Treasure Kitchen
Or-chien (oyster omelette)
Awarded by Lincoln Tan
As a child growing up in Singapore, or-chien (or or-luak as it is also known) was my favourite dish. But it's something that I'd get only when it's dad's pay-day. In Singapore, wages are paid monthly and not weekly like here so it's usually a long wait between or-chiens. I'd wait excitedly for dad to bring a packet home, and would devour it up real quick before my sister could get her hands on it. I moved to Auckland in 1998, and it's been a long long wait to find a restaurant that serves or-chien that taste as close as it gets to what I used to have back home. Or-chien (or fried oyster omelette) consists of egg, fried with sweet potato starch and topped with juicy oysters. It is served with a spicy sour chilli sauce on the side. Treasure Kitchen's or chien just takes me back to my childhood - cooked to perfection with generous portions of oysters and served with chilli sauce that really has the kick. Or-chien is an extremely flavourful hawker favourite in Singapore and Malaysia, and I'm just glad that there's now a place in Auckland where I can get this.