Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant Menu & Review. Traditional Teochew @ 115 Bukit Merah Singapore

Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant is a household name in Singapore with a multi-generational following, especially in the Teochew community (the only people you should trust to pick a Teochew restaurant 😄 ). It is the go-to place for many to savour traditional Teochew classics like steamed fish, cold crab, pork aspic, braised duck, oyster omelette, orh nee, etc. Ah Orh is a family friendly restaurant with reasonable prices. When you are here, you will hear most people around you banter in Teochew language 😄 Although I am not a Teochew (I am Cantonese), it feels so heartwarming to hear mother tongue spoken.




Restaurant name: 亞烏海鮮樓 Ah Orh Seafood
Address: 115 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-1627, Singapore 160115
Tel: +65 6275 7575
Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm | 5:30pm - 9:00pm

Ah Orh Seafood regulars come here for fish, crab, prawn, shellfish etc dishes done the traditional Teochew way.



Ah Orh also serves Teochew style pork, chicken and duck, vegetable, noodle dishes as well as desserts. Most small servings start at $13 plus GST. Seafood prices are seasonal.

Ah Orh only had a printed menu recently when the third generation took over the restaurant. In the past, Ah Orh had no printed menu because their fans know what they want and know by heart what Ah Orh serves.



I've been to Ah Orh Seafood numerous times since 2000 but this review is based on my most recent visit in Aug 2020 (today).

First things first, ask the staff if they have moulting crab - if they do, order their signature Teochew Cold Crab 凍蟹. You will not regret it.



The fresh crab is simply steamed and then served chilled. To say that the crustacean umami sweet savouriness is mind blowing is no exaggeration really.

The meat is uber fresh, juicy with a subtle soft crunch to the bite (but bits of shell get in the way a little - aiyoh..., crab is like that mah... ). The white flesh tastes sweet with subtle underlying brininess. The roe, liver and gut of the crab were ultra rich and creamy like eggy foie gras and smooth goose liver pate together.



If you get a moulting crab, you get double the shiokness. Cold Crab is a Must at Ah Orh.



Chilled Jelly Pork 豬皮凍 or pork aspic is another Teochew classic.



Chilled Jelly Pork is a pretty accurate description. This dish is made by boiling pig skin till it dissolved in the stock with a bit of soy sauce added. The stock with cut pig skin and chopped stewed pork is jellied, nowadays with the aid of a jelling agent and then chilled. The resulting jelly with pieces of stewed pig skin and meat suspended inside is cut into thick strips and served chilled.



Mixed platter of Braised Pork Belly, Duck 滷鴨 and Bean Curd.



I like it that the braising stock is just mildly savoury herbal so that I can taste the natural sweet flavour of duck in its tender juicy meat and skin.



Oyster Omelette 煎蠔蛋.



The juicy plump oysters and savoury sauce were laid on a large fried egg omelette like a soft fluffy pizza. It's a nice blend of savoury, oyster and eggy flavours.



Crispy Chicken Skin with Sotong (Squid) Paste.



Nice savoury sweet tender squid paste between savoury crispy chicken skin.



The obligatory Prawn Roll 蝦棗 with a bit of prawn embedded in minced pork, yam paste, water chestnut, starch etc flavoured with Chinese five spice wrapped in tofu skin and deep fried to a browned crisp outside. Full flavoured and not overly meaty.



Leather Jacket Fish Braised with Bitter Gourd and Black Bean Sauce.



We like the savoury fermented black bean sauce layered with subtle bitter sweet notes enveloping the slightly sweet tender white fish meat.



We can smell the nice toasty wok hei aroma in this Teochew Fried Kway Teow. Simple ingredients - just broad flat rice ribbon noodles, crunchy chopped chai poh 菜脯 (preserved radish), chopped kai lan and savoury blend of sauce. No blood cockles to warm our hearts but when the chef is in peak form, this humble fried kway teow can be the most memorable dish of the multi-course meal.



The obligatory Orh Nee 芋泥 or Yam Paste with Gingko Nut. Ah Orh's house made orh nee is not overly sweet, just thick grainy yam paste complemented with floral fragrance of sweet gingko nuts. They don't add lard or shallot oil, so it's a "healthier choice" rendition. It's the popular way to eat orh nee nowadays though purists will miss the aromatic lard and shallot oil.

Ah Orh stall was founded in 1919, making it probably the oldest Teochew restaurant in Singapore now.

Ah Orh in 1973

The founder of Ah Orh Seafood was nicknamed Ah Orh 亞烏 which means "darkie" in Teochew due to his dark complexion.

Hawker stalls @ North Boat Quay in 1972. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Ah Orh Seafood started as a street side bak kut teh stall near the old Ellenborough Market or Teochew Market by the Singapore River in 1919. 

Merchant Street 1970. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Through the years, Ah Orh moved around the Teochew enclave of Boat Quay (Singapore River) and was located at Merchant Street in the 1960s.

In its early days, Ah Orh sold the Teochew style of bak kut teh. It was pork bones boiled with peppercorn and garlic. Ah Orh was one of the stalls that popularised Teochew style bak kut teh which is synonymous with Singapore BKT today.

Ellenborough Market. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

 In the 1970s, Ah Orh moved into the newly built Ellenborough Market (the old one was burnt down in a fire in 1968). In the three storey commercial complex, there were over 200 market stalls selling meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and vegetables. On level 3, there were over 70 cooked food stalls (mostly Teochew fare like bak chor mee, char kway teow, bak kut teh, Teochew muay, ah balling, etc).

Ah Orh @ Level 3 Ellenborough Market

By this time, Ah Orh was more famous for their traditional Teochew dishes than bak kut teh. In the 1970s, there was increasing demand for seafood dishes due to growing affluence.

When Ellenborough Market was demolished in the 1990s to make way for Central Mall @ Clarke Quay, Ah Orh Seafood moved to their present location at 115, Bukit Merah.

Ah Orh Seafood is still the go-to place for their multi-generational fans for traditional Teochew cuisine.

During Chinese New Year, Ah Orh Seafood is one of the rare few restaurants that offer the traditional Teochew Seven Vegetables dish.

Johor Kaki is the best Malaysia food blog in 2013, and best Singapore food blog in 2013 and 2014.

Date visited: 23 Aug 2020 & numerous times since 2000