I hardly blog about food, as I'm no food critic nor a food connoisseur. But I love a plate of good food anytime - food that doesn't have to be too expensive, and has a name that is easy enough for me to pronounce. So when I received the food tasting invite from Gu Ma Jia (translated as Aunty's Home), I went online to check out the place with anticipation. I was pleasantly surprised to read all the good reviews of the place, and looking at the food pictures made me even more eager to visit soon! 

For those who are unfamiliar with the Chinese Family Tree structure, Gu Ma (姑妈) refers to the paternal aunt, specifically the eldest aunt. In the Chinese culture where the extended family is valued, every one has a "position" (bei-fen, 辈份) based on his generation, lineage (whether paternal or maternal), relative age to another member in the family and his gender. So we have to remember all these, especially during Chinese New Year or any gathering with the extended family, as those with a younger "bei-fen" will have to refer to the one with an older "bei-fen" by the correct term to show our respect. 

About Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家）
When I stepped into Gu Ma Jia, I felt a sense of closeness to this restaurant right away. It could be the sincere, friendly smiles of the staff when they attended to our requests, or the simple decorations that exude the love and warmth of a home. Regardless, the informal style of Gu Ma Jia made me feel very welcomed and I wouldn't feel too stressed if the kids toppled their drinks. 

I later learnt that this is because Gu Ma (the founder of Gu Ma Jia) advocates serving every customer with love and passion. Like many older sisters in big families, Gu Ma grew up cooking dishes for her siblings at Pulau Ubin. And growing up in a natural environment with access to seafood, Gu Ma would meticulously handpick fresh seafood back home as part of her ingredients. So till today, Gu Ma maintains this high expectation to ensure that Gu Ma Jia serves up delicious home-cooked food to her customers just like how she provided food, cooked with love, for her family. And I was happy to know that they do not use instant processed food or add MSG in their food. 

That is love to me - the promise to serve up good quality food for the love of all who eat at Gu Ma Jia. 

Gu Ma Jia indulged us with her new selection of sumptuous dishes as part of their 5th anniversary in 2014 and we love them all!

[NEW] Homemade Yam Ring with Kyoto Pork Ribs ($30) The crispy yam ring is soft and creamy on the inside, and complements well with the tender Kyoto pork ribs that is tantalizing to the taste buds.

[NEW] Gu Ma Signature Traditional Bean Curd Soup ($28) Power packed with ingredients like salted fish head, Chinese ham, pork ribs, peanuts and fresh bean curd, this nutritious soup is boiled for 6 hours to achieve the rich broth.  Definitely a comfort soup for me!

[NEW] Ubin Lala Bee Hoon ($18) This is our family's favourite, especially Ch. Fresh lala (clams), cooked with tasty rice vermicelli in a savoury sauce.

[NEW] Satay Cuttlefish ($18) and Lotus Leaves Rice ($33) Fresh cuttlefish that is cooked to perfection and added with homemade flavourful satay sauce. The lotus leaves bring out the fragrance of the rice. I definitely want more!

[NEW] XO Prawn Noodles ($36) Gu Ma selects the freshest prawns for this Cantonese dish. Cooked in a special homemade superior XO sauce, this dish leaves you with a lingering sweetness of the big prawns.  The prawns are also pre-grilled to add a smoky flavour to the soup.

[NEW] Claypot Pork in Sesame Oil ($15/$23/$30) With premium Chinese wine, tender pork slices, ginger, black fungus and sesame oil, this reminds  me of the confinement dish I had but definitely, much much better. Another homely comfort dish!

Yuan Yang Kailan ($10/$15/$20) The famous crispy kailan with stems cooked to the right crunchiness, and thin shreds of leaves fried to the perfect texture. This is one definite way of including greens in a child's meal!

Auntie's Dessert ($3.50) and Vinegar Enzyme Jelly ($5.80) Light and refreshing, both desserts are nourishing to the body and improves the complexion!  The vinegar enzyme jelly has a lovely sweetness with a tinge of sourness and makes it very delectable.

Food blogger in the making?