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I would consider Keng Eng Kee at Bukit Merah View one of Singapore’s best zhi char restaurants – some original signature items, dishes with wok hei, and actually good service with no (or few) grumpy aunties.
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Chef Wayne of Keng Eng Kee is giving it a modern touch with its new outlet at Pandan Gardens (ulu for many, I know). A shortened snappy name using the acronym of KEK, progressive Zi Char fare, of familiar local favourites given a twist.
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KEK calls it Mod ‘C’, which represents Modern Cze Char, and you get fares such as Chilli Soft Shell Crab Spaghetti ($15), Prawn Paste Chicken Spaghetti ($10), Lala Spaghetti ($10), Mango Prawn Fritters ($4 per piece) and Prawn Toasts ($8/$16).
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No Mingzhu Roll though. #alamak (at least they are trying to keep both branches different), but the signature Moonlight Horfun with that bright yellow raw egg yolk is still available, along with a ‘Western’ version of Moonlight Spaghetti with pork lard and Chinese sausage.
Unlike the usual pasta cooking method, the spaghetti here is wok-fried for more ‘wok-hei’, that means more of that distinct Asian-style flavour and heat.
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My guess is the Salted Egg Yolk Crab Spaghetti ($15) will easily become one of its best-seller.
The yellow creamy smooth-textured salted-egg yolk works beautifully with the deep fried soft shell crab, though overall I thought the pasta didn’t gel that well together.
Or at least everything tasted rather greasy as a whole. Perhaps some greens could help ease that greasiness.
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A highlight dish is a Seafood Platter and The National Dips ($28, meant for 4 pax), co-created with Makansutra’s KF Seetoh during the 2015 World Street Food Congress.
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In a platter with prawns, fried calamari and fried brinjal, the accompanying dips are supposedly ‘national sauces’ – which includes chilli crab, salted egg yolk and black pepper.
The black pepper sauce was somehow the weakest (tasted too generic, like it was out of a packed bottle), while salted egg yolk remained the table’s favourite.
My humble suggest is that a laksa or satay sauce would have been more representative.
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Keng Eng Kee next to Alexandra Village seems to offer more hearty fare, while KEK at Pandan Gardens is now trying to balance at mid-point – some favourites, some more ‘test-market’.
I see this as a positive move. In Bangkok, Tom Yum pasta and the likes are common finds, even in many more upscale cafes. It is time we bring local flavours on a different level, some may not work, but at least somebody tried.
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KEK Keng Eng Kee Seafood Pandan Gardens
200 Pandan Garden #01-12 Singapore 609336
Tel: +65 6694 3044
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5pm – 10pm Daily
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