has a couple of popular dishes like cold crabs, oyster omelette, cold prawns, braised duck, chilled pork jelly and Teochew-style steamed pomfret
With the brother restaurant in Sim Ming closed down in 2015, the one at Bukit Merah is the only one left serving the full menu. The restaurant is very basic in furnishings with both indoor and outdoor tables
We ordered the braised duck, pork belly and tofu which is full of umami flavour. The braising sauce is thick with the fragrance of soy sauce and other spices but not overly herbal. The flavours totally permeate the tender and juicy meat. Just this 1 dish alone can finish off 1 bowl of rice easily as it is a great compliment to white rice
We also had the fish maw soup which was served in a clay pot so the soup was still boiling when served. By itself, the soup is on the lighter side and might be bland for some but once I added vinegar, the soup was much better. The serving of fish maw in the soup was not as generous as I wished and in terms of flavours, I had better ones elsewhere
Next was the famous prawn rolls which are one of the popular dishes ordered by regular customers. The skin of the prawn rolls is crispy and the five-spice flavours in the meat filling are quite strong. The taste is very traditional although I find it slightly dry
One of the dishes I really love is their oyster egg omelette which came with extremely huge and juicy oysters which are semi-cooked and laid on top of a fluffy and crispy egg omelette. Different from the ones from the hawker stalls, this version comes without the flour so the omelette is just a crispy well-fried egg. The oyster is served with a light gravy which is full of the sea umami flavours and it complemented the light flavours of the egg omelette
Last but not least we could not leave without trying the Orh Nee dessert ( yam paste) which was so popular in the past that you have to call and reserve in advance as only a limited quantity is made on a daily basis. The yam paste is slightly coarser than I remembered it to be but in terms of flavour, it was still thick and creamy with the right amount of sweetness. I can eat at least 2 bowls of the yam paste
Overall, I have eaten at Ah Orh at least 3 to 4 times over the years and I do notice that in my recent visit, the standard of the dishes is not on par with previous years. This could be due to the retirement of older chefs and changing of chefs. While the standard is not as before, most of the dishes are still pretty good and they still attract many regulars who like a traditional Teochew meal
Address: 115 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-1627, Singapore 160115
Operating hours: 11 am to 2 pm and 5.30 pm to 9 pm ( closed on Mon)
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