This
food review was based on invitation hosted by The Entertainer and Ah
Hoi's Kitchen ('Ah Hoi') team, to celebrate their most recent
collaboration.
Ah Hoi's Kitchen has been
known in the Singapore food scene for serving authentic local dishes
and seafood. My first visit to Ah Hoi was a few years back and I have
first hand experience enjoying their Hor Fun and other local dishes.
Currently helmed by Sous Chef Lam Loon Tuck, with the forte of local
dishes from the wok.
Ah Hoi is located on the
4th floor of the Traders Hotel, walking through to the
other side of the swimming pool after you exit the lift. The setup of
Ah Hoi is an open concept. Although there are air-conditioners and
fans, the atmosphere will be slightly better if the temp in the mid twenties. Otherwise, on a hot day you might want
to keep the cold drinks coming to cool you down.
 |
| The Indoor Dining Area |
 |
| The Watering Hole |
Recently, Ah Hoi's just
added 12 new Sri Lankan Crab dishes to their menu. Tonight we (Chubby
Botak Koala & his friend 'M') tasted three of those dishes: Crab
Bee Hoon, Salted Egg Crab, and Prickly Piquant Crab.
 |
| The Charcoal BBQ |
Well, before we get to
the crabs dishes, we savour some of the local dishes provided by Ah
Hoi. From the charcoal BBQ, we have the local favourite of satay. The
version here is slightly smaller, but sweet and well seasoned. It was
well barbecued where it is nicely charred and caramelised. It is good
to eat it while it's hot, however it easily becomes chewy when its
cold. I prefer the meat on my satay to be thicker though.
 |
| Satay (6.5/10) |
Also from the BBQ, we had
combo surf and turf. King Prawns, Beef Steak, Pork Ribs and Calamari.
All the meat and seafood are cooked to perfection. They are all
tender, juicy and succulent. The calamari with asam sauce just opens
up your appetite furthermore.
 |
| King Prawns, Beef Steak, Pork Ribs and Calamari (8.5/10) |
The first crab dish for
the night was Crab Bee Hoon. This is the dry version, with a huge
crab in it it. The meat of the crab are thick and filled the shell
('very solid'). The superior stock was a little subtle but you can
feel it absorbed in the bee hoon and cabbage Watch out for the dried
shrimp, which might surprise your taste buds. Good Crab Dish.
 |
| Crab Bee Hoon (8/10) |
 |
| Crab Bee Hoon - My Portion |
The second crab dish was
Salted Egg Crab. Ah Hoi version has a thick salted egg gravy that
coated the crabs evenly. The crabs they use was just solid, full of
meat. The cooking time was just right, however the gravy can be too
much on the sweet part, thus it is missing the savory salted egg
taste. You can taste the slight fragrance of the kaffir lime leaves
(a bit different from other salted egg crab dishes that I have
tasted) and there are some mini bits of chilli padi to spice up the
dish.
 |
| Salted Egg Crab (7.5/10) |
The last crab dish served
was Prickly Piquant Crab. Ah Hoi wok-fried the crab with sichuan
pepper, pickled garlic and citrus salt. In short, this is the mala
version of the crab dish. I personally find the seasoning are just to
overpowering for the crab, as I prefer to taste the natural sweetness
of the crab. It is not my cup of tea, however others that like
sichuan pepper numbing spice will definitely love this dish.
 |
| Prickly Piquant Crab (7/10) |
From the three crab
dishes, I like the crab bee hoon best and salted egg crab second. The
best part of all the crab dishes, was that they are all very meaty
and fresh. Definitely uses good quality Sri Lankan Crabs. In case you
are wondering the price for the crabs, for crabs that weigh less than
1 kg are priced S$7.20++ per 100 grams. Those weighing more than one
kilo are priced at S$9.20++ per 100 grams.
Overall, Ah Hoi are very
creative with their new crab dishes. Although it is not my number one
place to go for crabs, they provide a good alternative. If crabs are
not to your liking, make sure you try their BBQ selections. I truly
enjoy it. Cheers!!
Thank you very much to Ah
Hoi's Kitchen and The Entertainer for the invitation.
Food
& Drink: 7.5/10
Value:
N/A
Service:
N/A
Ambiance:
6.5/10
Budget
per Person: $26 - $50
Ah Hoi's Kitchen @Traders Hotel
1A Cuscaden Road
Traders Hotel,
Level 4.
Singapore 249716
T: 6831 4373
W:
http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/traders/dining/restaurants/ah-hois-kitchen/
Op Hours: Daily
12.00 – 14.30; 18.30 – 22.30
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