Advertorials, Reviews & Events,  Food

Gu Ma Jia Food Pot Food Review

Today’s post is about a restaurant – Gu Ma Jia Food Pot, a Chinese restaurant that i recently got acquainted with and am going to share with all of you on all the food that i tried while i was there.

Gu Ma Jia Food Pot
45, Tai Thong Crescent,
Senett Estate, (S) 347866
Tel: 6285 2023
Opening hours: 11am – 10pm daily
(Closed for break from 3.30 – 5.30pm on Mon-Fri)

Gu Ma Jia Food Pot Restaurant that serves home-cooked goodness!
Gu Ma Jia Food Pot Restaurant

I was first invited for a media food review some months back, and subsequently went back as a full paying customer and both times, i enjoyed the food. The main draw of the restaurant is that it is mostly a humble, cosy, no-frills, restaurant that serves typical Chinese dishes home-cooked style, some of which does have a special recipe to them that makes the dishes totally interesting. I would recommend this as a place to dine with your family and friends. Depending on what you order, the pricing is mostly reasonable and affordable.

The name Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家) is originated from the owner, who is affectionally known as 姑妈 (‘Gu Ma’ – aunt in Chinese) by her large family of 6 siblings with numerous nephews and nieces. She is known to be a great cook and she started the restaurant with a vision to share delicious home-cooked food with her customers, and have them share joy and bond over the meal. 姑妈 also believes in serving the best ingredients selected daily from the wet market.

I am just going to share the list of the type of food that i had over both occasions, and you can decide what you really want to try should you visit one day.

Gu Ma JIa Assam Fish Head Curry
Assam Fish Head Curry – $28 (Gu Ma Jia Signature)

If you like assam fish head curry, i recommend that you try this out. This is a hot favourite and must-try. The fish is picked freshly from the market daily and i find the fish succulent and juicy. The spicy and sour assam gravy is very yummy and one of the best that i have tried. This speaks a lot since i’m a die-hard ocean curry fish head fan. my mum totally agrees with me on this when we went back the 2nd round for this.

Gu Ma Jia White Pepper Crab (Seasonal Price)
White Pepper Crab (Seasonal Price) (Gu Ma Jia Signature)

I am not a white pepper crab person and this will not something i would order if i were to dine myself. I had the chance to try this during the food review and am pleased to report that i didnt mind it a bit. The Sri Lanka crab flesh was fresh, sweet and succulent, and peels off from the shell easily in big chunks. The special bit about this dish is that it is made from a special Sarawak white pepper that 姑妈 brings in herself. Definitely worth the stomach space for pepper crab lovers.

Gu Ma Jia Buttered salted egg yolk Sri lanka crabs
Buttered Salted Egg Yolk Crab (Seasonal price)

My favourite type of crabs would be the buttered salted egg yolk crab. Anything with butter or salted egg is love! This is definitely not the healthiest of dish to choose but if you don’t mind indulging, this is finger-licking good. The saltiness of the butter and salted egg didn’t overwhelm the natural sweet taste and freshness of the crab and this is what i really like about it.

Gu Ma Jia Yuan Yang Kai Lan ($10/$15/$20)
Yuan Yang Kai Lan ($10/$15/$20) (Gu Ma Jia Signature)

I’m a super veggie lover, the kind that can never swallow a meal without any vegetables in sight. I have eaten all sorts and types of vegetables and this totally threw me off my senses. This dish features the kai lan vegetables cooked in 2 styles – the stems are blanched and the leaves are deep fried crispy. Isnt that interesting? it’s delicious nonetheless. The crispy leaves does taste a little like seaweed and i think it’ll be popular with kids but it is a little too salty for my liking if i were to pop them into my kid’s mouth.

Gu Ma Jia Claypot Chicken with Ginger & Seasame oil
Clay Pot Chicken with Ginger & Seasame Oil ($15/$22/$28) (Gu Ma Jia Signature)

This dish reminds me a little of the confinement food that i eat but its nothing like it. The sesame oil is really fragrant, with the tender chicken kinda swimming in it. It feels totally like comfort food to me and i love this even though im not particularly fond of ginger. Great to have this on a cold day.

Gu Ma Jia Crispy Deep Fried Soon Hock in Soy Sauce
Crispy Deep Fried Soon Hock in Soy Sauce (Price seasonal)

This “yao zam” (deep fried, served with soy sauce) soon hock is pretty much a winner. I know, deep fried fresh fish is totally not doing the fresh fish any justice, but believe me.. this is totally good and yummy. I had this with my family and they cleaned up the plate and not a single bone in sight thereafter. The fish is really fresh and good. The family love yao zam soon hock a lot and this is probably the umpteen time that we had it and this gets the thumbs up from everyone so if you like yao zam styled fish, get this! Warning, it’s not cheap though. Soon hock are expensive fishes.

Gu Ma Jia Hot Plate BBQ Sotong in Sambal Sauce
Hot Plate BBQ Sotong ($18) (Gu Ma Jia Signature)

This reminds me a little of the seafood that i usually eat alongside with stingray and cockles, you know, sambal sotong? This however, is a little sweet and sour in flavour, the sauce giving it a refreshing taste, especially with the lime that is served along with it. The squids are fresh and chewy, a sign that its not overly cooked (something that a lot of restaurants dont do well with squid dishes). i like it but i think i will try the sambal sotong that’s on the menu the next time. Somehow, the pairing of sambal and squid is kinda stuck with me. I love the spiciness that comes along with sambal sotong but if you aren’t a spicy lover, this dish is for you.

Gu Ma Jia Crispy Bean-jal
Crispy Bean-Jal ($12/$18) (Gu Ma Jia Signature)

Non  brinjal lovers – this dish will throw you off and make you rethink about brinjals because it totally doesnt taste anything like it! Nothing of the soft, slimy, gooey texture that brinjal usually comes in. This is crisp and crunchy, tossed in marmite sauce and stirred fried with french beans and chilli. It’s a tad spicy, but a wonderful combination nonetheless. I had this twice and still loving it.

Gu Ma Jia Kyoto Pork Ribs
Kyoto Pork Ribs ($20) (Gu Ma Jia Signature)

When this dish is served, my eyes had a real feast first. The entire aluminum foil is on fire! Evidence below! The pork ribs that are drenched in a sweet and tangy sauce are tender, juicy and delicious. I always had the impression that pork ribs are a little hard and difficult to chew but this is nothing like it. According to Gu Ma, aluminum foil helps to retain the juiciness and the natural flavors of the ribs and this is apparently, a hot favourite amongst Gu Ma Jia’s regulars.

Burning Kyoto Ribs served at Gu Ma Jia.
Kyoto Ribs on FIRE! Totally a feast for the eyes.
Gu Ma Jia 8 Treasures Vegetables dish
XO Fresh Scallops with assorted vegetables ($18/$27/$34)

The name says it all. Fresh scallops in XO sauce. The pump, fat scallops are big and fresh and the husband enjoyed this dish thoroughly. He’s a big fan of scallops. I find it interesting that the lotus provide an additional crunch to the dish and would gladly order this to enjoy with the husband the next time we dine there.

Gu Ma Jia Assam Seafood
Assam Seafood ($16/$24/$30)

Eh. I love the assam sauce. Period. This is a good alternative to order if you love assam but not a big fan of fish head or don’t quite know how to eat fish head. I love the vegetables drenched in the assam sauce – mouthwatering and darn, i’m so craving for some right now and can feel my mouth salivating at the thought of it.

Gu Ma Jia Oyster Omelette
Oyster Omelette ($12)

The oyster omelette is a pretty straightforward dish. How different can egg omelette get? This taste pretty much like the usual fuyong egg omelette, but topped with oysters. I ordered it simply because i love oysters and i find it ok. Nothing wow about it and i’ll probably give this a miss the next time round.

And, that’s pretty much all of what i ate! If you are still with me at this point, i still have interesting things to share!

Gu Ma Jia serves healthy Roasted Buckwheat Green Tea
BHP Roasted Buckwheat Green Tea ($2/pax)

If you are big on healthy stuff, the restaurant serves the BHP roasted buckwheat green tea that is supposedly very healthy. The husband loves this tea (he thinks it taste pretty special) so if you love buckwheat, do try this out! Gu Ma swears by the good properties of this drink and that it is very good for health! She even tried stopping me from ordering my favourite chinese tea!

Gu Ma Jia Food Pot Restaurant owner - Gu Ma
Gu Ma & me, at Gu Ma Jia Food Pot

Here’s a picture of Gu Ma & me! She can often be seen serving the tables in the restaurant and recommending the freshest foods for the day.

I also thought the lovely fruit platter on the menu is very interesting and can double up as a birthday cake or sort if you are holding some family birthday celebration there. Isn’t it cute? Reservation in advance is required though.

Gu Ma Jia Auntie's Lovely Fruit Platter
Gu Ma’s Lovely Fruit Platter (Reservation required)

The better news yet? Gu Ma Jia has NO GST & NO SERVICE CHARGE! No wonder the restaurant is always packed during meal times. I totally recommend you guys making a reservation before popping by to ensure that there is a seat. The restaurant is actually 2 levels and can hold 55 pax on the first level and 70 pax on the second. The 2nd floor is only accessible by stairs, so if you have someone who has difficulty scaling those stairs, do remember to ask for first level seats.

Gu Ma Jia Food Pot - Opening Hours, No GST & Service Charge
Gu Ma Jia Food Pot Front Door – No GST & Service Charge!

And ermm, if you want to save data off your mobile plan, there is also FREE wifi in the restaurant. This didnt make any difference to me but i know of people who would appreciate free wifi! If you drive, the parking is going to be quite challenging should you reach after 7pm, and the lots along the road is mostly parallel lots (actually, i think all of them are!) so if you aren’t too familiar, go with someone who can park.

I also have some $10 dining vouchers (with min. $70 spending) that i can give away, so if you are keen, drop me a note or email me at cherieladie[@]msn[.]com (ignore the brackets) with your mailing address and i’ll mail one voucher over. No expiry date on them and while stocks last.

Ending this post with a couple selfie with der taken right after the food review session some months back. Simply because we hardly have the chance to take selfies, so let me flash it here!

Der & me at Gu Ma Jia
Der & me at Gu Ma Jia

Do let me know if this review is helpful and what you would like to know in future food reviews and i’ll try to incorporate them. Or, if you have any questions, i can try and answer or find out more. Alternatively, you can check out Gu Ma Jia Facebook.

Hi there! Thanks for popping by. I'm Cherie, a ftwm (full-time working mum) to 3 lovely kids (2 boys & a princess) and my motto in life is to BE HAPPY. Sure, life isn't all that smooth but it's the mentality that counts, no? This blog documents my life. Or rather, snippets of my life that has passed me by. I love capturing life memories in the blog and being able to read back and laugh at myself (or anyone). I love to eat (A LOT), travel and paint my own nails so the blog is mostly about that. Is that considered lifestyle? Of cos, the family is also very much an integral part of me so there would be loads of memories about the husband and my kids - Jerry (9yo), Jerome (7yo) and Leia (2.5yo) and everyone else that's close to me. I like documenting the kids' milestones, their growing up years, their achievements (and sometimes, mine), and my struggles and battles with motherhood. It sure ain't easy. I love seeking out good food and travelling, is trigger-happy, love new gadgets, love exploring new places and strives to live life to the fullest. I aspire to travel the world as much as I can, to soak in the different sights across the various continents and visit all the Disneylands in the world (almost there!). Have fun reading and do drop me a comment to say hi! Love, Cherie Lim Find me on Instagram.

2 Comments

    • Cherie

      Hi Cayce, cool! You want me to mail you a $10 voucher (min. spending of $70) so that you can get save some moolah if you do pop by and try? Whatsapp me your mailing address ok? 🙂

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