Keng Eng Kee Seafood – Good Zhi Char in Alexandra Village

Keng Eng Kee Seafood 瓊榮記海鲜 is one of the names that sometimes crop up when discussing good places for zhi char in Singapore. A good zhi char place is one that consistently churns out local delights at a reasonable price. A wide menu that caters for the quick meal or a big celebration is also essential. Good service is a bonus.

Keng Eng Kee Seafood is located at Bukit Merah Lane 1. There is the cluster of shops in this area which is sometimes referred to as Alexandra Village, at the junction facing Ikea and Queenstown Shopping Centre. The folks looking for places to eat from these commercial areas and the rows of motor workshops nearby contribute to a bustling f & b scene in the area during lunch time. There are two dining areas at Keng Eng Kee Seafood – a small air-conditioned restaurant area and an adjacent large coffee shop area. On a really hot afternoon, I suppose the air-conditioned space would be the preferred choice, but on cloudy days and in the evenings I would rather be in the more spacious coffeeshop space. The same menu is available at both places.

Keng Eng Kee Seafood Menu

Here are pictures of some pages from the Keng Eng Kee Menu. Some zhi char places do not have a menu. Some have menus that have no prices. It is therefore good to have a zhi char menu that is resembles a menu of a formal restaurant – in two languages (Chinese and English) and complete with big pictures.

These were the items that we had for lunch – coffee pork ribs ($15), deep-fried prawn rolls ($8), vegetables with three types of egg ($10), steamed rice ($0.60), Tiger beer ($4 per can),  cold barley drink ($1.60).

The prawn rolls (hae chor) looked more like prawn balls. They were deep-fried to an even golden brown colour. The contents were perfectly done. A nice tapas style local starter that goes well with beer.

Our healthy food of the day was the vegetable with three types of eggs – salted, century and regular eggs and spinach. It was another well cooked dish that goes well with steamed rice.

Our final dish was one of the signature dishes of Keng Eng Kee Seafood zhi char restaurant – the coffee pork ribs. Many of our friends consider this the “must try” dish at Keng Eng Kee. This version of pork ribs, always a classic at zhi char restaurants, was delightful in so many ways. The portion was generous and the meat  to bone ratio was very high.  The pork tasted good and was well cooked (no porky taste or chewy bits). The coffee flavour was actually quite subtle and added an added layer of complexity to the dish. Another good dish to go with the beer which at $4 per can is very reasonable.

Overall, we had a simple but ample zhi char lunch at Keng Eng Kee Restaurant in Alexandra. Service was friendly and pleasant. We will certainly be back in the not distant future.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 5
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

瓊榮記海鲜
Keng Eng Kee Seafood
Blk 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-136, Singapore 150124

Tel: 6272 1038

Opening Hours:
12:00pm to 2:30pm
5:00pm to 10:00pm

Website