Ming Chung Restaurant located at 67 Maude Road is one of Singapore’s oldest Henghua restaurants. It is the place to head to for authentic traditional Henghua (or Henghwa) cuisine, represented by dishes such as Lor Mee, Fried Bee Hoon, Stir Fried Flower Clams with Chilli, Fried Batang Fish, and Prawn Fritters.
Henghua (Henghwa)
We read in a Straits Times article that the Henghuas hail from present-day Putian in Fujian Province; and Henghua and Hin Ann are alternative older names for Putian. In Singapore, Hin Ann Huay Kuan, a clan association, founded Hong Wen School. Hinghwa Methodist Church, just opposite Ming Chung Restaurant, is the oldest Henghua organisation in Singapore, and there is a Singapore Hin Ann Thain Hiaw Keng temple in Geylang. Notable Singaporean Henghuas include Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and the late tycoon Ng Teng Fong.
The food of Henghua are closest to that of Foochow and Hokkien. Ingredients like seaweed, oysters, clams and other seafood are dominant features in the Henghua cuisine. Traditional Henghua dishes include lor mee, sweet & sour lychee pork, razor clams and yam bee hoon.
Ming Chung Henghua Restaurant
Ming Chung Restaurant was started by a migrant from Putien in Fujian province in 1933. It is still run by family members of the original restaurant owner.
The Henghua restaurant occupies 2 shop units in Maude Road. One unit is air-conditioned. The other is naturally ventilated and has the look and feel of an old-school kopitiam. The bright orange plastic chairs give the place a splash of colour. If you want an authentic retro dining experience, Ming Chung Restaurant is one of the must-visit places in Singapore.
Menu of Ming Chung Restaurant
The menu of Ming Chung Restaurant is focused on noodles and seafood, with a few side dishes. Most of the items will come in Small, Medium or Large portions. As a general rule, the small portion is good for a single diner.
Below is a picture of the menu.
Lor Mee & Fried Mee Sua
We ordered two of the Ming Chung Restaurants’ signature dishes – Henghua Lor Mee ($5.50) and Fried Mee Sua ($7.50).
The Henghua Lor Mee, also referred to as White Lor Mee, was a hearty bowl of thick noodles with lots of other ingredients including vegetables, beancurd, squids, clams and pork. The thick broth was fragrant and slight sweetish. Add a dash of vinegar and you get a really flavourful and delicious noodle dish.
The Fried Mee Sua had ingredients similar to the lor mee, but with the addition of peanuts and seaweed. The mee sua was perfectly cooked so that it had a nice soft texture but was not mushy. The various ingredients, particularly the seafood, gave the dish layers of flavours with good natural sweetness. The peanuts and seaweed added some crunchiness. It was an enjoyable dish.
Good Affordable Henghua Cuisine
Traditional restaurants like Ming Chung tend to fly beneath the radar and seldom get mentions on social media because there are neither insta-worthy nor particularly newsworthy. However, we are glad that they are around. Ming Chung is an unpretentious restaurant serving simple but tasty comfort food at reasonable prices. When we want affordable authentic traditional Henghua food, Ming Chung Henghua restaurant would be our go to place.
Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 3
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 2
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 
Ming Chung Restaurant
67 Maude Road
Singapore 208348
Tel: +65 6296 3428
Opening Hours: 12 noon to 10 pm
Closed on Mondays
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
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