Teoh Seng Restaurant

Teoh Chew is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province in China, and that was where my grandparents came from. Teoh Chew cuisine is similar to Cantonese cuisine , but much lighter in taste. Some of their famous dishes are braised duck and steamed fish.I have been eating at Teoh Seng restaurant since I was a kid but I didn't appreciate how good the food is until I left Malaysia. They have the best Koo Lou Yok (sweet and sour pork) and Oh Nung (Oyster Omelette). The Teoh Chew style steamed fish, stir fry beef with ginger and scallions, oyster noodles and sizzling homemade tofu are superb as well.

*Note: Teoh Chew = Chao Zhou = Chew Zhao

Gan: Most Malaccans who eat out will probably know this place from their childhood. The restaurant has been passed down for 3 generations and they are still as good as ever (well, I'm sure there's differing opinions about how the original chef always does it the best). It's not as popular now, but I attribute that mostly to the location. It's now situated in the center of a residential zone with not as much traffic.

"Oh Mee" (Oyster Noodles) - I love eating this dish with balsamic vinegar and minced garlic.

Gan: Always a favorite noodle dish. The oysters used are typically tiny but the brine is what makes this dish amazingly appetizing. We usually eat this at the start of the meal to whet the appetite. Adding vinegar to it makes it that much better.

Koo Lou Yok (Pork in sweet and sour sauce) is to die for!!

Gan: This is the real deal! In America, it's called General Tso's chicken. No, there's no such person as General Tso who made this dish famous. In Asia, it's just a typical play on duality of the 2 main taste in cooking - sweet and sour. Hence, sweet and sour pork. They really know how to make it taste good here. Most people would come here just to have this dish. I know I am one of them, even from more than 9000 miles away (Distance between NYC and Melaka = 9468 miles).

"Oh Nung" (Oyster Omelette) -- Gan introduced me to this dish at Teoh Seng. I'm hooked ever since.

Gan: I got Sarah into a lot of stuffs, it seems.