Ahhh…tuck into his delights and Ah Tuck will take you through a classic journey of Cantonese makan culture.

Here's yet another tasty feather on Geylang's cap (no pun intended here).
This notorious red light district is gradually getting popular for the right things…good food.

Moi Lum Restaurant, which has been selling their legendary Crispy Fried Chicken and Special Crab Tofu for the last 70 years, has taken root at Geylang Road. During their initial wonder years, the restaurant started as a little coffees shop eatery selling wanton noodles in a little shop along Tanjong Pagar Road. This was in the 1930s when founder Mr Khong Yew Lum was just a kid helping out his uncles and relatives. Soon the native Kwangtung boy heard his calling as a cook and decided to let the infamous Cantonese culinary skills within come forth and serve.

His dishes are as Cantonese as can be. One of their specialties, the Oyster Duck Roll, would garner a resounding vote from any true blooded Cantonese. The use of dried oysters, chinese sausages, duck meat and salted egg white are their culinary signature.

When the senior Mr. Khong passed on some 28 year ago, his second son, Ah Tuck, assumed the mantle and kept the faith of the regulars. "I was 19 then and I remembered catering to the full month baby parties of some of our clients. Today, these "babies" are back as adults with their own kids and are still eating our same dishes." Ah Tuck recalls. The six-tabled eatery at Tangjong Pagar was clearly getting to small and hot under the collar for the daily customers queuing for a seat. So they moved, and after a 10 year stint at a Henderson Rd coffee shop, they moved yet again to their present Geylang Rd premises.

A dish de rigueur is their signature Crispy Fried Chicken (S$12 for half and S$23 for a whole fowl). The skin is cracker crispy without being too dry and the meat is nicely moist. There is not much secret behind this other than the patient task of air-drying the chicken for at least half a day and good ol' wok hay (breath of a wok) when frying. The first time I tried Moi Lum's fried chicken was some 20 years ago, and the only difference today, is that they will serve half a fowl. Squeeze that lime over, lightly brush the chicken with salt and pepper and you will partake of a Cantonese classic.

Next up was the Special Crab Tofu (from S$10). Tofu is nothing special except that they use a soft taukua, mash it, and remold them into bite sized blocks. Then it is coated with a special batter and fried before it is absorbed and smoldered with a thick crab meat sauce. It is simple and delightful to the palate.

When I first sank my teeth into the Oyster Duck Roll, I realised I had never tasted or seen anything prepared like it. Ah Tuck would first carefully remove the meat and bones of a duck from the inside - through a slit down the fowl's neck. Then he would stuff dried oysters, chinese sausages, salted egg yolk and duck meat back into the bag of skin, compress and steam it for over two hours before chilling the roll. Upon your order, he will defrost it, dust the roll in flour and then deep fry it. The final roll is sliced and served with a sweet black fruit sauce. Truly sinful. And at S$30 per order enough for five, it hardly justifies chef's labour of love. "But some customers cannot tahan (withstand) the dried oyster smell and taste, so if requested, we will replace it with mushrooms" offers Ms Phyllis Khong, Ah Tuck's younger sister and manager. Phyllis left her job as an accountant to help out full time at the restaurant some 2 years ago. It is hard to miss her big and warm service. And on weekends the other three siblings, all respected professionals in their fields, pitches in to help serve the packed restaurant.

As Phyllis brought us our Almond Jelly Longan dessert, I realised why this ordinary dish was also a blue plate special at Moi Lum. The smooth and tightly textured almond jelly is made even richer with coconut milk. It is such a refreshing change from the usual agar-agar almond jelly normally served. Another of their special desserts is the Durian Fish Jelly. Served to look like a koi fish, it is basically durian jelly with mashed durian meat inside.

One way to avoid the dinner crowd at this restaurant is to have lunch there. They serve various set lunches and the sleepy Geylang mid day hum would lend some charm to your meal there.

Pictures and story by kfseetoh.