Chao Ting 潮亭- Premium Teochew Porridge (Pao Fan) at Far East Square

Chao Ting 潮亭 is a small restaurant specialising in premium Teochew porridge. It is a casual eatery right next door to the formal restaurant – Zui Yu Xuan Teochew Cuisine. Both of them are part of the Jumbo Restaurant Group.

According to their website, “Chao Ting introduces innovative modern twists to classic dishes while honouring Teochew tradition, and offers a slightly decadent rendition with our “Premier” ‘Pao Fan’. … our ‘Pao Fan’ guarantees fresh, delicious flavours and different textures in each mouthful—a treat worthy of even the imperial court”.

Chao Ting 潮亭- Premium Teochew Porridge (Pao Fan) at Far East Square

Chao Ting Menu

The menu of Chao Ting Far East Square is simple and straightforward. The only main dish is Teochew porridge which comes in three types of toppings – King Prawn ($11), Sliced Fish ($9) and Fried Sliced Fish ($9). There are some add-ons such as fried fish skin and fried egg floss.

Three Versions of Pao Fan

Since there were only three items to choose from, we decided to try all three. Basically, the foundation of all three dishes were the same – rice prepared in a very rich flavourful broth. To that, the prawns or fish slices were added.

The porridge was done in Teochew porridge style – with the grains still intact and not mushy like the Cantonese style. It reminded us of the soup type of paella. We had tried that at Can Solé, a hundred year old restaurant in Barcelona (read our post here). What they have in common is the intense seafood broth.

We can say that all three kinds of porridge that we had at Chao Ting 潮亭 Far East Square were very good. Unless you really like prawns, we suggest saving $2 and order either of the fish slice options as we found them equally enjoyable. The plain sliced fish is probably more healthy but the fried fish has a firmer nicer texture.