🧧Make it Modern Hainanese this CNY 🧧
A Proper CNY Reunion, Seng House Style
For Chinese New Year, @SengHouse does something refreshingly unfussy yet deeply considered. Their first-ever festive takeaway collection is built for real reunions — food that travels well, lands beautifully on the table, & still carries the soul of their Hainanese-Western heritage from kitchen to home.
This is comfort food with discipline, tradition handled with a modern hand.
🌟 What We Tried
• Prosperity Abacus Treasure Plate
The undeniable standout. Seng House’s first-ever handmade Hakka abacus beads (yam gnocchi), refined to a perfectly chewy bite. Wok-fried with Tiger Prawns, Dried Scallops, Shiitake Mushrooms, Preserved Radish, plus Red & Green Chillies for depth & lift. A dish that rewards every mouthful. So good!
• Golden Reunion Pork Platter
A generous duo of Crispy Roast Pork Belly & Spanish Pork Jowl, served with their signature lime chilli sauce & pickled green mango — tangy & appetising.
• Five Blessings Golden Platter
A serious sharing platter featuring Handmade Prawn Cheese Balls, Adult Chicken Nuggets (with unique soft bone crunch), Onion Rings, Ika Karaage & Battered Fish Fingers. Crowd-pleasing, but done properly. Love the lemon mayo & bbq sauce for dipping sauce.
Seng House draws from five decades of Hainanese cooking heritage, favouring time & technique over shortcuts. Spanish Pork Jowl is flame-basted for deep, glossy caramelisation, while the roast pork undergoes a meticulous multi-stage bake for that unmistakable loud crackle — a quiet flex of patience, repetition, & craft. Founded by The Seng People, this Tanjong Katong café carries forward a family legacy dating back to the 19th century, reinterpreting classic Hainanese Western dishes through a modern café lens in a warm, “home away from home” setting.
📍 Seng House
214 Tanjong Katong Rd, S437007
Chinese New Year is a time deeply rooted in tradition and family reunions, and Seng House offers a fresh take on this cherished celebration with a modern Hainanese-Western twist. What truly makes their festive offerings stand out is the combination of heritage techniques passed down through generations, paired with contemporary presentation and flavors that appeal to today’s palate. One of the highlights, the Prosperity Abacus Treasure Plate, captivated me with its handmade Hakka abacus beads—yam gnocchi crafted to an ideal chewy texture. The wok-frying process infuses each bead with rich flavors from tiger prawns and dried scallops, while shiitake mushrooms and preserved radish add umami depth. The subtle heat from red and green chillies brightens the dish, making it a perfect harmony of tastes. Equally impressive is the Golden Reunion Pork Platter, which showcases a textural contrast between the crispy roast pork belly and the caramelized Spanish pork jowl. The lime chili sauce and pickled green mango provide a tangy counterpoint, cutting through the richness with a refreshing zest. It’s a platter that encourages sharing and reminiscing over good food and company. Moreover, the Five Blessings Golden Platter is a crowd-pleaser ideal for larger gatherings. Featuring handmade prawn cheese balls, adult chicken nuggets with a unique soft bone crunch, onion rings, ika karaage, and battered fish fingers, this platter is both nostalgic and sophisticated. The accompanying lemon mayo and BBQ dipping sauces elevate the experience. What stands out most about Seng House is their dedication to discipline and patience in the kitchen. The painstaking multi-stage baking process for roast pork to achieve the signature crackling or the flame-basting method for Spanish pork jowl shows a commitment to craftsmanship rarely seen in casual dining. Located at 214 Tanjong Katong Road, Seng House is not just a restaurant but a warm ‘home away from home’ that carries forward a 19th-century family legacy. Their approach to traditional Hainanese-Western dishes through a modern café lens makes it an ideal choice for those looking to celebrate CNY with food that’s both comforting and innovative. For anyone wanting to experience a meaningful reunion with food that travels well and pleases the senses, Seng House’s festive offerings are truly worth exploring this Chinese New Year.
