Wan He Lou to close after 10 years, has 50% off second lobster promo for 'one last feast'

After a decade of serving diners their well-loved lobster porridge, Wan He Lou will be shuttering its doors for good. 

The Chinese restaurant, which is situated at Jalan Besar, announced the news on their social media platforms on Dec 1. 

"The last 10 years have been an immense journey and we feel so privileged to have you by our side," they wrote. 

"Our customers mean everything to us. Your unwavering support and love is the driving force of our past success. 

As a parting gift to their customers, they'll be having a 50 per cent off second lobster item promotion from now till their final day of operations on Dec 22. 

"We invite you to join us for one last feast, a grand celebration of the flavours and memories we have shared," said the restaurant. 

Lobster porridge was inspired by a diving trip 

Chef Lau Siaw Dee, who created their iconic lobster porridge dish, got his inspiration out of the blue during a diving trip with his friends off the shoes of Desaru, Malaysia. 

During the trip, he caught a lobster and decided to cook it for dinner. 

However, the group was on an isolated island with limited ingredients so Siaw Dee could only find rice from the locals. 

So, he decided to make a Teochew-style lobster porridge with seawater and rice. 

This turned out better than expected so Siaw Dee decided to experiment more and refine the dish when he was back in Singapore. 

And it eventually became the restaurant's signature dish. 

In fact, the lobster porridge is so well-loved that it won the top prize at a culinary event, which was part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Lobster porridge isn't the only seafood dish at the restaurant and their menu features other items like salted egg yolk crab, Atlantic cod and drunken-style prawns. 

ALSO READ: Ah ma who owns Maxwell Teochew Rice & Porridge retires, closes stall

melissateo@asiaone.com