Review: Ah Hua Kelong (The Bedok Marketplace)... from kelong to table top

As a huge fan of seafood, Ah Hua Kelong was high up on my must-try list when I first heard about it. I was pleased to know they had an outlet at The Bedok Marketplace in Simpang Bedok, which was a place I frequent. Their seafood are local, live and fresh from their kelong, grilled to perfection at their stall.

I got to say that after my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, a second trip followed shortly. I have tried them twice and now I can give a partial verdict, i think. Staff was friendly and helpful, showing and explaining what are the items available that day. The two times I went, I ended up ordering sets that are not on the menu based on their recommendation.

My opinion of Ah Hua Kelong's seafood is that it is fresh and very briny. The molluscs were extremely briny, not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but I don't really mind. I must say the mussels were a big surprise. I tend to avoid mussels at buffet because they are kind of tough and has a cheaper taste as compared to oysters. Ah Hua Kelong's mussels were super soft and juicy. I didn't feel sick even after eating a number of them. They really changed my opinion of mussels.

The XXL clams were nothing noteworthy except for their size. We asked for the lalas to be cooked 'well-done'. These were huge and I cannot imagine myself eating it slightly blanched like the kind in laksa. The lalas were kind of tough and chewy maybe because of the doneness. 

Next up we had the prawns and scallops. The scallops are must-try! I love the sweetness of the scallops paired with the crispy shallots. The prawns were nothing to shout about, but enjoyable when paired with the thick black soy sauce with chilli padi.

The grilled sea bass was the last to arrive. During my first trip to Ah Hua Kelong, the fish was the star of the meal because of the soft and sweet fish, charcoal-grilled to perfection. There was no unpleasant odour or fishy smell from the fish. The chinchalok condiments goes very well with the fish and helps to cleanse the palate.

We paid $89 for the above items which is a new set currently not found on their menu. The staff said it was meant for 3-4 pax but even a small eater like me could easily finish half of the seafood. I would say at most 3 pax for this set if you add on rice for each person.

If it is your first time, you might want to go for their various set, but if you would like to save space to try out the other stalls' offerings, I recommend the mussels, scallops and sea bass!

How to get there by MRT

- Alight at Tanah Merah MRT

- Walk towards Katong Flower Shop

- Cut across the playground/park to Upper Bedok Road

- Walk along Bedok Road to Jln Chempaka Kuning

Review: Salty Peanut Gelato Cafe

East Village is a mixed development near Simpang Bedok that has officially opened a month ago. Many of the stalls, especially the ones inside, are still vacant. Besides a Cold Storage, there are several small F&B establishments fronting the mall.

Just recently I got to try out Salty Peanut gelato cafe. Their signature flavour, needless to say, is salty peanut. Despite not being a fan of creamy ice cream, I tried the salty peanut and gula melaka with salt. A single scoop costs $3.80.

Salty peanut tasted like snickers without chocolate and full of finely grounded peanuts. It was fragrant and has just the right amount of sweetness. I am not a fan of peanuts, so to me this was of average liking.

Gula melaka is something I love, but I was kind of reluctant to try out for fear of it being very rich and sickening. To me surprise, it was actually very good, much better than the salty peanut. It has a rich taste of gula melaka but doesn't have the richness of coconut milk which sometimes make me feel sick when eating desserts with gula melaka. The salty taste from the salt added another dimension to it and helped brought out the fragrance of the gula melaka. Like it, yay!

Some other flavours I spotted were Matcha, Tutti Frutti, Mixed Berries and Kiwi Sensation (?). Might be back to try out their fruity flavours next time.

Address
Salty Peanut
430 Upper Changi Road, #01-69