Gu Ma Jia Food Pot (Closed)

Came here to try the Assam fish head so many raved about but is disappointed. It is not as sour, spicy and fragrant as I have expected. The fish head is not big enough and the dish does not give the wow factor. I recommend that if they serve in a claypot,the dish might taste better - so that the dish can retain the heat and flavors.Dining in air con comfort is nice of course. The service is really good and the ambience is great. We also tried the mushroom with toufu dish. The sauce is good and toufu is soft. Overall, the main dish did not meet our expectation but there may be other Tze Cha dishes to try here if you prefer to dine in a nice ambience. This place is crowded during dinner so it might also be a good idea to make reservations. continue reading

For those who are celebrating early - Gu Ma Jia is offering 10% discount until 29 January when you dine in at the restaurant. For those who are still deciding where to have your CNY reunion lunch/dinner on 30 January (Thursday) - Gu Ma Jia has CNY 2014 Set Menu Promotions with four timings to choose from: 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm, 2.15pm – 4.15pm, 6.00 pm – 7.45 pm, and 8.00pm – 9.45 pm. The restaurant will be closed on 31 January (Friday) and 1 February (Saturday) but operations will resume on 2 February (Sunday) - a great day to makan before starting work on Monday, if you have to work on Monday.Gu Ma Jia is famously known for its signature dish - Assam Fish Head ($28). Many bloggers have praised the delicacy and even celebrities have visited the restaurant to have a taste of this delicious dish. YES! I bet you can finish two bowls of rice with just the gravy. The gravy wins hands down by having the balance of 4S. It was sweet, spicy, savory and sour. The sweetness of the gravy was very "fishy"... in a good way! I later found out that the natural sweetness of the gravy came from the fish! The fish was cooked in the gravy to perfection with its meat still moist and tender. (FYI: Many places steam the fish head and then pour the gravy over it.) *Apologies for the absence of photograph.Some people travel all the way here just for its Assam Fish Head. But Gu Ma Jia offers many other good delicious dishes.For full review with photos, please visit:http://myfrozenreminiscence.blogspot.sg/2014/01/gu-ma-jia.html continue reading

For pictures and full review, pls visit:http://madamechewy.com/2013/12/07/gu-ma-jia/#more-6499Looking for scrumptious and healthy home cooked food? Gu Ma Jia is the place to visit. Opened in 2009, Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家) has built a reputation for whipping up palatable, hearty dishes which are full of warmth. This casual Chinese restaurant has even won an award at the Singapore Food Festival 2010!The friendly and bubbly owner is affectionately known as Gu Ma (aunt in Mandarin), as she is the eldest among her siblings. Her family and friends love her cooking and persuaded her to open a restaurant to share her appetizing home-cooked goodness. The family-run restaurant is adamant on serving serve fresh food; they visit the wet-market daily to select seafood and ingredients. Dishes have a special touch thanks to Gu Ma’s personal recipes!Assam Fish Head ($28) is a must try! This is till date, the freshest fish head curry I tried. Most places tend to cook curry dishes using older fish because the strong spices can mask fishy smell. Gu Ma’s Assam gravy is light on the tongue, which highlights the freshness of the fish. She shared that her fish heads are picked daily to guarantee freshness. The spicy, tangy and sour gravy was addictive, how I wish I could have more!Gu Ma’s culinary team grinds white pepper from Sawarak to produce their own white pepper sauce. In this White Pepper Crab (seasonal price) dish, Sri Lankan crabs are cooked to perfection. The meat separates from the shell readily, so easy to eat! The sweet crab meat and savory sauce was a match made in heaven.Salted Egg Yolk Crab (seasonal price) is finger-licking good. Lick the creamy salted egg yolk off the shell and dig into the sweet, firm and juicy meat inside.We were quite excited when this flaming hotplate was served; rose wine was sprayed onto the aluminum foil and lit up. Ah…so this is the popular Kyoto Pork Ribs ($20), drench in sweet tangy sauce. Gu Ma’s pork ribs are served in aluminum foil to retain the juiciness and natural flavor of the meat. The moist and tender meat is well-marinated; I could even taste the flavor right in the middle of each piece.Ling Zhi Mushroom Bean Curd ($12/24) was healthy, yet enticing. The home-made tofu blocks had a crispy skin, plus a soft and silky texture.Treasure Vegetables ($12/$18/$24) consists of 8 different vegetables and ingredients: lotus, black fungus, carrot, celery, vegetarian abalone, lingzhi mushroom, cashew nuts and snap peas. Loved the unique taste and crunchy texture!Prawns with Superior Sauce ($20/$30/$38) was another delight! Who can resist fresh, succulent prawns in tasty superior sauce?Kang Kong with Garlic ($9/$14/$18) was done just right; we enjoyed the crunch with each bite.The final dish in our feast was stirred fried Beef with Bean Sauce Bitter Gourd ($16/$24/$30). Soft and tender beef slices were well-marinated while the bean sauce went well with both the beef and the bitter gourd. Bitter gourd is full of nutritious benefits, rich in vitamins, minerals and folic acid. But because of the taste, it’s not an easy vegetable to like. Gu Ma cooks with younger gourds, which are less bitter, plus the bean sauce masks the bitter flavorWe rounded off the meal with sweet beverages and a wholesome dessert. MIL had Ice Lychee Tea ($3) while I chose warm Home-made Barley ($2) as I was having a sore throat. The barley drinks here is prepared fresh daily. Usually a 30 minute simmer is the standard, but Gu Ma simmers her barley for 2 hours. Longer simmering times gives a more viscous liquid which contains soothing properties and vitamins.Auntie’s Dessert ($3.50/serving) is packed ingredients with health benefits. Gingko aids memory and concentration, lotus seeds detoxify, white fungus strengths the immune system while wolf berries improve eyesight. I love that the dessert is not too sweet, in line with Gu Ma’s pride of serving healthy food.By the way, Gu Ma Jia’s second floor has a seating capacity of 70 pax and is equipped with an over-head projector, which is ideal for family celebrations, company networking or team-building events. Gu Ma Jia also provides catering services with a wide variety of dishes at affordable prices. continue reading

I’m an absolute addict for Assam fish head curry, this ambiguous ethnic curry that comes with that Assam spicy and sour kick. I was searching online with terms like “best Assam fish head curry”, and many of the food bloggers quote Gu Ma Jia as one of the best. Well, there’s no stopping me from arguably the best assam fish head curry in Singapore now is there?Arriving by car at Tai Thong Crescent near Macpherson, my family very luckily stumbled upon a car park spot right in front of the restaurant. Normally though, I think finding parking might be an issue as the road there is single lane parallel park lots and I parallel park like Mr. Bean. If you can’t handle the stress of people waiting behind while you try to squeeze in, I suggest to just drive further down instead.I made table reservations prior because of paranoia. Walking in, I gave my name to the counter girl who ironically doesn’t speak Mandarin in a Chinese restaurant. I’m all for foreign labour to fill the manpower shortage, but I guess you should learn the language given that 99% of the clients here are going to be speaking Mandarin, and some of the older generation doesn’t speak English. They don’t seem to have a very good book keeping of the reservations and had to ask me again for how many people, then randomly gave me a table that was available. Ok la, logistics is not Gu Ma Jia‘s strong point, but it’s the fish head curry that matters after all.We sat down at our round table and THE Gu Ma herself took our orders. I could tell because she looks exactly like the cartoon caricature beside her logo. She really resembles a adorable typical Singaporean Aunty, with the small eyes and permed hair. She’s quite a good salesperson though, trying to push us more dishes and upsell desserts. Very aunty indeed.So obviously, the dish we ordered first has to be the famed Assam Fish Head Curry ($25). I was actually expecting it to come in a big curry pot, but instead it’s on the typical fish heating plate. Doesn’t hold a lot of curry sadly. The red snapper fish they used was absolutely fresh; like still swimming in the curry fresh. Usually curries can afford to use older fish because the heavy curry spice would cover up the scent. Here however, the curry was a bit lighter which really lets the freshness of the fish shine. It’s also not overly spicy and would probably sit better with the general audience.Gu Ma Jia Oyster eggOyster omelette ($12). I loved the Or-Luah here. It was pretty much all fluffy eggs and fresh, firm oysters without the gooey starch added. I love it without starch and this was right up my alley. More like a classic prawn omelette style but with oysters.Kyoto Pork ribs ($20). This was very good ribs with a sweet tangy sauce and tender pork ribs. Not too sure why it needed to come in aluminium foil, perhaps it was baked which explains why the ribs were so soft. Apparently they used to drench rose wine in the pork then flame it, but alas that was a show of the past. Gu Ma Jia Spinach soupSpinach Soup ($12). Gu Ma Jia‘s version of the egg spinach soup is literally, a soup. The usual style has a more starchy, thick soup and more like a sauce broth instead. Still, this was quite cleansing and refreshing to the palate after all the heavy curries and pork sauces. Have to get some vegetables into the stomach after all.I think Gu Ma Jia has a very good balance of dishes, and the other items besides their signature Assam Curry Fish Head are quite underrated. A casual, homely experience suited for family diners.It’s a good Assam fish head curry, but to me not the best. There can be, only one. Ocean Curry Fish Head in my opinion has a stronger, more flavourful Assam Curry, but their fish is not as fresh as Gu Ma Jia. Frankly I don’t think Ocean Fish Head curry is the best in Singapore either and my Assam Curry search will continue. continue reading

For pictures, visit http://melicacy.com/?p=3912Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家) is a hidden gem along Tai Thong Crescent, Sennett Estate, serving up homely but outstanding Chinese fare, in a humble and casual setting.The main dining area spreads over the first floor.The second storey caters to events and functions, but will be opened up to diners when the crowd overflows. There is also a private room that will seat 40 comfortably.Crispy Bean-jal ($10)The Crispy Bean-jal is a great way to kick-start a meal. Eggplant (brinjal) is sliced thinly, battered and fried before coating with a sweet adherent sauce –it is highly addictive, and it didn’t even taste like eggplant. French beans add vibrancy and a refreshing balance to the dish. Nicely done, bean-jal.Special Made Tofu with Lingzhi Mushroom ($12)Tofu is homemade using egg and soya bean. No shortcuts here. Once deep-fried, crispy skin encases a smooth silky interior that explodes in your mouth.Thai Style Beancurd ($6 for 6 pieces)In this Thai-inspired dish, tender squares of beancurd are fried to a golden exterior, doused in an invigorating sweet-spicy sauce, and scattered with strips of onion atop for pungency and texture.A pity we tasted the Special Made Tofu prior to this; the texture of this store-bought tofu pales in comparison. If only they employed the homemade tofu in this dish.Prawn Roll ($8 for 8 pieces)The Prawn Roll (Ngoh Hiang) reminds me deeply of my late grandmother.Wrapped in a beancurd skin and fried to crispy perfection, the inside is meaty and tender with chestnut bits for crunch. It is not starchy at all –which is evidence that they don’t scrimp on ingredients.Oyster Omelette ($12)I love my Or-Luah (Oyster Omelette). I patronise my favourite Fried Oyster stall at Chomp Chomp on a regular basis. I love that starchy egg-y composition, and I tend to order it without oysters just so they would add more of that starch.The cooking style here differs: there is less starch, more egg, and the stars are the oysters.Plump juicy and fresh oysters, strewn amid light fluffy beaten egg that boast a crisp complexion.A hot plate emerges from the kitchen, carrying a foil-wrapped dish set aglow with a dancing flame.Kyoto Pork Ribs ($20)As the rose-wine-ignited fire diminishes, the aluminium foil is being unwrapped; it follows by an aroma that wafted up our noses, inducing salivation.Tender with a meaty bite, well infused with sweet-savoury flavours. Nicely done!Assam Fish Head ($25)Their signature dish – Assam fish Head – is highly favoured.Red snapper fish head is pristinely fresh, handpicked from the market daily.The fish is deftly executed –it isn’t overcooked, with meat firm but moist, and sufficiently tender.Comprising more than 13 spices and herbs, you’re bound to be intrigued, and impressed. The cooking process is painstaking, but very much worthwhile.The spiciness is toned down to cater to a wider audience, but it still possesses enough kick to stimulate your taste buds.Sambal Seabass on hot plate ($25)A thick blanket of Sambal (a thick chilli-based sauce) camouflages an immaculately fried fish –crispy skin with a tender flesh.Don’t be too engrossed in the distractingly vibrant and delicious sauce; do be careful of bones.I have to commend their Sambal for its wonderful fragrance and complexity in taste; so good I can eat it with plain rice and nothing else.Cereal Sotong with Curry Flavour ($20)I tend to avoid squid for its chewy or resilient texture, but this dish completely took me by surprise.Squid is battered and deep-fried before tossing it with the fragrant cereal for another round of frying. The mollusk is nicely tender but still slightly springy, with enough bite.The generous heap of cereal is mixed with curry leaves and curry powder, and spiked with chilli padi for a kick. It’s highly addictive! Those who can’t take the heat, beware!Butter Baked Salted Egg Sir Lanka Crab (Seasonal Price)Again, Gu Ma Jia has successfully brought enjoyment to the food I didn’t use to appreciate.Eating crab is a hassle, and most of the time, a mess. What’s most disappointing is when you strenuously break the shell to find an underlying miserable morsel, tiny and limp.I am mesmerised by the substantial size of meat that lies beneath the rigid hard shell –worth every action of cracking and knocking. Thanks Derrick for helping me with this, for I am still a novice.The meat is not only ample; it is fresh, sweet and succulent. Great on its own but even better with the salted egg sauce.Herbal Chicken Soup ($8.80)For a tummy warmer, the Herbal Chicken Soup is divine; it is flavourful, rich and ample without any bitterness. It comes brimming with clams, chicken and a melange of herbs. Very nourishing.Black Glutinous with Ice Cream ($4)Traditionally paired with coconut milk, Gu Ma Jia substitutes the sweetening component with vanilla ice cream –both the young and old will enjoy this dessert.With over 10 years of experience in the food industry, Gu Ma Jia certainly didn’t disappoint. It makes an ideal spot for family bonding, and I would love to bring my family down for a feast.There is no GST or service charge. Awesome.They do delivery too. There is a delivery charge of $3 with a minimum order of $25. Give them a call.They will also accede to catering requests for parties and buffet receptions. Check out their website for more information. continue reading