Ah Chiang’s Porridge

Good place to get a bowl of porridge. Only Singaporean will eat this porridge in hot and humid weather sitting outdoor, because the porridge is healthy, tasty. Shiok!

Ah Chiang’s porridge has been around for as long as I can remember, basically forever… I always come here to grab a meal (at least once) when I come to Singapore.
To be honest, I don’t really like porridge that much. But I do enjoy it once in awhile. Ah Chiang’s porridge serves up a comfort porridge dish that has options of pork, intestines, century egg (pei dan), fish and whether you’d like eggs in your porridge or not… With so much more options, take your pick when you get there! They also do take out! :)
If you live close by, you could bring a bowl over and ask them to serve it in there and walk home with it as I’ve seen a lady who lives nearby did it when I was there.
They used to sell raw fish as well, but with the strict ban in Singapore about raw fish, only certain establishments can sell it now… and Ah Chiang’s wasn’t one of them, sadly.
No doubt that their specialty is porridge, but they do serve a good Milo 冰/​peng too, which also means Iced Milo. No idea why, their Milo 冰/​peng here just tastes so much better than other places — could be just me…
Their seating is out on the «patio» with slight indoors seating. They have ample fans around but with the heat in Singapore, it doesn’t help — get yourself an Iced Milo to cool down!
More Singapore adventures coming up!

I am normally a very tough «grader» but this place deserves a lot of credit because it is one of the few authentic Chinese places in Tiong Bahru. This also implies that it is not overpriced and popular.
A couple of taxi drivers told me that this was one of the best Congee places in town (congee=porridge) and I concur. I am not a Congee expert but I had, for my third visit, a pork congee with century egg and it was lovely.
A solid choice!

The porridge was ok. I thought the pork lacked flavor. It was really pretty tasteless. The porridge had some flavor, but the pork really took away from the porridge. I preferred the porridge stall in the food center a few blocks away, Hwa Yeun.

Had it once sometime back. Wanted to go back again. Could not find the place anymore :(that is, until two weeks ago :)
Simple — the way a bowl of porridge is suppose to be. Menu is classified to the type of «meat» that you want in. Add an egg? Without an egg? Your choice. Sides of smoked duck or fried dumpling? Both are not that interesting so just stick to the good old fashion porridge :)

Came here for the first time when my boss decided that it was time for breakfast and was instantly converted into a fan! Prior to visiting this place, porridge wasn’t something that would come to mind for a meal (distant memories of childhood and being force fed plain porridge still haunt me) but this changed everything. I’ve returned for 2 times and counting ever since!
One of my colleagues and I always order their pork balls porridge, which is THE BEST of the lot. Also, chinese sashimi (raw fish) is a pretty acquired taste and way more fishy than the Japanese version but the thin slithers of raw fish in soy sauce were good and went well with the porridge! Go for the more expensive version if you can though. We also had some fried fish skin once, which was very salty on its own but nice when eaten alternately with porridge.
(I daresay that this place actually rivals the more popular Zhen Zhen porridge at Maxwell… probably my favourite porridge place in Singapore at the moment)
Haven’t been here for awhile as my workplace has changed but I’ll come back here regularly when I’m posted for work near the area!

Yummy porridge could have been better with a bigger portion and if they close slightly later to cater to all the people around the area!

Just like bak kut teh, porridge is another one of those dishes where I’m all, «Why the hell would anyone eat this when it’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk?!» But being someone who’s open to trying new things, I figured I might as well see what the fuss is about.
Ah Chiang’s has been around for decades, but I’ll leave it to the reviews below to talk about its history. When I visited during my lunch break, the place was hopping with locals, both professionals and those who are retired and probably live around the block. Since it’s difficult to find a table during peak lunch hour, my colleagues and I did a takeaway order this time around.
The aunties that run the cashier can be a bit brusque, but don’t take it personally. Also, if you do takeaway, don’t take it personally when they call a number, you know it’s not your order, but then they glare at you thinking it is your order, and then when you prove to them it isn’t, they start yelling amongst themselves trying to figure out whether a guest isn’t listening or if someone on the staff is an idiot for taking the wrong order.
I decided to play it safe by just ordering the plain pork porridge (I think it’s the 2^nd or 3^rd one on the menu) which doesn’t include intestines, liver or anything your typical Westerner wouldn’t eat. Once I got back to the office and tried it (in an air conditioned environment) I didn’t think it was half bad. I will have to echo the other reviews in that it is pretty plain, so it’s best to take my colleague’s advice of adding soy sauce, ginger, and pepper for more taste.
However, the price can’t be beat. If you include the extra charge for takeaway, it came out to $ 4.25, and I was unable to finish my bowl.

Was suppose to be good porridge but I thought it tasted like any other porridge joint. I still will never understand how people eat porridge in the Singapore heat (we had ours for take away). I would get it if I were in the neighborhood but would not make my way there just to eat it.

I’ve had Ah Chiang’s more times than I can count now, mainly because I used to and currently work within walking distance and it was my late lunch eatery of choice (the other places sell out).
They serve up porridge with almost any combination of ingredients you’d like, and personally I always go for the minced pork and shredded chicken porridge with an egg. Add extra soy sauce, smother it in pepper, and you’re good to go.
They’re also really popular for their other dishes like their tofu in Thai-​like chili sauce, their raw fish (that I confess I’ve never dared to try), and a few other things that I’ve noticed other people ordering but never really felt like indulging.
The porridge though is solid. It’s hearty, nourishing, and when hot, thick. Once it cools down it does get kinda watery, so do try to eat it fast for maximum enjoyment. Taking away costs extra, but gives the raw egg a little extra time to cook (as long as you’re not carrying it too far away) for that perfect soft boiled consistency.
The soya milk is a bit on the overly sweet side, so I don’t really recommend it… but if you like sweet then. Well.

Ah Chiang’s Porridge is a traditional no-​frills porridge stall that’s been around since the 70s. They serve it in the Cantonese style of thick comforting gruel with your choice of pork /​fish /​abalone etc. There are also sides of century eggs, platters of thinly sliced raw fish and fried tofu.
The porridge itself errs a bit of the side of tasteless although the texture and consistency is pretty good.
They also serve regular and almond tau huay in the Lao Ban pudding style, so those who don’t fancy the long queues at Lao Ban might do well to have a bowl or three here.
Service is fairly efficient.