Crave rich, heady curry? Make this your next stop.
– Name: Yu Cun Curry Fish Head
– Where: 29/31 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198477
– Area: Bugis fringe, a short stroll from Nicoll Highway MRT
– Walk time: About 6 minutes from the station
– Hours: Open daily, 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM
– Website: See their official site for the latest
– Halal: Not halal-certified
– Score: 7.5/10
– Reviewed: December 2024
– Why go:
– Bold flavors. Big comfort.
– Easy to reach. Easy to love.
– Long hours for lunch, dinner, and late bites.
– Make it personal:
– Bring a friend. Share the claypot. Leave happy.
Yu Cun Curry Fish Head has been a popular zi char restaurant since 2014, originally operating from their Tai Seng location. After ten years of building a loyal customer base, they expanded by opening this second outlet at Sultan Gate near Bugis. The new location offers a slightly different menu compared to the original Tai Seng branch while maintaining their signature dishes.
RESTAURANT AMBIENCE AND SEATING
The restaurant spans two floors with distinctly different atmospheres on each level.
First Floor: The ground floor is decorated with warm wooden furniture and features rattan elements that create a traditional, cozy dining environment. This floor is particularly well-suited for large family gatherings and group celebrations, with spacious round tables that can accommodate multiple diners comfortably.
Second Floor: Climbing up one flight of stairs, you’ll find a completely different vibe. The second floor leans toward a simple, modern aesthetic with cleaner lines and contemporary furniture. There is also an al fresco dining area on this level, though it was still under construction during the review visit.
The two-floor setup provides flexibility for different dining preferences, whether you want a traditional zi char atmosphere or something more modern and minimalist.
COMPLETE DISH-BY-DISH ANALYSIS
DISH 1: ROYAL FLUSH SEAFOOD CURRY FISH HEAD POT – $55.90++
Rating: 9/10 – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This is the restaurant’s signature dish and absolutely deserves to be ordered first. The dish is served in a large claypot that’s perfect for sharing among 3 to 4 people.
Complete Ingredient List:
– One whole fish head (choice of four types)
– Large fresh prawns
– Chewy squid pieces
– Beancurd skin
– Eggplant pieces
– Lady’s fingers (okra)
– Long beans
– Fried tofu puffs
– Various aromatic herbs and spices
Fish Head Options and Pricing:
You can choose from four different types of fish heads. The base price of $55.90++ includes Red Seabream or Red Snapper. If you want to upgrade to Grouper, add an additional $10++. For Green Wrasse, add $6++ to the base price. The review tested the Red Seabream option.
Fish Head Quality Analysis:
The fish head served is impressively large and meaty. The flesh is tender, sweet, and pulls away easily from the bone. The Seabream provides excellent value with generous portions of meat throughout the head, cheeks, and collar areas. The fish is fresh without any fishy odor, and the cooking method preserves the natural sweetness of the fish while allowing it to absorb the curry flavors.
Curry Sauce Deep Dive:
The curry is the star component of this dish. The consistency hits the perfect balance – it’s neither too watery nor overly thick. The texture is creamy but maintains a light mouthfeel that doesn’t feel heavy or cloying. The flavor profile leans heavily toward coconut, giving it a rich, aromatic quality without being overwhelmingly spicy. The heat level is mild to moderate, making it accessible even to those who don’t enjoy very spicy food. The curry has a robust depth of flavor that suggests a long cooking time with quality spices. It pairs exceptionally well with white rice, as the rice soaks up the flavorful sauce perfectly.
Seafood Components:
The prawns are huge – almost lobster-sized in some cases. They’re extremely fresh with firm, bouncy meat that snaps when you bite into it. The squid pieces are cooked just right, maintaining their chewy texture without becoming rubbery. All seafood components are clearly fresh, not frozen.
Vegetable Analysis:
The vegetables serve an important purpose beyond just being filler. The eggplant becomes soft and silky, acting like a sponge for the curry sauce. Lady’s fingers add a pleasant crunch and slight viscosity to the curry. Long beans provide textural contrast, while the fried tofu puffs are perfect curry-absorbers, soaking up maximum flavor in their airy interiors.
Overall Assessment:
This dish is worth the visit alone. At $55.90++, it’s not cheap, but the generous portions, quality ingredients, and exceptional curry make it reasonable value for money when shared among several people. The only minor drawback is that it’s quite filling, so you may want to order fewer other dishes.
DISH 2: CLAYPOT CHICKEN AND PIG STOMACH SOUP – $33.90++
Rating: 7/10 – GOOD FOR OFFAL LOVERS
This is a comforting soup dish that’s perfect for rainy days or when you want something lighter than curry. It’s also served in a claypot, maintaining heat throughout the meal.
Complete Ingredient List:
– Tender chicken pieces
– Fresh fish slices
– Pig stomach (offal)
– Other pig organ meats
– Chinese mushrooms
– Sweet corn pieces
– Cabbage
– Various herbs and seasonings
Broth Quality Analysis:
The broth is notably cleaner-tasting than most pig organ soups available at other establishments. This suggests careful preparation and thorough cleaning of the offal. The soup has a clear appearance rather than being cloudy, which is a good sign of quality. However, there is still a distinct offal flavor present – it’s not masked or hidden. The broth has that characteristic organ meat taste that some people love and others can’t tolerate. If you’ve never had pig organ soup before, this might not be the best introduction.
Ingredient Quality:
The chicken pieces are tender and well-cooked, not dry or stringy. The fish slices are fresh and flaky. The pig stomach and other offal components are the real test, and they’re prepared well – tender without being mushy, and without any unpleasant odors that can result from improper cleaning or cooking. The vegetables add natural sweetness to balance the stronger offal flavors.
Who Should Order This:
This dish is ideal for those who already enjoy pig organ soups and offal dishes. The execution is good, and it’s comforting and warming. However, if you’re not a fan of offal or if you’re unsure about trying pig organs, this dish is not recommended as a starting point. The offal flavor is present and unmistakable.
Value Assessment:
At $33.90++, it’s reasonably priced for the portion size and ingredient quality. It can serve 2 to 3 people as a shared soup course.
DISH 3: COOKIES AND CREAM CHEESY CHICKEN – $17.90++ (SMALL) / $30.90++ (LARGE)
Rating: 4/10 – NOT RECOMMENDED
This is one of the more experimental dishes on the menu, attempting to create a sweet-savory fusion.
Dish Description:
The dish consists of fried chicken pieces drenched in a creamy cheese sauce and topped with finely crushed Oreo cookie crumbs. The presentation is interesting and Instagram-worthy, with the black cookie crumbs creating a striking contrast against the white cheese sauce.
Flavor Analysis:
Unfortunately, this dish doesn’t work well. The combination of fried chicken with chocolate-flavored Oreo crumbs creates a confusing flavor profile. While sweet-savory combinations can work beautifully in Asian cuisine, the specific pairing of cocoa biscuits with fried chicken feels forced and unnatural. The cheese sauce itself is decent – creamy and rich – but it’s overwhelmed by the sweetness and chocolate flavor from the Oreo crumbs.
Chicken Quality:
The fried chicken underneath appears to be of good quality – crispy coating and tender meat – but it’s difficult to appreciate because of the unusual topping combination. The chicken would likely be much better served with a different sauce or topping.
Who Might Enjoy This:
This dish might appeal to adventurous eaters who specifically enjoy unusual sweet-savory combinations, or perhaps younger diners who love Oreos and want something different. However, for most traditional zi char diners, this will likely miss the mark.
Recommendation:
Skip this dish and allocate your budget to the curry fish head or other more successful menu items. If you’re curious about fusion dishes, the passionfruit prawns (while also hit-or-miss) are a better experimental choice.
DISH 4: GIANT FRESHWATER PRAWNS WITH ZESTY PASSIONFRUIT SAUCE – $38.90++ (SMALL) / $63.90++ (LARGE)
Rating: 6/10 – GOOD PRAWNS, PROBLEMATIC SAUCE
This is another fusion-style dish that attempts to pair traditional seafood with a trendy fruit-based sauce.
Prawn Quality Analysis:
The prawns are the highlight here. They are genuinely giant – almost lobster-sized, which justifies part of the premium pricing. The prawns are extremely fresh, evident from the firm, bouncy texture of the meat. When you bite into them, there’s a satisfying snap, indicating they were live or very recently alive before cooking. The meat is sweet and has that characteristic freshwater prawn flavor. The size alone makes this dish impressive when it arrives at your table.
Passionfruit Sauce Analysis:
This is where the dish becomes problematic. The passionfruit sauce is intensely sweet-tangy, which creates an interesting initial flavor but becomes overwhelming quickly. The sauce has a sticky consistency that gets thicker as it cools, coating your mouth and making it difficult to taste the natural sweetness of the prawns. The intense fruit flavor dominates and masks the delicate seafood taste rather than complementing it.
Presentation and Serving:
The dish looks beautiful with the bright yellow-orange sauce creating visual appeal. However, the sauce is applied quite generously – perhaps too generously.
Suggested Improvement:
The reviewer notes that this dish could be easily improved by requesting the sauce on the side or asking for less sauce. The prawns themselves are excellent and would probably be better served with a lighter preparation – perhaps just salted butter and garlic, or a simple herb butter sauce.
Value Assessment:
At $38.90++ for the small portion and $63.90++ for large, this is expensive. The prawns themselves justify some of the cost due to their size and freshness, but the problematic sauce makes it hard to recommend at this price point. If you order this, definitely request light sauce or sauce on the side.
DISH 5: FLAMING RED WINE PORK RIBS – $22.90++
Rating: 7/10 – SOLID CHOICE
This dish comes with a bit of tableside theatre, as staff will torch the pork ribs at your table for extra caramelization and crispy texture.
Presentation and Cooking Method:
The flaming presentation is fun and adds entertainment value to your meal. The torching process caramelizes the sauce and creates a crispy exterior on the ribs while keeping the interior moist. It’s a nice touch that makes the dish feel more special.
Meat Quality and Preparation:
The pork ribs have a good meat-to-batter ratio – not too much breading overwhelming the meat, but enough coating to provide texture and hold the sauce. The meat itself is tender enough to bite through easily but still has some texture. The ribs are pre-cut into bite-sized pieces, making them easy to eat.
Sauce Flavor Profile:
Despite being called “red wine” pork ribs, you won’t taste much alcohol or wine flavor. The cooking and flaming process burns off most of the alcohol, leaving primarily a sweet sauce behind. The sweetness is the dominant flavor, similar to other sweet-savory Chinese pork rib preparations. If you’re expecting a sophisticated wine-forward flavor, you’ll be disappointed. If you enjoy standard zi char sweet pork ribs, you’ll like these.
Overall Assessment:
This is a safe, crowd-pleasing choice that won’t disappoint but also won’t blow you away. It’s the kind of dish that’s good to order when you have diners who prefer traditional flavors rather than experimental fusion dishes. At $22.90++, the pricing is reasonable for zi char standards.
Who Should Order This:
Perfect for families with children (they’ll love the flaming show), groups who want a familiar dish, or anyone who enjoys classic Chinese-style pork ribs. Not recommended if you’re looking for adventurous or unique flavors.
RECOMMENDED MENU ITEMS FROM REVIEW
Based on the dishes tested, here are the top recommendations:
1. Royal Flush Seafood Curry Fish Head Pot ($55.90++) – MUST ORDER
2. Claypot Chicken and Pig Stomach Soup ($33.90++) – For offal lovers only
3. Flaming Red Wine Pork Ribs ($22.90++) – Safe, crowd-pleasing choice
Additional Recommended Items (from reviewer’s notes):
– Claypot Curry Fish Head ($39.90++) – Likely a simpler version of the Royal Flush
– Pork Ribs with Ginger ($17.90++) – Mentioned as recommended
PRICING ANALYSIS AND VALUE
Price Range: $$ to $$$ (Moderate to Expensive for zi char)
Yu Cun Curry Fish Head is positioned at the higher end of zi char pricing. Most dishes range from approximately $18 to $65 for large portions. The restaurant is not a budget option for casual weeknight dinners.
Value Considerations:
– Portions are generous and designed for sharing
– Ingredient quality is generally high (especially seafood)
– Some dishes (like the curry fish head) offer better value than others
– Prices include ++ which means additional service charge and GST
Best For:
– Family gatherings and celebrations
– Special occasions
– Group dining (3-4 people minimum for best value)
Not Ideal For:
– Solo diners
– Budget-conscious meals
– Quick casual dinners with just 1-2 people
DELIVERY OPTIONS AND TAKEAWAY
Important Note: The original review article does not mention any delivery options, delivery platforms, or takeaway services for Yu Cun Curry Fish Head.
Based on standard Singapore restaurant practices, here are likely options:
Possible Delivery Platforms (not confirmed):
– GrabFood
– Foodpanda
– Deliveroo
However, it’s important to note that zi char dishes, especially curry fish head and claypot items, may not travel well. These dishes are best enjoyed fresh and hot at the restaurant. If delivery is available, expect:
– Potential quality degradation during transport
– Soup/curry dishes may spill or separate
– Crispy items may become soggy
– Higher prices due to delivery fees and packaging
Recommendation for Delivery:
If you must get delivery or takeaway, stick to drier dishes like the pork ribs. Avoid ordering the curry fish head or soup dishes for delivery, as the experience will be significantly inferior to dining in.
For the most current delivery availability and platforms, visit the restaurant’s official website or call them directly at their Sultan Gate location.
FINAL VERDICT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Strengths:
– Exceptional curry fish head that lives up to its reputation
– Fresh, high-quality seafood ingredients
– Generous portion sizes ideal for sharing
– Two-floor setup with different atmospheres
– Good location near MRT
– Suitable for large family gatherings
Weaknesses:
– Hit-or-miss experimental fusion dishes
– Premium pricing that may not suit all budgets
– Some dishes don’t justify their cost
– Not all menu items meet the standard set by the signature curry
Who Should Visit:
Yu Cun Curry Fish Head is ideal for family gatherings, special occasions, and group celebrations where 4 or more people can share multiple dishes. The restaurant excels when you stick to their signature items rather than experimental fusion offerings.
Who Might Want to Skip:
If you’re looking for budget-friendly zi char or a casual solo meal, this might not be the best choice. The pricing and portion sizes are geared toward groups.
Best Strategy for Ordering:
Focus your budget on the Royal Flush Seafood Curry Fish Head Pot as the centerpiece, then add 1-2 simpler dishes like rice, vegetables, or the pork ribs. Avoid the experimental fusion items unless you’re specifically curious and don’t mind potentially wasting money on a miss.
Final Recommendation:
Worth visiting for their signature curry fish head, which is genuinely excellent. However, manage expectations for other menu items and be selective about what you order. Stick to traditional zi char preparations rather than fusion experiments for the best experience.
PRACTICAL VISITING INFORMATION
Best Times to Visit:
– Lunch hours: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM (expect crowds)
– Early dinner: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM (less crowded)
– Late dinner: After 8:30 PM (quieter)
– Weekends will be busier than weekdays
Reservation Recommendations:
For groups of 6 or more, especially on weekends, calling ahead for reservations is strongly advised.
What to Bring:
– Cash and cards likely both accepted (confirm with restaurant)
– Appetite – portions are large
– At least 3-4 people for best value and variety
How to Get There:
– MRT: Nicoll Highway Station (Circle Line), 6-minute walk
– Bus: Multiple bus routes serve the Sultan Gate area
– Taxi/Grab: Address is 29/31 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198477
Parking:
Street parking may be available but limited. Check nearby public parking options in the Bugis area.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Review Context: This was a media tasting, meaning the reviewer was invited by the restaurant. However, the review provides honest feedback including negative assessments of several dishes.
Photography: Professional photos by John Lery Villanueva accompanied the original review.
Menu Updates: As this is a new location with a “slightly different menu” from the Tai Seng branch, menu items and prices may change. Check their website or call ahead for current offerings.
Dietary Restrictions:
– Not halal-certified
– Limited vegetarian options (this is primarily a seafood-focused zi char)
– High sodium content typical of zi char cooking
– Some dishes contain pork and shellfish
For the most current information, visit their official website or contact the restaurant directly.