Mui Thiang Kee Eating House isn’t a spot that I am unfamiliar with — the coffeeshop that is situated at Cassia Crescent is also home to Specialise Homemade Pau Dian; one of the stalls I would frequent for some satisfying handmade pau in the area. So I was pretty surprised why I hadn’t paid attention to Fatt Choy Mui Seafood Restaurant after coming across several posts of their Crispy To-fu on social media, which is the zichar stall of the said coffeeshop.

Being Fatt Choy Mui Seafood Restaurant’s signature item, the Crispy To-fu is a to order item here — featuring an entire slab of homemade tofu topped with fried garlic and preserved radish whilst sitting atop lettuce with soy sauce beneath, the aesthetic of the dish itself is enough to whet the appetite. Our order was for the small-sized variant at S$12 (most information which we had found online indicated the dish being priced at S$11); the only other size available for this item is Large at S$18. What I absolutely love about this dish here was how the beancurd was crisp on the outside, but absolutely smooth and custardy in the interior — in no way the beancurd was airy, nor stiff or “old”; just a consistent silken texture throughout. Topped with crispy fried garlic and preserved radish, it comes with just a slight savouriness and garlicky fragrance, while the soy sauce provides for a slight savoury sweetness that compliments the entire dish perfectly.

While Fatt Choy Mui Seafood Restaurant’s do mostly tend to veer towards the lighter side in terms of flavour, the Crispy To-Fu is a signature worthy to make a trip down for; a zichar dish that is uniquely theirs, and is well-executed for nailing almost every element right. Still wondering how I have missed this spot having been going around this neighbourhood for quite a number of years now, but now I do think I would crave for some Crispy To-Fu after my visit to Brawn & Brains Guillemard Road given how it’s pretty much in the vicinity!