Departing from his usual focus on Franco-Asian cuisine, Chef Dylan of The Masses opens Choon Hoy Parlor, a restaurant said to deliver Singapore Soul Food, aiming to bridge generations, offering flavours familiar to both the young and the old.
Close To His Heart
The restaurant is named after Chef Dylan’s mum, who has played a huge part in his life – teaching him to always be helpful and compassionate. Despite the mum having to take on 3 jobs at one point in her life, Mrs Ong Choon Hoy has never once complained or lamented her lot in life.
Together with Chef Benji Chew and Renee Tang, the menu at Choon Hoy Parlor will see heirloom recipes from all three families, with some being classic hawker fare, and some reimagined from the young chefs’ perspectives.
So, what is Singapore Soul Food? Here at Choon Hoy Parlor, it’s essentially food that celebrates Singapore’s local heritage while touching the soul.
Choon Hoy Parlor Review
Located where The Masses used to be, Choon Hoy Parlor takes on a hip, modern iteration of a private house. Featuring neon-lit signs along with street signs, 60s-inspired commercial posters, and a nostalgic playlist, the overall ambiance of the shop is welcoming.
We started our meal with these Mini Fried Pomfrets, served with a Plum Taucheong Dip (5 pcs $8.90, 10 pcs $15.90). Fried pomfrets are common in Teochew cuisine, but we’ve never tried eating them like snacks. Using baby pomfrets from Malaysia, the entire fish is double fried such that everything can be eaten, bones and all.
Another must-order is their CHP Signature Salad: Ulam ($15.90). It’s essentially a salad that comes with paku fern, white corn, jambu, jicama, lady’s finger, Japanese cucumber, papaya blossom, and selom leaf – served with a delightful sambal belachan and ginger flower emulsion sauce. You can enjoy the natural flavours of each component!
The CHP Signature Hainanese Kampong Chicken is a must-try dish, topped with Scallion and Ginger Sauce. The chicken was tender, and aromatic, and went perfectly with their Triple L Rice – a lil’ lard, a lil’ soy, and a lil’ love. The taste of this wasn’t the most shocking – the price was! This dish is going at an affordable $15.90 for half a chicken and $28.90 for a whole chicken.
The CHP Signature White Pepper Pig’s Stomach Collagen Soup ($25.90 – 3 to 4 pax) was inspired by Chef Renee’s late grandmother’s winter melon soup and memories of her family’s pork distribution business. Using a chicken stock for the soup, the overall taste profile of this is cleaner and much sweeter compared to the usual.
We would’ve preferred a stronger white pepper taste just because of the name of the dish to avoid any potential disappointment.
Another dish we thoroughly enjoyed was the CHP Signature 16 Hrs Bone-In Coffee Angus Short Rib ($69, 700 to 800g). Inspired by Chef Benji’s travels to Vietnam, this hearty beef short rib bone-in is first marinated in a spicy Vietnamese marinade and red rice yeast, sous vide for 12 hours before it is further grilled over binchotan and coated with a coffee glaze.
Fans of Jelebu Dry Laksa, rejoice! Following the closure of the outlet at Vivocity, Chef Renee has released version 2 of her Jelebu Signature Dry Laksa here at Choon Hoy Parlor. Going for $18.90 for 3 pax, this newer version uses 2 types of bee hoon – laksa beehoon and fish head vermicelli for a different texture and mouthfeel. Personally, for us, it felt like a cross between Satay Bee Hoon and Hokkien Mee, but with a distinct laksa flavour.
Much like your Chinese restaurants, Choon Hoy Parlor doesn’t have many dessert options, with only a total of 4. Some unique ones include the Yuzu Citron Chng Tng ($10.90) which sees an addition of Korean yuzu citrus for an extra layer of fragrance and the Tri-layered Nian Gao ($11.90) served with a scoop of Osmanthus Oolong ice cream!
For durian lovers, you can opt for their CHP Signature Durian Chendol ($13.90), which features a gula melaka flavoured sponge base, handmade pandan jelly, kidney beans, coconut ice cream, and topped with D24 durian puree, and an espuma of corn.
Comforting Food in Singapore
If we were to describe all the food that we tried at Choon Hoy Parlor, it’d be the word comforting. Despite some of the modifications made to the traditional classics, the flavour profiles were all familiar. Some dishes felt like interpretations of our usual weekend home dinners – comforting.
Safe to say, this restaurant in Singapore will most probably be a hit amongst the old and young, and we’d imagine this to be a great spot for family gatherings or just a meal with friends.
Choon Hoy Parlor
85 Beach Road, #01-02, Singapore 189694
Mon-Sar, 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm, Sun, 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-9pm
*This article is based on a media-tasting event, but all opinions expressed about the food are entirely our own.
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