Qian Cheng•Rice•Porridge - 14 Haig Rd

好吃?经济

Clean n tasty ? , generous servings, cheap, still wan complain?

古早味。Taste like home cooked food. Mist try the braised pig trotter. It's a popular item, normally sold out during breakfast. It's soft and juicy. Great to go with plain porridge.

Long queue of old folks at this stall. I guess other reviews are right when they said old school taste. The fish was overcooked, dry and hard. The pork skin was full of hairs. The clams were mushy and the porridge rice was too hard. But if I used my imagination, I could see this was how food tasted like in the 50's after the war... I'm benchmarking with Teo Heng porridge at Amoy and Hong Lim

An old school old folks favourite. Apparently opens at 5 or 6am, and sells out by 10am. There was a steady stream of grey haired men queuing. Food tastes simple, yet the pure essence of the flavours were present. It doesn’t overpower or taste fancy, but more like what I would describe as good old comfort food. Really worth the try. Braised pork was yummy.

Genuine teochew porridge stalls are rare. Yes, many economy rice stalls do sell porridge and nowadays it is a fine line between those who really specialise in Teochew porridge. To me, teochew porridge stalls must have super fresh fish , sometimes already poached or steamed, displayed in shallow bamboo baskets. Certainly peh tor or rabbit fish when in season , well cleaned but packed with milky roe, patin or selar. A superior stall will have rocket shaped tubes of squid chubby with transparent roe. Handmade meat rolls that look like cylindrical fishcakes. Hae bee hiam or Pounded dried prawn in sambal to give a spicy kick to the bland white watery porridge served piping hot. Long braised dark gelatinous pig trotters or pig skin , taupok and taukwa squares and belly pork slabs. Condiments must include brown soya beans and pungent garlic chili dips . Such a treat to chance on this wonderful hawker in Haig Road market. There was even steamed whitebait . Such comforting tastes , all home made and yummy. I would order every dish including the venus clams lightly steamed with chili , but my eyes are bigger than my stomach! Only problem is that parking and getting seats in this food centre is a real nightmare and I can hardly persuade anyone to make that effort and distance to join me.