Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家): Family-friendly Dining Restaurant

There are plenty of cafes and restaurants serving good food which look delicious and highly-‘instagrammable’. It may be a great hit with the younger crowd but the older generation like our parents and grandparents might just want a simple, hearty and warm home-cooked dishes. My folks, especially, prefer simple homecooked meals that use fresh ingredients only, with the addition of MSG. And I am glad I brought them to Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家) as they really enjoyed the restaurant’s delectable home cooked dishes.

It is about a five minutes away from Potong Pasir MRT and it’s housed at a quiet estate near MacPherson road. Over here, you can enjoy some peace and quietness as there aren’t too much of a crowd especially on weekdays. That’s when you could really dine leisurely with your family. It’s a great place to bring your extended family members, relatives or friends for a family gathering over a wholesome meal. If you find cooking a hassle but wanted to enjoy home cooked Chinese dishes, this is the place to come.

Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家) started in 2009 by Chan Mei Yan, who is affectionately known as Gu Ma. To serve up their best possible tasty dishes, Gu Ma and her team would visit the wholesale market on a daily basis to purchase the freshest ingredients.

From 31 March onwards, they would be introducing their new Lemongrass Ginger Chicken Soup and Ginger lemongrass tea. These new additions would entice any health-conscious individuals because both lemongrass and ginger have got amazing benefits for our body.

Ginger Lemongrass Tea ($2.50)

Gu Ma Jia’s Lemongrass Ginger Drink is packed with the anti-oxidants, which helps to expel toxins. It is widely known as the ‘healing tea’ because it not only helps the body to detox, but it also increases metabolic rate and regulates high blood pressure. The tea is served hot and it comes with a sachet of raw sugar.

Kai Lan (Yuan Yang) Vegetables (From $12)

This dish features Kai Lan vegetables cooked in two styles, blanched and fried. It’s an interesting twist to this all-time favourite local vegetables. Each Kai Lan stalk resembles a tree and it tasted so crunchy and fresh! But for me, I still prefer eating softer vegetables like Kang Kong.

Crispy Bean-Jal (From $12)

This stellar dish was my parents’ favourite! It’s a perfect combination of crispy fried brinjal and crunchy French beans (四季豆). The brinjal is lightly tossed in sweet marmite sauce and fried with the French beans. The crispy fried brinjal tasted like meat and it goes so well with the French beans.

Lemongrass Ginger Chicken Soup ($20, 2-3 pax)

This kampong-style traditional chicken soup recipe is from Gu Ma’s hometown of Pulau Ubin and it is infused with a chockful of lemongrass which provides relief of stomach discomfort and disorders. It aids in detoxification, helping to improve the nervous and immune system. Ths soup is light but flavourful.

The waitress helps us remove the chicken from the soup and she drizzles soy sauce and sesame oil over the chicken. And the chicken tasted real good with a bowl of rice!

Gu Ma Jia Award Winning Assam Fish Head ($28)

The Assam Fish Head is one of their signature dishes. If you love spicy food, you will enjoy this dish which is cooked with spicy and sour Assam blend gravy.

Butter Salted Egg Yolk Crab (Seasonal Price)

If you are into seafood, you should try their Butter Salted Egg Yolk crab. They use fresh Sri Lankan Crab and though the crab isn’t too big but there’s quite a lot of meat in it. The salted egg yolk gravy goes well with the sweet crab meat.

Last but not least, you mustn’t leave Gu Ma Jia without trying their homemade desserts. We tried their Vinegar Enzyme jelly, Gu Ma’s dessert and Mango Pudding pop. All three were excellent! My parents enjoyed the Vinegar Enzyme jelly while I enjoyed their Mango Pudding pop. Over here, they make their own vinegar enzyme using vinegar and fruits like pears.