Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant - (亚乌海鲜楼) Classic Teochew Restaurant in Singapore

Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant (亚乌海鲜楼) has a history that goes back 100 years. It is possibly Singapore’s oldest Teochew restaurant. Like many people who like Teochew food, we have known of Ah Orh Teochew restaurant at Jalan Bukit Merah (formerly at Ellenborough Market) for a long time. But did not realise it goes back 100 years!

Ah Orh Teochew Restaurant at
Jalan Bukit Merah

In the course of searching for the Ah Orh Seafood restaurant’s menu, I came across a Straits Times article published in 2016. From there I learnt that it had been in business since 1919 and other interesting facts about the family that runs it. Simple classic Teochew cuisine is what Ah Orh is known for. Since 1997, they have operated at their current premises on the ground floor of a HDB block void deck in Jalan Bukit Merah. It is quite a large space with both an air-conditioned space and outdoor tables.

Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant Menu

The Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant menu contains the usual Teochew restaurant classics. Fish, crabs and other seafood are what draws many people here. They are marked “market price” and can also be quite expensive. Popular tze char dishes like prawn paste chicken and fried Teochew kuay teow are more affordable choices. The steamed pomfret and oyster omelette are two of the most favoured dishes. These were what we ordered.

Our Teochew Food Lunch at Ah Orh

Our lunch at Ah Orh that day was simple – oyster omelette ($13), steamed pomfret ($60) and steamed rice. Teochew food is known for simplicity and light taste. We brought along a bottle of dry NZ Sauvignon Blanc to go with the food.

Pomfret and Oyster Omelette at Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant

The highlight of our lunch was the promfret. It is what Teochew steamed fish should be – very fresh, elegant and steamed just right. It is always a luxury to share a whole fish between only two people. An important part of the dish were the ingredients that were steamed with the fish. The vegetables, mushroom, sour plums etc combine so well to create a wonderfully delicate fish broth.

The oyster omelette at Ah Orh is the pure egg (or-nrgn) version, as compared to the more common or-luak that has flour added. What made this dish at Ah Orh stand out from others are the oysters. They are big, plump and sweet tasting, without the fishiness that sometimes big oysters have.