Our first helping was no other than the main, which was the Teochew porridge. As we scooped the gruel into a bowl, pleasant steam wafted right into our nostrils and set our tummy juices for the evening. Not only was its consistency perfect, but the grains of rice were also soft and chewy enough to remind us of Mum’s cooking and the silly banter we’d have in the kitchen while preparing our meals.

The star ingredient of the porridge was the chunks of sweet potato, which added a nice touch of flavour and fragrance.

Before diving into the sides, we made sure that we had taken enough servings of condiments like braised peanuts, crispy fried anchovies, mock abalone, and chopped spring onion.

Then, it was time to select some sides. For our first plate, we loaded up on fishcakes, radish omelette, bitter gourd scrambled eggs, and beancurd with minced meat.

As a self-professed fishcake expert, I fell in love with the fishcakes at first bite. They were warm and soft without any unnecessary stickiness or rough skin. The bits of carrot and spring onions mixed in with the fishcakes screamed Teochew cuisine, as other Chinese cuisines typically don’t add any extra ingredients to their fishcakes.

I was initially quite sceptical about the bitter gourd scrambled eggs as I’ve eaten ones that were way too pungent. But this one was surprisingly pleasant to my bitter-phobic taste buds.

On the other hand, the radish omelette was a tad too salty to me (mind you, I eat more salt than the average person), but the plain porridge quickly balanced this out. The omelette slices were thick and came with a generous amount of preserved radish. I couldn’t get enough of it.

Similarly, the beancurd with minced meat was a delightful pick. The beancurd slices were soft, while the gravy was light, flavourful, and packed with delicious minced meat. I drizzled the gravy generously on my porridge and enjoyed satisfying slurps of this combo. I’d have been happy to continue my meal with only the porridge and the beancurd with minced meat, but the other options of the spread looked irresistible. So, off we went for a second round.

Our next plate consisted of braised pork belly, braised beancurd, braised egg, salted egg, steamed minced pork with salted egg, and Chinese sausage. Of course, we couldn’t say no to more helpings of beancurd with minced meat and fishcakes, too.

Even though the braised pork belly (lor bak) didn’t look as seared and caramelised as I expected, its taste was not the least bit disappointing. The first thing I noticed was the fragrance of the gravy, which told me that the chef didn’t skimp on any of the essential spices. It also had that perfect savoury and fatty kick just like how purist Teochew grandmas would make it.

My experience with this dish was further elevated when I popped the fattiest piece of meat I could find on my plate into my mouth. Ah, the way it melted on my tongue… Kudos to the chef for doing complete justice to the dish that’s the pride of Teochews!

Next, I tried the Chinese sausages, which had a much-needed sweetness after all that savoury food. The firm texture of the sausage, together with the softness of the porridge, was such a lovely contrast.

Another noteworthy dish on this plate was the steamed minced pork with salted egg. Honestly, I had been thinking all along that this was a classic Cantonese dish, but maybe I was wrong. I combined it with the pickled mustard vegetables and a scoop of the porridge, and I was instantly in food heaven.

Just as we thought we couldn’t fit more into our tummies, the waiter kindly asked us if we wanted to try the signature dish of the day: braised duck. We nodded, too full to speak, and 3 plates of sliced braised duck were presented to us.

It had all the essential tangs, but I still felt something wasn’t quite right. Perhaps the meat was too gamey for me. If you love yourself some strong-tasting meat, this one’s for you.

By this point, I was so full that I had to unbuckle my jeans to sit straight. This was my cue to wrap up my meal, but wait — I was now craving something sweet. I was lucky because I found the tastiest durian pengat (durian sweet porridge) I’ve ever had. It was quite surprising that a Peranakan or Malay dessert was served in a Teochew buffet, but that’s the beauty of living in a melting pot of cultures like Singapore. 😍

This pengat is unmissable, mainly because you can smell it from metres away. That said, I advise you not to take more than a couple of scoops because it’s very sweet and can get cloying quite quickly.

Some other favourites from the evening’s spread included the wok-fried eggplant with minced pork, fried batang fish, kung pao chicken, and Teochew salted vegetables. There’s a washroom nearby, so don’t hesitate to dig into the fried fish with your fingers.

To wash down your meal, go for the various soft drinks, or pick the iced water to retain the quintessential Teochew flavours in your mouth.

Enjoy free parking when you drive down for the Teochew porridge buffet at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Singapore Novena.

To redeem, simply flash your ongoing GetGo booking at the restaurant reception. Limited to the first 5 redemptions per day. Only applicable for patrons with reservations to the Teochew porridge buffet.