Cheeky Bee Hoon – affordable bee hoon dishes by fine-dining chef

Cheeky Bee Hoon is a new restaurant in Katong helmed by chef Darwin Wong, who is the chef-owner of French-Japanese eatery JIDAI Restaurant and was the head chef of modern European restaurant Buerre. Chef Wong now delights diners in Katong with his take on bee hoon bowls.

Another Good Restaurant in Katong

To those who have plenty, more will be given. Those living in the East have many good eateries to go to. Now there will be one more – one where they can enjoy good affordable comfort food prepared by a chef with fine-dining restaurant pedigree.

The new Cheeky Bee Hoon is located in a shophouse just after the junction of East Coast Road and Marshall Road. The row of shophouses there have very narrow frontage. The dining space of Chheky Bee Hoon is rather small. It can squeeze in about 25 diners.

The interior has been carefully curated to evoke a sense of nostalgia. The walls are adorned with a collection of old metal trays and other items of a bygone era, such as an old fashioned tear-away calendar. There are Kickapoo bottles, an analog food weighing machine and even the orange coinafon (as in Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant).

Menu of Cheeky Bee Hoon

Chef Darwin Wong’s restaurant focuses on Malaysian-style bee hoon, typically thin and translucent, known for its ability to absorb flavours. The new eatery opts for quality rather than quantity. The menu offers a selection of four main been hoon items only – M1 to M4. The fourth item M4, the signature dish, is in fact Item M1 with the addons of minced pork and meatballs. There are a few interesting side dishes including Crab Dumplings, Mala Crispy Pork and Charcoal You Tiao with Otah.

When we visited, there was neither a physical menu nor a QR code for us to access a digital menu. The menu was on display on 3 digital screens hung over the cashier counter. Below are pictures of the menu screens.

You place your order and pay at the counter. Food and beverages will be served to your table.

Bee Hoon Lunch

We ordered the Braised Pork Bee Hoon ($8.80) and Signature Cheeky Bee Hoon ($11.80). No service charge or GST would be added to the bill.

The wait for our food was fairly short – less than 10 minutes.

The Cheeky Bee Hoon with Braised Pork was a dry noodle dish served with a small bowl of soup on the side. The stir-fried bee hoon looked very much like mee kia. The texture of the bee hoon, too, was similar to that of mee kia, offering a satisfying mouthfeel.

The braised pork slices, a blend of lean and fatty cuts, with a sweet savoury dressing plus bits of crispy pork lard, provided a contrast of flavours and textures. While the lean portion of the pork might be slightly dry on its own, when enjoyed alongside the juicy fatty bits, a good balance was achieved.

The Signature Cheeky Bee Hoon was a delightful bowl of bee hoon soup brimming with a generous medley of ingredients. There were meatballs, minced meat, pork slices, crisp cabbage, lala plus the must have crispy pork lard and even a few goji berries. The peppery broth had layers of flavours. The handcrafted bee hoon was delightful, boasting a soft and smooth texture that combined with the soup very well.

Cheeky Name but it is the Food that will Impress

The name of the new restaurant is a clever play on the Chinese name “麒记米粉” (qí jì mǐfěn), which in Hokkien would be “Chee Kee Bee Hoon”; similar to names of familiar food establishments like “Cho Kee”, “Chun Kee”, “Ho Kee” and “Yew Kee”. “记” (“Kee”) means “to remember” or “to commemorate.” Traditionally, when added to a restaurant’s name, it was intended to signify a memorable or noteworthy establishment.

Chef Darwin Wong’s new restaurant does not need a gimmicky name to help it stand out. His culinary prowess shines through his simple bee hoon dishes. 麒记米粉 Cheeky Bee Hoon, the latest addition to Katong’s culinary scene, is a humble eatery with delectable comfort food at pocket-friendly prices. The simple bee hoon bowls would impress the taste buds and leave a pleasant memory that lingers more than a while after the last spoonful.

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

Cheeky Bee Hoon
7 East Coast Road, Singapore 428755

Tel: +65 8644 2108

Opening Hours: 10 am – 9 pm

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog