Lai Wah Restaurant

ever been to a restaurant where it claims to have done yam-pot, venison hor fun and yu-sheng first? i just went there for dinner. it's funny how i knew there was a restaurant near my place since i was a kid (or maybe even before that), but i never actually ventured down there until today. and for the record, i'm 21 this year. thankfully, i didn't take that long to discover the grocery store.

well it has been around for quite some time, and it shows. the interiors threw me back into the 70s. check out the 'exit' sign. it's not an eerie green like most of the signs around today. also, the waitresses are old enough to be our grannies.

the icing on the cake is the toilet sign. i felt like putting on retro aviator shades and donning an afro-wig. oh, add a floral shirt too.

clockwise from left: sweet and sour fish, a demolished yam-pot and hot plate venison. the interiors didn't really bother me. it's the food that mattered most. i have to say the 'makansutra excellent rating' sign on the door did not deceive. the pieces of fried fish were as light and crispy as potato chips. the prawns in the yam-pot were fabulously crunchy. i haven't had prawns like that in ages. and the venison was juicy. damn i'm missing it already!

the best part of it all was the bill. with a sign proclaiming 'no GST, no service charge', i was expecting cheap eats. i wasn't disappointed; the total was $40 for three people.

but the sad part of it is that there were just two tables occupied during dinner time. my mom was wondering how they're gonna survive. so people, please support this place with a rich heritage. i know i will! it's at blk 44 bendeemer road, near boon keng mrt. i don't want gloriously delicious cantonese fare to vanish from my vicinity. and if anyone of you comes over to my place next time, i'm gonna take you guys there. it's cheap, the food's fantastic, and that's enough reason for singaporeans to love it.