Foodie Paradise

Seow Choon Hua Restaurant
33 Sultan Gate
Singapore 198481

Ratings: 4.5/5.0

On the day where my trusty pink camera decided to fail me (or rather it was due to carelessness on my part for not switching it off after use thus resulting in a flat battery), I ended up flipping open my pink cell phone to do a bit of photo taking. As I’ve only just gotten my new cell phone, I was actually fumbling with its function while taking these photos. Therefore, the photos turned out to be really blurred this time round.

Talking about cell phones, my old Samsung phone had actually kaput in less than a month after the end of its warranty period. The repair cost was estimated to be more than a hundred dollars. I had to get a new phone in the end.

Seow Choon Hua restaurant is located at Sultan Gate, an Arab area in Singapore. While I was on my way there for my lunch, aromatic whiffs of Nasi Padang greeted me from the numerous Muslim stalls. I was so tempted to just ditch my intended lunch location and settle for some nice curry instead.

Thankfully, I didn’t. Despite being located in an Arab area, Seow Choon Hua sells really great Fuzhou cuisine. Lunch there was really memorable and I have definitely labelled the place as one of my favourite eating places in Singapore!

红糟鸡面线 - Red Wine Chicken Thread Noodles

It is rare to find Red Wine Chicken Thread Noodles in Singapore and what’s more, a really delicious bowl of thread noodles.

When I had my first mouthful of the thread noodles, the first thought that came to my mind was, "This is really great." By the second mouthful, I was hooked to this dish.

This dish is actually cooked with the red vinasse, the vinasse of the Shaohsing wine. Red vinasse was first discovered during the Song Dynasty in China and is a common ingredient in Chinese medicine and cuisine due to its numerous health benefits. According to research, it can help to reduce cholesterol and hypertension. Some of the beneficial substances it contains include Monacolin K, y-GABA, Glucosamine, and Lecithin.

The soup has a mixture of sweet and sour taste, thus making this dish especially appetising. Together with the soft and smooth thread noodles, this bowl of noodles is simply irresistible. However, this dish is best eaten hot, as a tinge of bitterness can be tasted after a while when the soup cools.

Unlike the usual Lor Mee that we can find in most of the hawker stalls around Singapore, the Fuzhou Lor Mee that is sold at Seow Choon Hua is slightly different. Instead of the characteristic dark broth of the usual Lor Mee, the broth for this Lor Mee is actually clear. The ingredients in the Lor Mee are also unique. There are fried wantons, char siews, Fuzhou fishballs, and many other ingredients in the Lor Mee which I’ve forgotten what they are.

However, like all other Lor Mees, they are always best eaten with lots of vinegar added to it!

I have grown up eating and loving the Lor Mee with the dark broth. Being so accustomed to the taste of that type of Lor Mee, there is definitely a personal taste bias involed when I eat the Fu Zhou Lor Mee. In comparison, the Fu Zhou Lor Mee has a milder taste. Nevertheless, it is definitely very delectable.

To side track for a while, this place is actually famous for its tasty Fu Zhou Fishballs. The difference between a Fu Zhou fishballs and a usual fishball is that in the middle of a Fu Zhou fishball, there is actually a piece of minced pork in it, unlike the usual fishballs. Despite being very soft, the Fu Zhou fishballs there are also very chewy.

福州算盘子- Fu Zhou Yam Abacus

The Fu Zhou Yam Abacus is also another unique dish sold at Seow Choon Hua Restaurant. Compared to the Yam Abacus sold at Shunfu Road, the Fu Zhou Yam Abacus is definitely less oily. I don’t really like yam abacus a lot personally, but I got to say they taste fine at Seow Choon Hua.

Btw, if anyone happens to know which is the best Nasi Padang stall in that area, please drop me a comment and I’ll visit the place the next time I’m in that area!