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

W: https://www.heykee.sg/en_SG/

F: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554594802997

IG: @Heykeesg

OH:

Daily 11.30 – 15.00; 17.30 – 22.30

Eat First – Great Zi Char Dishes

For our last makan session, M recommended this place. She said she has been wanting to try this place for a while. Of course, the foodie in me did a quick check on the place and found a detailed review of this restaurant by Singapore’s most popular Doctor blogger. In short, the chef is a second-generation chef, together with his brother they are trained by their father. Not sure why the father decided to split his cooking Kungfu and taught steaming skill to one son, and the wok skill to the other. Long story short, each of the brothers went their separate ways and honed their skills and open up different restaurants.

For first time diners at Eat First (“EF”) like us, please note that EF does not take reservations. It is based on a first come first sever basis and you are only allocated your table when all the diners in your group have arrived. The reason is the restaurant is small, so they need to turn over the tables and stop the inconsiderate customers from hogging the tables. They are very polite about this and once you tell them the total pax, they will take note, check on you from time to time and even ask you to place your order first, so you don’t have to wait long after seating.

Drinks Menu

While the place is small, its menu is even smaller with only 14 dishes. With the small menu, EF can focus on the execution, quality of each dish and the speed in churning out each dish.

Food Menu

Our first dish to arrive is Fried Kailan with Beef (Medium, $28). A perfectly executed dish. The Wok Hei just hits you once the dish arrived on the table. The beef is tender and juicy with that enjoyable chewiness to accompany the crispy and crunchy kai lan. It might look oily, but the flavour just hits the spot. Probably the best one that I ever tried. Yummy.

Fried Kai Lan with Beef

Fried Kai Lan with Beef

Black Chicken Soup ($28). The black chicken is cooked with Chinese herbs that include Yu Zu / Solomon’s Seal and wolfberries. The broth is sweet, light with a bit of herbal taste. Surprising, the chicken is tender, making it easy and nice to eat.

Black Chicken Soup

Steamed Fish Head ($28), the signature dish of EF. The fish is smooth, velvety and you can taste the gelatinous texture between the skin and the flesh. The black bean sauce is tasty and enhances the flavour of the fish, together with the pork lard adds the OMPH to this simple dish. Yum Yum. Do take note that some parts of the Song fish can contain a lot of bones.

Steamed Fish Head

Steamed Mince Pork w Salted Fish ($15). Don’t let the pale appearance fool you. The minced pork is fatty and flavourful. That mini slice of salted fish is enough to enhance the taste of the steamed mince pork and add the umami to this dish. Two thumbs up.

Steamed Mince Pork w Salted Fish

Fried Ginger Chicken (Medium, $26). The chicken is deep fried till crispy, then coated with dark soy sauce and pickled ginger that adds a nice sweetness and tanginess to the dish. We like this dish; however, the portion of this dish seems smaller compared to the rest.

Fried Ginger Chicken

Sweet and Sour Pork (Medium, $26). The pork pieces are super crispy, to the point that it was almost over-fried. Unlike the reddish sweet-sour version in other ci zhar, the version here looks coated with black vinegar or Worchester sauce. The sweetness level is very minimum, but I like the punchy tanginess in the dish.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Bean Curd with Prawns (Medium, $28). An old-school type of dish. The tofu comes with a smoky aroma in it, topped with solid egg gravy. LD says kway teow or hor fun will be good with the egg gravy as well.

Bean Curd with Prawns

Fried Kangkong with Sambal Belachan ($12). LD and I did not try the dish as we were recovering from Covid and the tongue is too sensitive toward spicy food.

Fried Kangkong with Sambal Belachan 

White rice is charged at $1 per bowl.

The restaurant is air-conditioned, while the décor of the place is very simple and functional. Service is friendly, with a touch of old-school flair. Almost feel like you are dining at your relative’s house. Once your table is overflowing with food, the service staff will change the older dishes to a smaller plate without fail.

Overall, we enjoy the classic Cantonese dishes. Most of the dishes are good, however, the Steamed Fish Head and Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish stands out above the rest. Totally enjoyed the dinner here and looking forward to our next visit. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 8.25/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Ambiance: 6.25/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25; $26 - $50

Eat First 食之為鮮

287 Geylang Road

Singapore 389334

T: +65 6443 8434 (No Reservation, for Take away only)

F: https://www.facebook.com/eatfirstsg/

OH:

Wed – Sun: 11.45 – 14.30; 17.45 – 21.30

Closed Mon & Tue.

Background Story Credit: IeatIshootIpost.sg

Le Chasseur – Good Zhi Char

Le Chasseur is not a French restaurant or bistro, instead, it is a Zhi Char place. It has been on my food radar for a while, but I have not got a chance to give it a try until the turn of this year with two makan kakis

Le Chasseur

Located in Eunos industrial area, Le Chasseur occupied the whole canteen on block 27. One-third of the seating area is allocated specifically for Le Chasseur customers, while the rest are open to other hawker stalls.

For those who have never been to Le Chasseur, you need to go to the counter to get the order sheet / menu, fill it up and pass it to the counter or the service staff. It was my first time here, so actually went to the counter as no one approached me. You only pay your bill after you finish eating. For drinks, you need to order and pay at the drink stall.

Order Sheet - Jan 2022

Claypot Chicken Rice ($13, small). When the service staff brought this dish to the table, he also helps us do the mixing. He was gentle on the sweet sauce, therefore not all the rice turned brown and become overly sweet. It has a nice smoky aroma, accompanied by succulent chicken meat. The rice is a little over al-dente and you taste the salted fish in between scoops of the rice. Though it is nice, I find it is lacking the OMPH factor. At first, I thought the portion is small, however, it can easily feed 2 to 3 pax.

Claypot Chicken Rice

Ngor Hiang ($5). Crispy exterior, followed by juicy and succulent fillings with intermittent crunchy texture from the chestnut bits. It is very tasty and delicious; we ordered another plate so everyone got enough.

Ngor Hiang

Barbequed Cuttlefish ($4 / 100 gram). The presentation looks very photogenic; however, the texture did not meet the expectation. It is hard and chewy. I will give this dish a miss.

Barbequed Cuttlefish 

Bitter Gourd with Beef ($10). This dish has a nice Wok Hei, while the beef is tender and juicy. The bitter gourd is sliced in a way that only gets the flesh part, nowhere near the seeds. Not bitter at all.

Bitter Gourd with Beef 

Crispy Pork Knuckle ($30, medium). Crispy and crunchy crackling skin, followed by the rich gelatinous fats under the skin and succulent flesh. While most fried pork knuckles have a burnt part, the version here is just perfect. It looks great and delivers an awesome taste. It is served with a vinegar dipping sauce to cuts through the fats from the pork. A must-order dish here.

Crispy Pork Knuckle - Front 

Crispy Pork Knuckle - Back 

Emperor Sprout with Egg ($8). This mini kai lan look-alike vegetable is not my favourite vegetable because of the slimy texture in each bite. However, Le Chasseur stir-fried this vegetable with egg and manage to cover the sliminess in the vegetables. Turning it into a pleasant dish for me.

Emperor Sprout with Egg 

Preserved Radish Omelette ($6). When this dis dish arrived, we realised that we had most probably over-ordered, but you can’t go wrong with eggs. Fragrant, fluffy with generous cai poh bits. Yum

Preserved Radish Omelette 

Overall, with a catchy name like Le Chasseur, this zhi char place surely get your attention. The Crispy Pork Knuckle, Claypot Rice, Ngor Hiang and Bitter Gourd dishes are must-order dishes. Most of them are nice and comforting and I will be back to try the rest. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7.5/10

Value: 8.5/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: N/A - Coffeeshop

Budget per Person: $11 - $25

Le Chasseur

27 Eunos Road 2

#01-101

Singapore 409387

T: +65 6337 7677

F: https://www.facebook.com/lechasseurSG/

OH: Daily 11.30 – 15.00; 17.30 – 21.30