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Look, I know the salted egg trend has been beaten to death, but please bear with me, this one is worth it. Jia Yuen Eating House is all your salted egg dreams come true. In fact, they claim to be “The best creamy salted egg rice” in Singapore.
The menu works like a matrix. You can choose your protein of Chicken, Fish, Pork or Pork Belly. Followed by the various sauces they offer, the most popular ones have to be their Creamy Salted Egg, Salted Egg and Cereal. They have also recently started selling chicken rice!
Note: Jia Yuen Eating House has shifted to 120 Maxwell Rd, Tanjong Pagar Exchange, B1-29/49, Singapore 069119.
What I tried at Jia Yuen Eating House
Ever the salted egg fiend, I was truly excited to try all that Jia Yuen Eating House had to offer. I decided on Chicken as my main protein with three of the sauces, and as a wild card, the Pork belly with Shrimp Paste.
I started with the classic and well-loved Salted Egg Chicken (S$8), which was a little steep, but each plate does come with a generous mound of white rice and a sunny-side egg.
I think we have to take a moment to admire this beauty right here. The deep-fried chicken was evenly coated with that decadent sauce, and I even spotted salted egg pieces scattered throughout the sauce.
This was an indication that the sauce was made with actual salted eggs and not the powdered version.
Excited to relish in this salted egg goodness, I dove straight in. The chicken was indeed crispy, but I fear it was a little too crisp, such that the chicken was a little dry.
It could be that some of the chicken pieces were smaller, which meant they cooked much faster than the bigger pieces. This meant that those smaller chicken pieces tended to be slightly overcooked. Despite that, I would have to say the salted egg sauce was on point—rich and decadent with a little kick from those chillis.
For something truly indulgent, there is Jia Yuen Eating House’s Creamy Salted Egg Chicken (S$8). This is your Salted Egg Chicken taken up a notch, where Jia Yuen Eating House adds a splash of evaporated milk to their Salted Egg Sauce.
The result is a rich, thick golden sauce that will make all the gym hours worth it.
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The sauce is the real money-maker here; the richness of the salted egg was enhanced and amplified by the evaporated milk. Each mouthful was creamy, salty and a little spicy at the same time. This is (literally) not for the faint-hearted. Yes, this does get a little jelak as you get closer to the end, but I have no qualms that I thoroughly enjoy my salted egg.
For the Cereal Chicken (S$8), the cereal was tasty and seasoned well, and there was no clumping here. Even though I found the chicken cereal tasty when eaten together with the rice, it made for a rather dry mouthful.
I reckon this is largely due to how the chicken is fried. Perhaps if the frying time was reduced a smidge, the chicken would be a little juicier. This, in turn, would complement the cereal better and make it a truly delectable mouthful.
The Shrimp Paste Pork Belly (S$12) started as a wild card, but it was easily one of my favourites. Shrimp paste, or more commonly known as har cheong, is a beloved zi char dish. I chose the Pork Belly, as usually the shrimp paste is served with chicken, and one has to switch it up now and then.
This dish was probably second to Creamy Salted Egg, with the fattiness of the Pork Belly going surprisingly well with the umami-laden prawn paste. I savoured every bite, and this was one of the plates that was liked absolutely clean.
Final thoughts
Jia Yuen Eating House has to be where you can get the ultimate cheat meal. If your love for salted egg holds, then you can’t miss it. Just remember to leave the meal plan at the door so you can fully enjoy all that Jia Yuen Eating House has to offer.
Expected Damage: S$8 – S$12 per pax
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