Old Lai Huat: Old-School Seafood Zi Char With Famous Sambal Belacan Fish

Old Lai Huat Seafood Restaurant has famous sambal belacan fish

Lai Huat is one of those names you’ll hear being thrown about when looking for old-school seafood zi char in Singapore. Specifically, it’s where you’ll go for deep-fried sambal belacan fish, a Singaporean seafood zi char classic created at Old Lai Huat Seafood Restaurant. 

Image credit: @mealsonaplane

There are a bunch of individual restaurants and franchises around Singapore today with the Lai Huat name selling the iconic dish, and that’s because most of them have some sort of connection to Lim Song Lai, who created the dish that he sold from a simple pushcart in 1951. 

Old Lai Huat Seafood Restaurant at Rangoon Road is run by Lim’s grandson, selling old-school seafood zi char since 1963. With the former head chef of Ophir Road and Lavender Street in the kitchen preparing their signature sambal belacan fish, this restaurant claims to be among Singapore’s best seafood restaurants!

Image credit: @hello_okiki

The Signature Sambal Belacan Fish is a whole fish that is deep-fried and liberally covered in so much of their house-made sambal belacan, the crispy fish skin is barely visible. Sweet and spicy without being overbearingly hot, the sambal elevates the meaty sole fish (from $40) and fancy pomfret (from $42) to a whole new level.

Image credit: @tokiowie

Old Lai Huat’s other speciality is their Chilli Crab (from $50), which pairs fresh, juicy crab with a rich, spicy gravy also made from their flavourful sambal. 

Image credit: @agirlandherfoods

Other than their chilli-based speciality dishes, the restaurant also serves a number of classic seafood zi char dishes. The Black Pepper Crayfish (from $30) is a fan favourite and features sweet crayfish stir-fried with a light black pepper sauce.

Image credit: @hello_okiki

For some carbs to balance out all the seafood, add their Mee Goreng to your order, with $5, $8 and $12 portions available. The slippery yellow noodles are tossed with egg, prawns, and chye sim in a glossy chilli-and tomato-based gravy, making it the go-to for many long-time patrons.

If you want to find more ideal zi char places for your family dinner, check out our list of 10 best zi char restaurants in Singapore or read our review of 18 Seafood for another place with unique zi char dishes on the menu worth trying.

Address: 223 Rangoon Road, #01-01/02, Singapore 218460
Opening hours: Daily 12pm to 2pm, 5pm to 11pm
Tel: 91062839
Website
Old Lai Huat Seafood Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.

Feature image adapted from @closetfoodiary and @old.lai.huat