Overview
Siong Tong Gai is a Malaysian seafood zi char restaurant that has made its Singapore debut at 313 Somerset. With over 10 outlets across Malaysia and a reputation for long queues, this establishment brings authentic Malaysian home-cooked flavors to the heart of Orchard Road.
Rating: 8.5/10
Detailed Dish Analysis
Signature Dishes
Steamed Three Treasures With Hifin Patin ($35++ for two pax)
This is the restaurant’s crown jewel and the dish that built their reputation. The “three treasures” refers to a medley of squid, prawns, and clams served alongside white catfish (patin) in a richly flavored broth.
Broth Quality: The soup base is the foundation of this dish’s success. It achieves a deeply layered flavor profile through the natural sweetness of fresh seafood combined with generous amounts of garlic and ginger. Each spoonful delivers an umami-rich experience that showcases proper seafood cooking techniques.
Patin Fish: The white catfish is chosen specifically for its texture and flavor compatibility with steaming. The fish achieves a remarkable melt-in-the-mouth softness with minimal chewing required, indicating precise steaming time and temperature control. While mild in flavor, this allows the fish to absorb the aromatic broth without competing flavors.
Supporting Ingredients: The squid provides essential textural contrast with its chewy consistency, preventing the dish from becoming monotonously soft. The prawns and clams contribute additional seafood sweetness to the broth while offering variety in each bite.
Value Assessment: With multiple proteins and enough to serve two people, this dish offers strong value despite the premium price point.
Fried Prawns with Soy Sauce ($28.80++)
A straightforward preparation that relies on ingredient quality rather than complex technique.
Prawn Quality: The prawns feature generous portions of juicy, sweet flesh, indicating both freshness and proper sizing. The natural sweetness suggests the prawns were likely sourced fresh rather than frozen.
Sauce Profile: The soy-based sauce takes a minimalist approach, allowing the prawns’ natural flavor to remain the focal point. This restraint demonstrates confidence in ingredient quality.
Preparation Method: The dish requires hands-on eating, suggesting the prawns are served shell-on to maximize flavor retention during cooking.
Traditional Zi Char Offerings
Crispy Homemade Tofu With Minced Meat ($13.80++)
This dish showcases the restaurant’s ability to elevate familiar zi char staples with distinctive touches.
Tofu Preparation: The tofu achieves the difficult balance of maintaining silky-soft interior texture while developing a genuinely crispy exterior skin. This requires careful oil temperature control and timing.
Sauce Character: The coating sauce delivers strong umami notes with pronounced mushroom flavors, creating depth beyond standard brown sauce preparations.
Minced Meat Component: The inclusion of spicy minced meat is a departure from typical versions of this dish. While slightly oversalted, it adds a heat element and textural variety. This modification shows the restaurant’s willingness to adapt traditional recipes.
Overall Balance: The combination of crispy, soft, savory, spicy, and umami elements creates a complex eating experience from a simple concept.
Sweet And Sour Popcorn Pork ($20.80++)
Siong Tong Gai’s interpretation of the zi char essential differs significantly from standard versions.
Texture Innovation: The most notable characteristic is the extra-crispy, almost brittle exterior coating. This creates an addictive crunch that stands out from traditional sweet and sour pork.
Sauce Balance: The sauce maintains the expected sweet-tangy profile while the enhanced crispiness adds a textural dimension.
Meat-to-Coating Ratio: The increased crispiness comes at a tradeoff—less prominence of the pork itself. This will appeal to those who prioritize texture over meatiness, but may disappoint traditionalists.
New Menu Additions
Stir-Fried Pork with Green Pepper ($18.80++)
Marked as a reviewer favorite and new addition to the menu.
Pork Preparation: The pork slices demonstrate proper marination with effective spice and aromatic penetration. The meat remains tender despite high-heat wok cooking.
Wok Hei Achievement: The dish successfully captures the distinctive smoky flavor (wok hei) that defines quality Chinese stir-fry cooking, indicating proper wok technique and heat control.
Green Pepper Integration: The peppers aren’t merely decorative—they provide earthy notes that cut through the rich, smoky meat flavors, creating balance and preventing palate fatigue.
Golden Crispy Chicken Drumlets ($18.80++)
A competent but less distinctive offering.
Flavor Profile: Combines sticky-sweet marinade with garlicky batter, creating a dual-flavor approach.
Overall Assessment: While well-executed, this dish lacks the unique character found in other menu items. It’s a safe choice but won’t be memorable compared to signature offerings.
Double Delight Pork Chop ($18.80++)
A classic executed with above-average technique.
Preparation Method: The pork chops are pounded thin before frying, resulting in enhanced tenderness throughout the meat.
Dual Sauce Approach: One chop features Western-style lemon aioli, the other sweet and sour sauce. This provides variety and allows diners to experience different flavor profiles.
Meat Quality: The pork achieves notable juiciness despite being fried, suggesting proper preparation and not overcooking. The chops can be enjoyed without sauce, indicating quality execution.
Ambience & Dining Environment
Space & Layout
The 313 Somerset location offers substantial seating capacity for over 50 diners, making it well-suited for the restaurant’s target market of family groups and special occasion dining. The provision of multiple large tables indicates the restaurant understands its zi char positioning requires accommodating larger parties.
Design Aesthetic
The all-white minimalist color scheme creates an interesting contrast with typical zi char establishments, which often feature more traditional or casual décor. This design choice elevates the dining experience while maintaining simplicity, suggesting “affordable luxury” positioning.
The clean, lavish-yet-simple atmosphere complements the food philosophy—authentic home-cooked Malaysian flavors presented in a more refined setting than typical hawker or casual zi char venues.
Location Advantages
Situated in 313 Somerset, directly connected to Somerset MRT Station, the restaurant enjoys exceptional accessibility. This Orchard Road location positions it for both destination dining and convenient meals for shoppers and office workers.
The basement level (#B3-02) placement may offer advantages in foot traffic from mall visitors while potentially keeping rental costs lower than ground-floor units.
Menu Strategy & Pricing Analysis
Price Positioning
The restaurant occupies the mid-to-upper range for zi char dining:
- Signature fish dish: $35++ for two people
- Meat/poultry dishes: $18.80-$28.80++
- Tofu dish: $13.80++
The “++” pricing (adding service charge and GST) will increase final costs by approximately 17%, placing it firmly in the “premium zi char” category rather than hawker-adjacent pricing.
Value Proposition
Despite higher prices than traditional zi char, the restaurant justifies costs through:
- Fresh, high-quality seafood
- Generous portions (signature dish serves two)
- Prime Orchard Road location
- Air-conditioned mall setting
- Full restaurant service
Promotional Strategy
The opening promotion (till November 28, 2024) offering certain dishes for $1++ with signature steamed dish purchase demonstrates smart customer acquisition strategy, encouraging trial of multiple menu items while driving sales of their highest-margin signature dish.
Delivery Options
Important Note: The provided review document does not mention any delivery service availability, operating hours for delivery, delivery platforms (GrabFood, Foodpanda, Deliveroo), or delivery-specific menu options.
Delivery Considerations
Given the restaurant’s positioning and menu, several factors would impact delivery viability:
Challenges:
- Steamed fish dishes don’t typically travel well, as the delicate texture and hot broth can degrade during transport
- Crispy items (tofu, sweet and sour pork, chicken drumlets) will lose their texture
- The signature dish’s appeal heavily depends on the broth being piping hot
Potential Solutions: If delivery were offered, the restaurant would likely need to:
- Package soup-based dishes separately with reheating instructions
- Use ventilated containers for fried items
- Focus delivery menu on items that travel better (stir-fried dishes, pork chops)
Recommendation: For the full Siong Tong Gai experience, particularly for the signature steamed fish dish, dine-in is strongly recommended.
Overall Assessment
Strengths
- Ingredient Quality: Fresh, high-quality seafood sets the foundation
- Signature Dish Excellence: The steamed three treasures justifies the restaurant’s reputation
- Authentic Preparation: Maintains Malaysian cooking traditions while adding refinement
- Accessibility: Premium location with excellent transport links
- Capacity: Can accommodate large groups and special occasions
Weaknesses
- Limited Standout Dishes: Beyond the signature, most dishes are good but not exceptional
- Premium Pricing: Higher than typical zi char may limit regular visit frequency
- Delivery Limitations: Menu doesn’t appear optimized for takeaway/delivery
- Textural Preferences: Some dishes (like the extra-crispy sweet and sour pork) may polarize diners
Best For
- Special family dinners
- Groups seeking quality Malaysian seafood
- Diners willing to pay premium for fresh ingredients in convenient location
- Those who prioritize the signature steamed fish experience
May Not Suit
- Budget-conscious diners seeking traditional zi char value
- Solo diners (portions and pricing favor groups)
- Those seeking delivery convenience
- Adventurous eaters wanting bold, experimental flavors
Final Verdict
Siong Tong Gai succeeds in translating its Malaysian success to Singapore by focusing on what it does best—fresh seafood prepared with authentic technique in an elevated setting. While the premium pricing and Orchard Road location position it differently from traditional zi char, the quality execution and standout signature dish justify the positioning.
The restaurant fills a niche for those seeking Malaysian seafood zi char quality in a modern, accessible setting. However, to become a repeat-visit destination rather than occasional splurge, the restaurant may need to develop more dishes that achieve the same excellence as their signature steamed fish.
Recommended Visit Strategy: Order the Signature Three Treasures as your centerpiece, add the Stir-Fried Pork with Green Pepper for balance, and select one crispy item based on your texture preferences. Visit during the promotional period to maximize value while sampling multiple dishes.
Practical Information
Address: 313 Orchard Road, #B3-02, 313@Somerset, Singapore 238895
Operating Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Phone: 6908 1393
Halal Status: Not halal-certified
Accessibility: Direct connection to Somerset MRT Station
Must-Order: Signature Three Treasures with Hifin Patin ($35 for two)
Runner-Up: Stir-Fried Pork with Green Pepper ($18.80)
Skip If Budget-Conscious: Golden Crispy Chicken Drumlets