Gu Ma Jia, which literally means Aunt's place, is a small Chinese restaurant tucked at the MacPherson Road side of Tai Thong Crescent, which is a small link road between Upper Serangoon Road and MacPherson Road. It is about 5-minute's walk from Potong Pasir MRT station.
The restaurant's setting is homely. There are many photographs on the wall, feels like just walk into somebody's living room. That probably is exactly what they would like you to feel. The staff there, which is a female-majority crew, are extremely friendly. As there were only two of us, they first seated us at a table for two. It is quite a small table. Later on, they asked us whether we would like to move to a bigger table, which is a table fit for 6!
8-Treasure Vegetables, $12 for small
The first dish that came was the 8-treasure vegetables. It consists of celery, fried lotus root slices, black fungus, cashew nuts, carrot, mushroom and some beans.
Hot Plate Bean Curd, $15.00
Hot plate bean curd, our second dish, came bubbling hot. Generous portions of bean curd and prawns immersed in a meat sauce, with a layer of egg mixture at the bottom to wrap up the content.
Teochew-Style Steamed Seabass, $28.00
The last dish was my favorite - Teochew-style steamed seabass. Being a Cantonese, I prefer steamed fish to any other type. Why? When it comes to seafood, freshness is of utmost importance. It is not just about taste, it is about your health too. You don't want to eat any half rotten fish, do you? Steaming is the best way to preserve the freshness and the original taste of the fish and tell whether a fish is fresh or otherwise. In contrast, deep fry, or cooking with very spicy ingredients, such as chili, can easily mask out the foul smell of rotten seafood. Ok, I must say they use frozen seabass, not live seabass. How did I tell? For frozen seabass, the meat is more stiff, no longer naturally tender.
What is Teochew-style of steamed fish then? Basically the fish is steamed with tofu, preserved vegetable, dry mushroom and ginger. It is unique to Teochew cuisine to use tofu and preserved vegetable. For Cantonese-style, it is usually only ginger and spring onion.
Overall, the food tasted just like your home-cooked food by your loving mum or dad. The environment is quiet and peaceful, good for friends gathering and chit-chat over a hearty meal. The place has a seating capacity of about 40 people. And they don't charge service charge.
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