Keng Eng Kee is a zi char restaurant in west Singapore which is often mentioned when we talk about zi char restaurants in Singapore. It is a very popular eating place near the IKEA store and Alexandra Hospital. An affordable, versatile place for a casual family meal.
Keng Eng Kee Seafood @ Alexandra
Keng Eng Kee Seafood @ Alexandra is a large zi char restaurant in Singapore West. Long rows of tables are neatly arranged in a coffeeshop. Most of the space is naturally ventilated. There is a small air-conditioned area, which is highly sought after especially those making reservations at KEK Alexandra for a special occasion. Although it gets crowded at peak hours, the restaurant usually manages to provide decent service and maintain a clean and tidy atmosphere. It is a very popular restaurant – advanced reservations are a good idea for weekends and public holidays.
Zi Char Restaurant in West Singapore: Lunch in April 2023
The reason we think KEK has maintained its reputation for being one of the best zi char restaurants in West Singapore is the number of very good dishes. Here are pictures of some dishes we ate during lunch at Keng Eng Kee in April 2023. Prices can be seen on the online menu (link provided at the end of this post).
Prawn Roll 虾枣
Home made “Hay Chor”, these deep-fried nuggets are made of minced pork, carrot, prawn and water chestnut, and beancurd skin. They are consistently well-cooked with a light golden, crispy skin. Best eaten with the sweet sauce dip.
Marmite Chicken 妈味鸡
Chicken with prawn sauce (har chion kai) is a popular dish at Zhi char restaurants. At KEK, they have Marmite chicken – deep-fried chicken coated with the Marmite paste. It is not a fragrant as prawn sauce but the brown sauce, together with other seasoning provides an alternative to the usual har chion kai.
Zi Char Restaurant in West Singapore: Coffee Pork Ribs 咖啡排骨
Coffee pork ribs is one of the top hits at this top zi char restaurant in West Singapore. The mix of sweet and coffee flavours is addictive.
Claypot Ginger & Onion Sliced Pork Liver
Not my favourite as I am not very enthusiastic about the taste of liver. But for those who do, this is one of their favourite dishes. However I have to concede that the gravy is very good and is a good companion for plain steamed rice.
Chinese Spinach with 3 Kinds of Eggs 三蛋芫菜
Among the many heavily flavoured dishes, the Chinese spinach with 3 types of eggs (fresh, salted and century) has a light soothing flavour to give the palate a rest.
Signature Chilli Crab 辣椒螃蟹
Keng Eng Kee is also famous for their crab dishes. I find it troublesome to eat crabs. Besides, fresh crabs are expensive these days, and so I only eat them at special occasions (when some one else is paying the bill). The chilli crab that we tried that day had the usual sweet, sour and spicy flavours. I found it to be a good dish because the level of spiciness was low. The tasty eggy sauce was easily eaten with steamed mantou.
Zi Char Restaurant in West Singapore: Signature Moonlight Horfun 月光河粉
One reason why KEK is said to be the best zi char restaurant in West Singapore is their signature dish: Moonlight Horfun. It was so good that the dish was half eaten before I could take a picture. The flavour of the hor fun and wok hei wants me to go eat it again.
The name “moonlight horn” comes from the raw egg that is cracked on top of the noodles. The yolk is the “moon”, brightening the darkness around it. Here is a file picture of the signature dish that we ate at the KEK outlet at Tiger Street Lab Jewel. That outlet has closed.
Keng Eng Kee opened a new outlet in 2022 at SAFRA Tampines. With the restaurant in the East and the zi char restaurants in West Singapore, they have the whole Singapore covered.
Keng Eng Kee Seafood @ Alexandra
124 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-136
Singapore 150124
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11 am to 2 pm (last order: 1:50 pm)
Dinner: 5 pm to 10 pm (last order: 9:50 pm)
Tel: +65 6272 1038
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
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