Tall Girl Cuisine

excellent food no matter what size you are

If you like fresh garlic, as I do, you'll love the refreshing dishes served at my little secret heaven of a restaurant called the "Tall Girl Cuisine" owned and run by Zheng Ping Mei (pictured above).

Located at 244 East Coast Road it is in the heart of the old-fashioned and sleepy Katong area of Singapore. Or what it used to be sleepy - it is now a bustling cosmopolitan collection of boutiques, clubs, restaurants, malls and luxury hotels. Many places have had a make-over and new buildings are springing up all along East Coast Rd. You can miss Tall Girl if you are not looking for it. The decor is simple and unpretentious. Inside you will meet the very hospitable and statuesque Chinese model turned restaurateur, Zheng Ping Mei. She speaks English haltingly and is quite shy. She says her daughter can speak well. But we understand her perfectly.There are a few pictures of the owners with Yao Ming the famous Chinese basketball player. Both husband and wife are tall. We have been coming to this restaurant for almost the same time that they have been in business -15 years. Thankfully, the excellent quality has remained consistent and the menu that we love so much has not changed. My 'must haves' are the jelly fish salad, fresh aubergine salad, Chinese pizza, hand made noodles with oxtail soup and die for the dumplings. There are a lot more handmade noodle dishes, but oxtail is my favourite. All ingredients are very fresh and not cooked or fried to death.

When we lived nearby I would have a take away quite often, but now that we are not so close I make a point of visiting this little gem of a place that has never let me down.I have taken many of my Japanese friends there and they love the dumplings or gyozas as they call them. The fresh ginger and vinegar mixture makes the dumplings vibrant. You can have them steamed or fried, very fat flavourful and super delicious!

If you are in Katong don't only think of Katong Laksa which has almost disappeared now. Where once there were maybe a dozen places serving just laksa, it is now down to less than a handful as the old shops have disappeared to make way for hamburger havens. Go for something truly authentic -North & Eastern Chinese cuisine- a refreshingly light and very satisfying feast for a very reasonable price.

Ask Mei to show you her beautiful magazine shoots.