Uniquely Singapore dinner at Ah Hoi's Kitchen, Hotel Jen Singapore

I guess I've mentioned quite a lot of times before how happy it makes me when friends come to visit. Much more when they do come to visit and make time for me and Paul! Being travelers ourselves, we know how crazy one's trip itinerary can be so we don't normally demand people to meet up with us as we know they'd rather spend those hours exploring beautiful Singapore. So, when friends would message us and ask us if we're free to meet up for a meal, we'd make it a point to say yes and would go through great lengths to ensure that they'll indeed have a good meal. It's the least that we can do for their thoughtfulness and love, right?

So, when my favorite foodie friends Dedet and Cyrene flew to Singapore over the weekend, we agreed to meet up for dinner. Dedet's only request was to have something uniquely Singaporean. I don't know why but the first thing that came to mind was Ah Hoi's Kitchen, our go-to place for delicious crabs and their mouth-watering satay and black pepper kway teow. *drool*

Luckily, we still managed to get a nice table for 5 at Ah Hoi's Kitchen despite the short notice. The best part is, Hotel Jen has an ongoing promotion where you can get 25% off your bill when dining with family or friends either at Ah Hoi's Kitchen or Cafe Biz. We perfectly fit the requirement!

We started our meal with Ah Hoi's Combination (S$12). A small platter filled with tasting portions of deep-fried soft shelled crab, ngoh hiang and spring roll. The ngoh hiang was pretty good but what I liked the most was the spring roll. It tasted like a giant version of the crispy prawn rolls that I just love munching on. The soft shell crab was just a-okay. If you're a fan of deep-fried food then go for it other wise, you can actually skip this.



However, this is what you shouldn't miss. Ah Hoi's Satay (S$10) is definitely a must-order as you'll go crazy over the tender, flavorful grilled chicken, lamb and beef and the best thing about it is the satay sauce. To tell you how delicious it is, my friend Dedet loved it so much she asked our kind server to give us two more bowls of this. I have to admit though that it's definitely one of the best satay platters that I've had in the Lion City.

I like having veggies in every meal (yes, thank you Mommy for instilling this veggie-loving attitude in me). The best part is that Ah Hoi's makes a really good Poached Spinach with Conpoy and Trio Egg in Superior Stock (S$12) dish. Seriously, I can have this and a bowl of fried rice and I'd be so happy with that. The spinach has a good bite and the flavorful trio egg (century, salted, chicken) and the superior stock just perfectly showcased the chef's cooking expertise. Oh sooo yummy!

During one of my earlier visits to Ah Hoi's Kitchen, Paul and I were able to try the Grilled Pork Ribs in Champagne Sauce (S$18) and we loved it very much. I was quite confident that my foodie friends will love this too. I was right! We all swooned at how tender the meat was that it literally could fall off the bone. The sauce had this sticky honey sweet flavor that made us lick our lips with so much happiness after.

Now, the star of the night -- Black Pepper Sri Lankan Crab (S$72). While every visitor in Singapore normally would go for the deadly Chili Crabs, I'm glad that my friends were one with me in preferring the Black Pepper version more. My taste buds obviously cheered with joy! Ah Hoi's Kitchen serves one of the best crabs in the island, from the ones that I've had so far. Each piece gives you a generous serving of meat and you can really enjoy the flavorful seeping through the inside of the crab. Sri Lankan crabs are huge so make sure to share this with a group.

Of course, together with crabs, a visit to Singapore will never be complete without having Cereal Prawns and that's what we exactly had that evening. We all know that the perfect cereal prawns should have the perfect buttery sweet cereals that will make you want more rice. While I would have preferred for the prawns to be more on the crispier side just so I can eat the whole thing. With this one though, I have to carefully remove the shell to avoid any unnecessary gum injuries in the process.

Lastly, I loved Ah Hoi's Kitchen's Black Pepper Char Kway Teow with Seafood (S$15). It's really unique and different from the usual sweet salty kuey teow being sold in most hawker centres. This one comes with a generous portion of seafood and that slightly spicy kick brought about by the black pepper. It was so good but I guess it has an acquired taste especially as the sweet version is really popular. Nonetheless, this holds a special place in my food-loving heart ♥

I'm so happy to be able to take my friends to one of my favorite restaurants here in Singapore. I mean, what's not to love about Ah Hoi's Kitchen? You get your favorite Singaporean dishes together with superb well-attended service and the cool breeze of the Orchard Road/Tanglin area at night.

Family Get-Together Promotion (March 2015)
Should you be dining at Ah Hoi's Kitchen this month, be sure to take a nice group photo and post this up on Facebook or Instagram while tagging @Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore and the hashtags #HotelJen #FamilyGetTogether. Upon billing out, show the post to your server and tadah! you instantly get the 25% discount. Click here for more info.

Visit Ah Hoi's Kitchen at the 4th level of Hotel Jen Tanglin, 1A Cuscaden Road, Singapore (it's right beside the Singapore Tourism Board office and Tanglin Mall.  Call 6738-2222 to make a reservation.