Food trends come and go, but for many of us, nothing beats some hearty, no-frills zi char. If old-school zi char is your idea of comfort food, we’ve got one more spot for you to add to your list—Hua Yu Wee Seafood Restaurant, an Upper East Coast Road institution that really takes you down memory lane.
They’ve been around since the 1950s, making them more than 70 years old! The restaurant even looks the part, housed in an old-school bungalow that’s even been recognised as a landmark on the Bedok Heritage Trail. That’s not their only honorific mention; Hua Yu Wee Seafood Restaurant was also a bronze-category awardee in the Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao Best Asian Restaurants awards in 2017 and 2018!
Their Feng Sha Chicken ($36.72) is a must-order here. This dish sees a deboned chicken, marinated and deep-fried to crisp brown perfection, then served with a bright green chilli dip.
Another meat dish that you can’t miss is Coffee Ribs (from $15.12), a classic zi char favourite; otherwise, their Crispy Pork Belly (price TBA) is said to be melt-in-the-mouth tender.
Hua Yu Wee don’t call themselves a Seafood Restaurant for nothing—take a look at their tagged photos, and you’ll find that almost every poster orders themselves at least one seafood dish. There’s Black Pepper Crab ($73.50 for 800g), Deep Fried Butter Crab, and Salt and Pepper Baked Crab, to say the least.
For the quintessential Singaporean crab dish, go for Crab w Ketchup & Chilli Sauce, AKA chilli crab.
Alternatively, consider their crayfish or prawn dishes. You can opt to have your prawns with, or without shells! There are nine different ways you can have your prawns, including Italiana Herb Sauce Prawn, Gong Bao Prawn, Drunken Prawn and more. Most of their seafood options are priced seasonally.
One other seafood dish that’s pretty popular at Hua Yu Wee Seafood Restaurant is Deep Fried Baby Squid (from $15.12), fried to a crisp and tossed in a sweet-savoury glaze.
Complete your meal with one of their carb options too, such as Smooth Eggs Seafood Hor Fan w Gravy (from $12.96), La La Hor Fan (from $16.20), or even Silver Fish Fried Rice (from $10.80).
End your meal with Yam Paste w Gingko Nut ($4.86), where the traditional Teochew dessert here is said to be rich and smooth, fragrant with lard oil and pandan.
Another old-school zi char eatery in the East Coast is Jin Wee Restaurant, which has been around since 1963. Otherwise, head to Geylang for Eat First, a famous Cantonese zi char restaurant that has reopened at their father’s original location!
Address: 462 Upper East Coast Road, Singapore 466508
Opening hours: Daily 5pm to 11pm
Tel: 6442 9313
Website
Hua Yu Wee Seafood Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery
Feature image adapted from @yellowcarnivoreeats, @kef.d.phenomenal, @pareennn_eats