Famous Zi-Char Eatery Keng Eng Kee Seafood Opens Second Outlet in Tampines SAFRA

Popular family-run Chinese eatery Keng Eng Kee Seafood (KEK Seafood) has been serving delicious tze char dishes for 3 generations. It started out as a small hawker stall at Old Havelock Road in the 1970s, and moved to a coffeeshop at Alexandra Village when the Old Havelock Hawker Centre was demolished.

Good news for East-siders! You can now enjoy traditional, home-style food as KEK Seafood has just opened their second outlet in Tampines SAFRA! Expect a dazzling range of zi-char fare at reasonable prices. KEK is a perfect place to take your family and friends for dinner.

Brothers Paul and Wayne Liew are the third-generation owners of Keng Eng Kee Seafood. Wayne is now the head chef of the restaurant, while Paul manages the front of house with their sister, Jiamin.

They spent their whole lives in the family business. To them, this is not just a business. They hope to pass on their family values and traditions through food.

KEK Seafood is known for their crab dishes and they have come up with a new rendition this time – Claypot KEK style Vermicelli crab (砂锅特制冬粉螃蟹, $88/kg seasonal). They toss the vermicelli with meaty crab, scallions, fried garlic and KEK homemade garlic sauce. This is absolutely mouth watering. A strong garlic flavour is infused into the soft vermicelli and thoroughly shell-cracked crab.

If you prefer classic crab dishes, go for their Salted Egg Crab and Chilli Crab. The former sees deep-fried crab coated in salted egg gravy and tempered with curry leaves and chilli padi. The chilli crab’s tasty gravy is an impeccable combination of spiciness and sweetness, which is perfect with their fluffy man tou.

The Claypot Premium Collagen Soup (砂锅胶原蛋白汤, $24.80 small; $48.80 large) is a dish you must try. They served it as a limited-edition special dish at their Alexandra Village outlet previously and it was so well-received that they decided to put it on the menu permanently.

The milky and comforting full-bodied collagen-rich soup was still boiling when it first arrived on our table. It featured generous slices of pig’s stomach, fish maw and taupok. Chinese cabbage and wolfberries add a lovely sweetness to the soup, while the entire dish is tied together harmoniously by a lovely peppery notes.

The Claypot Braised Duck with Yam (海参芋头鸭, $29.80 small; $49.80 large) is made according to their family-recipe which has been passed down through 3 generations. The duck is braised with sea cucumber, mushroom, celery and yam. The sauce is full of flavour and best paired with a bowl of white rice. I wished the duck was more tender though.

Another new dish is Homemade Tofu Loofah with Sliced Fish (滑蛋鱼片丝瓜自制豆腐, $18.80 small; $28.80 large). The smooth and silky tofu is made in-house and then fried to a golden brown. It is stir-fried with fish slices and loofah gourd, and doused in a savoury egg-white sauce.

If you love pig liver and sauce, don’t miss their signature Claypot Pig Liver with Rice (砂锅猪肝拌饭 $18.80 small; $25.80 large). Slices of tender pig liver are fried together with ginger and onions in a piquant sauce and served in a claypot with scallions. Mix in a bowl of rice and hear the sizzle as the rice soaks up the moreish sauce.

Our team is a big fan of KEK’s Signature Moonlight Horfun (月光河粉 $7.80 small). The wok-fried seafood Horfun is full of smoky fragrance. Topped with a moon-like “raw egg”, the noodles come with Chinese sausages, prawns and sliced fish. Other signatures include Coffee Pork Ribs (咖啡排骨, $15.80 small) and Golden Pearl Roll (明珠卷, $14.80 small).

Keng Eng Kee Seafood is one of the best zi-char restaurants in Singapore. I am so happy that they are now in the East. Looks like I am going to be a regular there!