Sunday 2 June 2024

Hey Kee – HK Style Seafood in Singapore

Hey Kee HK Seafood (“Hey Kee”) is a Retro HK Dai Pai Dong-style live seafood restaurant located in Guillemard Village in Geylang. Hey Kee occupied the ground floor of the main building, setting a lively retro Hong Kong theme complete with fish tanks filled with live seafood such as lobsters, crabs, prawns, clams and fish.

Hey Kee
The restaurant dining area is divided into “Indoor” and outdoor. Although you are seated indoors, it is decorated like you are seated outdoors, just like a Dai Pai Dong in Hong Kong. Filled with bright lights, signboard and they even include a barber shop for the fun of it. The outdoor seating is simpler, filled with round tables and red foldable chairs. There are huge air conditioners and retractable awnings to the diners cool and dry.

Outdoor Dining Area
This review is based on our two visits to Hey Kee.

Menu P1
Menu P2
Double Boiled Pig Stomach Chicken Soup with White Pepper [$36.80]. Hongkongers are known for their love of the soup. Therefore, we decided to order one to start our meal. The pig stomach soup is robust, sweet and with a hint of pepper. Unlike the Singapore version, the pepper taste is very mild, it is more soothing than spicy awakening. Meanwhile, the pig stomach is soft with a bit of chewiness.

Double Boiled Pig Stomach Chicken Soup with White Pepper 
Live Clam Black Bean Sauce [$25]. The clams are fresh, plump and juicy, while the medley of cut chilli, onion and a generous dollop of black bean sauce infused a familiar flavour in this dish.

Live Clam Black Bean Sauce 
Deep Fried Cuttlefish with Salt & Pepper [$20.80]. This is probably the dish that I associated closely with Hong Kong’s style of food. The cuttlefish is tender, brownish, and coated with aromatic salt and pepper that almost looks like a curry powder. The version here is very good

Deep Fried Cuttlefish with Salt & Pepper 
HK Street Style Shark Fin [$12.80]. A very generous portion of the HK Street Style Shark Fin. Don’t expect to be served real shark fin here, but the robust and gooey soup is very comforting. LD enjoyed this dish.

HK Street Style Shark Fin 
Signature Braised Lamb Stew with Beancurd Skin [$42.80]. A dish commonly served during the cold season in HK. The lamb is tender, not gamy and fork tender. I like the fermented taste in the gravy, the aroma and it blends nicely with thick cuts of radish. This beancurd stick is still a bit though, it needs more braising time to soften it and absorb the gravy.

Signature Braised Lamb Stew with Beancurd Skin
Temple Street Crispy Roast Chicken (L) [$39.80]. It is one of the dishes that you need to pre-order during reservations. The skin is paper thin, super crispy and coated with crispy garlic. The flesh is tender and succulent, even for the breast. It is one of the yummiest roast chickens I ever tried.

Temple Street Crispy Roast Chicken (L)
Steamed Fish with Chopped Yellow Chilli - Turbot [$108]. This is the first time I have a turbot for steamed fish. The fish is very fat and covered with the chopped yellow chilli. Surprisingly, the yellow chilli tasted sweet and tangy, almost pickled-like. Together with soy sauce, it infused sweet, savoury and umami flavour to the fish.

Steamed Fish with Chopped Yellow Chilli - Turbot 
Red Grouper – Steamed Hong Kong Style. The red grouper is different compared to the turbot. The flesh is firm and bouncy and it did not absorb much of the superior soy sauce.

Red Grouper – Steamed Hong Kong Style
HK Style Sauteed Chives with Dried Shrimp [$23.80] & Sizzling Kai Lan with Dried Prawns in Claypot [$23.80]. Two types of vegetables we tried at Hey Kee. They both have the same characteristics, crunchy and a bit oily. The dried prawns were supposed to add more flavour, but it seemed to be an overkill for me.

HK Style Sauteed Chives with Dried Shrimp 
Sizzling Kai Lan with Dried Prawns in Claypot 
Stir-Fried Lobster with Potato Noodles in Superior Broth – Australia Lobster [$148/kg]. This was a treat from our Thai Friends. The noodle is smooth, silky coated in rich and creamy superior stock. The lobster flesh is firm and bouncy. Well, I enjoy the noodle and the gravy, instead of the flesh of the lobster.

Stir-Fried Lobster with Potato Noodles in Superior Broth –
Australia Lobster
 
To the carbs, we tried Supreme Soy Sauce Fried HK Noodles (S) [$12.80] and Signature “Wok Hei” Hor Fun with Beef [$12.80]. Both of them are excellent. The fried HK noodles are thin, silky and loaded with umami flavours from the Supreme Soy Sauce.

Supreme Soy Sauce Fried HK Noodles (S) 
The Hor Fun is just heavenly. Solid “Wok Hei”, yummy seasoning, while the egg, beansprout and sliced beef complement the silky rice sheets nicely.

Signature “Wok Hei” Hor Fun with Beef
Signature Claypot Seafood Porridge [Market Price]. A signature Hong Kong Congee. The porridge is smooth, silky and infused with the sweetness of the seafood. The prawns and clams are fresh. It is a very comforting dish, though it is missing the you tiao.

Signature Claypot Seafood Porridge 
Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple [$22.80 Large]. We ordered this as the finale during our second visit. The deep-fried pork is crispy, while the sauce is sweet and tangy. The use of hawthorn in the sauce shows that they are not messing around with this dish.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple 
Service is good, friendly and efficient. However, once all your dishes are served, it can be difficult to get their attention. The boss also comes out to check on the quality of the food and to get feedback from the customers.

Menu P3
CBK verdict: Hey Key serves solid Hong Kong Dai Pai Dong dishes, plus the overall quality of the food is very good and very close to the taste that we get in Hong Kong. Don’t miss out on their Signature Claypot Seafood Porridge, Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple, Steamed Fish with Chopped Yellow Chilli, Temple Street Roast Chicken and the Supreme Soy Sauce Fried HK Noodles. Kanpai!! Cheers!!

Menu P4

Food & Drink: 8.25/10
Value: 7.5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Budget per Person: $26 - $50; $51 - $80

Hey Kee HK Seafood
102 Guillemard Road
#01-01, Guillemard Village
Singapore 399719

T: +65 9891 0950
OH:
Daily 11.30 – 15.00; 17.30 – 22.30

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