The Place It took me a year to visit Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong at Haji Lane. Located in a shophouse setting along the touristy graffiti street near Bugis, the casual restaurant is by the team behind Ah Hua Kelong, a local fish and seafood farm off the coast of Changi and Sembawang in Singapore. Yes, we do have locally produced seafood and fishes.

The first level of Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong is more of a casual counter seating, whereas level two of the shophouse space is more charming for me where there are proper tables for various party sizes.

The Food The menu is not very comprehensive, but definitely sufficient to make dining decisions. The prices are quite wallet friendly most mains or big plates below S$30, with the menu split into sides, small and big plates. If you fancy drinks, the restaurant shares their space with the adjacent Bar Stories where you can get recommendations for drinks.

We started with the Shimeji Fries (S$12) with calamansi mayonnaise, an addictive mushroom fries which has a very crispy texture and one of those bar bites which goes well with some cocktails.

I was craving for mantou and curry after having the awesome version from Magic Square, so it was a no brainer for me to go for the Curry Mussels with Mantou (S$16). The huge mussels here are wild caught off Ah Hua Kelong and not farmed per se, and I am pleasantly surprised by the freshness and quality. The fried mantou goes so well with the delicious curry that we order extra servings.

From the pasta section, I tried the Seabass (S$20) pasta with Nori Cream Tagliatelle, Enoki and Pickled Radish. This dish has some Japanese elements like the pasta which is prepared with nori and kombu dashi. The flavours are relatively light which works well after the heavy curry mantou.

From the big plates section, I chose to try the Golden Pomfret 2 ways (S$24), along with kimchi cream, tofu purée, Brussels sprout and pickled shallots. The mix of kimchi cream and tofu pudding sauce is quite interesting and novel, which gives the grilled pomfret a better flavour. The second way here is where the pomfret is wrapped in a fried dumpling, which has a nice crunchy texture.

Rants There is currently no lunch service though I learnt from one of the owner that they are in plans to launch its lunch service. Some of the dishes like the Shimeji fries is quite oily.

Will I Return Again? In most aspects, I enjoyed Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong. The space is charming and the dishes are competent for its prices. This is one spot tourists should stop by in Haji Lane, other than posing along the graffiti walls.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong
55 Haji Lane
Singapore 189248
Tel: +65 9830 0117

Opening Hours
Tuesday to Thursday: 5pm to 11:30pm
Friday to Saturday: 5pm to 12am
Sunday: 5pm to 11:30pm
Closed on Mondays

Ranted by The Ranter