I came across Keng Eng Kee (KEK) when I was researching on some of the special dishes in Singapore, and I stumbled across a dish called Moonlight Hor Fun, and KEK was the place to try it. I then spoke to someone in the UK who originated from Singapore and he said that it’s his favourite tze char place in the city. So I decided that this was to be one of the must-visit places.
It’s not exactly the most convenient place to get to, certainly not by MRT, but there are several buses that serve the area.
With the Covid restrictions, the tables are quite spaced out, and there is a list of rules on what you are allowed or not allowed to do displayed at the table. With the stern faces of some of the waitresses, I almost felt like going back to school and had to follow all the strict rules.
The must-have dish here is the Moonlight Hor Fun. So it’s basically kway teow with a raw egg in the middle. The idea is to break the egg yolk and mix it in with the hor fun. This actually gives a “creamy” mouthfeel to the noodles, and the glistening yolk that coats the noodles resembles the reflection of the moon on water. Why is this dish not more popular and common elsewhere, I have no idea. But I guess the raw egg can put some people off!
Another dish that’s famous at KEK is the coffee spare ribs. The meat is deep-fried and is very tender, and it’s coated with this sweet caramelised coffee coating. For the thinner pieces of meat, the coffee flavour comes across a bit too strong resulting in a bit of flavour imbalance, but for the slightly thicker cut, the flavour is outstanding.
I love salted egg sauce, and it’s a hard choice to choose between prawn and crab. In the end, I chose salted egg prawns because it’s a bit more messy and time-consuming to eat crab. The prawns are plump and juicy, and works really well with a very creamy salted egg sauce.
It’s definitely worth trekking all the way here, if only for the moonlight hor fun and coffee spare ribs (just order these 2 dishes if you cannot possibly eat anything else), as you would struggle to find them elsewhere! I was warned about the heat in the outdoor seating area (there’s one air-conditioned room but I guess you have to be a regular to reserve it) but with the breeze, it’s actually rather pleasant and not hot at all.
Address: 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-136, Singapore 150124, Singapore
Telephone: +65 6272 1038
Website: http://www.kek.com.sg/
Opening Hours: Daily – Lunch 11am to 2pm (last order: 1:50pm) ; Dinner 5pm to 10pm (last order: 9:50pm)
Food: 8/10
Ambience: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 14/20 [Based on visit in January 2022 ]
Chow With Chau 