Sin Ho Sai Eating House Review: Old school Zi Char in the East

 

It's not always about the ambience, sometimes it is about the food.

Sin Ho Sai Eating House is probably the oldest restaurant that is running on this stretch of East Coast Road. Located directly opposite Holy Family Church and right beside a paint shop, it looks to be untouched since it opened in 1980s.

Do not expect a fancy setup. Instead, it is akin to old school Kopitiam with plastic chairs and round wooden tables sans fancy tablecloths. These were set up on the pavement instead of inside the shops and give a whole different alfresco dining vibe. You are literally sitting right next to the road. Due to this unique setup, kerbside pick up is possible.

While it may not be a glamourous place, it is bustling with customers when we visited over the weekend.

Sin Ho Sai

There are two Sin Ho Sai in Singapore. According to this ST Article, the first is the Sin Hoi Sai Seafood restaurant in Tiong Bahru that is set up in 1978 and is famously known for being awarded a Michelin Plate. 

Sin Ho Sai Eating house was set up in 1981. While Sin Ho Sai Eating House does not have the same accolade, the crowd at the location attested for the quality of the food.

Sin Ho Sai sells Zi Char fare with selections that are updated occasionally.  There may be times when dishes on the menu are not available while other dishes that are not on it are.

We ordered 3 dishes to fill our stomachs. 

Red Wine Pork Ribs 

This was recommended by the staff as the usually Pork Ribs are not available.  The meat is tender and flavourful. On the flip side, the portion is rather small with 4 ribs for a dish. The Red Wine taste was not so obvious in this dish. 

We also found out that this dish was not on the menu and it is probably one of the more expensive meat dishes there with the price of around $20 for a small portion.

Butter Sotong 

The fried butter sotong is crispy and tender at every bite. It is not too overwhelming in terms of fishy taste. This calamari mix is good in our books.

Thai Style Chicken

The Thai Style chicken was also recommended by the staff as the chicken dish we chose was not available. It was a good choice as the meat was tender and the skin was crisp. We like a different variant of chicken than the usual roast chicken and this dish compliment our other selection.

Verdict

The bill came up to be about $50 for two. We had 2 drinks and an additional packet of Fried Rice to go. Considering we had the priciest meat in the house, it is not too bad in terms of value. If you are in the mood for old school zhi char set in a place that seems stuck in time, this would be an experience in terms of good food and nostalgic settings.

There are a lot more choices on the menu and we think one visit will not be sufficient. Will be back for more the next time!