Pardon me but I have never heard of Famous Treasure at The Capitol Piazza, nor their older main branch, Famous Kitchen at Sembawang Road! Thanks to a recent dinner gathering held at Famous Treasure, I am now officially a fan.

Ambience at the acclaimed Teochew restaurant is unmistakably Chinese but in a quiet classy way. Bright, spacious and welcoming. We enjoyed the privacy of one of of their popular private rooms with Bluetooth speakers so you could hook it up with your playlist. Nice touch!

We started the evening with the fiery Teochew Seasoning Cockles. When it comes to cockles, it has to be fresh, fresh and fresh! And Fresh, these were! They were also bloody spicy🤯.. but in a good way as the entire plate was gone in seconds amidst moans of painful pleasure among the diners! We had to stop ourselves from ordering another portion for fear it might be all we’re eating the entire night! Think fresh juicy cockles in chopped red and green chili, fresh garlic and God knows what other tongue numbing spices the Chef had thrown in as well. It was too spicy for me to further investigate! But this won everybody’s approval at the table.Next up, Fried Pork Belly with Red Beancurd. First of all, can you even go wrong with fried pork belly? Since the recent claim on how healthy pork fat is, we’ve been indulging in this healthy option without shame and guilt. Red beancurd (腐乳)is in fact fermented bean curd. It’s an acquired taste, much like blue cheese. Very salty, so a little goes a long way. It’s a great flavoring to use in stir fry leafy vegetables and an appetizing accompaniment to rice porridge. Here, it perfectly seasoned the pork belly, giving it a beautiful reddish hue, coated with a little flour and fried to crispy tenderness. The red bean curd isn’t overpowering… it subtle yet flavorsome. Didn’t quite needed the green chili dip that came with it but with Singaporeans, any spicy dip is a bonus! I thought it was nicely done… not oily at all despite the belly cut.It’s on every menu in town, you can’t escape from Salted Egg Prawns (or crab, or chicken, or fish…!). Famous Treasure did a good job with theirs too. With generous amount of salted egg yolk smothering every single crunchy prawn. Next up, my favorite dish of the night. Steamed Marble Garoupa with Preserved Vegetables on Hot Plate. I know.. the photo is just a dark mess! Underneath the pile of vegetables and nuts is a whole marble garoupa (also known as Soon Hock), steamed to perfection while it bathes in an Ahhh-mazing rich savory brown sauce with hints of tartness (from black vinegar), spiciness (from red chili), and sweet-salty (from preserved vegetables). They even threw in some roast pork belly so find those cuz they’re delicious! If you don’t know me by now, I never waste precious stomach space on carbs but this was screaming out for some rice!! So I succumbed and it was the best decision made! A big spoonful of the ooo-la-la sauce over the rice and you’re ready to go! The fish was super succulent, and sweetness seeped through the rich gravy. You get a bit of salty veg and a lil crunch from the nuts in every mouthful. As a fan of Chinese black vinegar, I added a little more to my bowl and POW! It was divine! I started with half a bowl of rice and ended up stealing the rest of my unsuspecting husband’s! Even when everyone was on to the next dish, I was still cleaning out the fish bones! Oh… I want this all to myself!Braised Sea Cucumber and Duck was up next, this is typically Cantonese, where a whole duck (usually pre-fried fried to give flavor and color to the skin) is braised till fork tender together with sea cucumber. The duck was indeed fork tender.. falling apart at the slightest jab of a spoon but without disintegrating. The toasty dark skin added flavor. The sea cucumbers were served in big pieces, cooked to a nice spongy texture, oozing delicately spiced braise sauce in every bite.Highlight of the evening for many of us was the Baked Flower Crab with Rock Salt. You gotta go right in with all ten fingers! Be patient with it and you shall be rewarded with the freshest, sweetest, smokey crabmeat ever!Deep Fried Prawn Roll (aka Ngoh Hiang) is quite the mandatory dish at any Teochew Restaurant. Minced meat is seasoned in a good dose of spices and rolled up in dried beancurd sheets like a salami before it is fried golden brown. Traditionally, chopped water chestnuts, Chinese mushrooms and even prawns are added in the mince for texture and taste. Famous Treasure’s Prawn Rolls had all the required ingredients but wasn’t blow-me-away-good. Still very edible though and would definitely satisfy most Ngoh Hiang fans.Though many of the others thought it was a tad salty, I on the other hand really enjoyed the Stir fried Seafood Mee Sua. Maybe because of my strong palate, I thought it was very tasty and very well cooked. Unlike most noodles, mee sua (thin wheat vermicelli) is tricky to cook, especially at home. I love how Famous’s version was fried to a fluffy finish with a good wok hei (the flavor induced from the intense heat of a fired-up wok). Another plus? The generous amounts of fresh seafood! Maybe tell them to take it easy on the salt if you preferred less salty food? But definitely worth wrapping the meal with this!Finally, something sweet at a Teochew restaurant only means Orh Nee, which translates to Mash Taro. I thought they’ve done a great job here with their Orh Nee. The taro was mashed to a fine smooth paste, topped with a chunk of pumpkin and bitter ginkgo nuts. Wasn’t too sweet either! I’m gonna call it… One of the best Orh Nees in town.

We had the pleasure of meeting the sisters that manage the Famous group of restaurants and they were most hospitable and welcoming! I already feel I’m taking too long for a return! But I think a shoutout before that is in order! So here’s to Famous Treasure… Congratulations! You truly deserve to be famous! And that fish!

Famous Treasure @ 13 Stamford Rd #02-28 Capitol Piazza. Singapore 178905. Phone: +65 6881-6668

Disclaimer- This is not a sponsored post.