Zi Char - Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon

Zi Char - Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon
531A Upper Cross Street
#01-70 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre

https://www.facebook.com/tangkaykee/

Stir-Fried Tomato With Eggs (SGD $10)

Heritage Family Zi Char

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $22 per person.


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Founded in 1946 by Tang Pak Kay and now owned by his granddaughter Tang Yock Cheng, Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon is a humble Chinese zi char that has been quietly serving regulars for over 70 years. Now transiting to the 4th generation owners Debbie and Kamen, Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon preserves its signature heritage dishes with recipes passed down through the family, but has also ventured into innovative new territory by serving 'zi char bowls', their take on salad bowls / poke bowls.

Ambience at Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon is determined by the Hong Lim Market & Food Centre in which it's located. The brightly lit place is usually bustling during the day, and relatively quiet at night, with functional furniture neatly spaced around the stall. Cleanliness isn't the best here, so you'll typically have to resort to wiping down tables yourself. The sheltered and open space makes it breezy and semi-cool, though high heat and rainy downpours will dampen the mood to some extent.

Service at Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon is usually provided by the family, who take and prepare orders, then serve them to your table. Definitive product knowledge as they offer recommendations, along with seasonal off-menu dishes, staff usually recommend seating nearby so they can serve dishes to your table. They also help to clean up if the tables are messy. The owners are always around, keeping a close watch and ensuring quality, and also engaging with regulars who visit.

Food at Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon is Chinese Cantonese zi char. The menu is small but focused, with dishes well-loved by regulars. Everything is prepared according to exacting standards in the family, and dishes tend to be full flavoured, well seasoned, tasty, and fresh. Traditional zi char dishes feature at dinner, while modern 'zi char bowls' are only available during lunch. Portions are sized for sharing. Prices are slightly higher than elsewhere, budget about SGD $22 per person.


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Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon Facade

Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon Dinner Menu

Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon Dinner Menu

Their signature Sliced Fish Soup (SGD $12) is a little too mild for my liking, the soup / broth only holding a faint aroma of milky sweet savoury herbal flavour. But the fresh and chunky boneless snakehead murrel fish slices with savoury sweet flavour, and crunchy chye sim / choy sum / Chinese flowering cabbage with vegetal sweet flavour, help make up somewhat. Could be improved.

Sliced Fish Soup (SGD $12)

Sliced Fish Soup

The Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Leaves With Garlic (SGD $10) are straightforward, with the crisp sweet potato leaves tossed with garlic. Taking on a smoky aroma of wok hei / breath of the wok, the bright vegetal sweet earthy flavours still shine through. Worth ordering!

Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Leaves With Garlic (SGD $10)

Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Leaves With Garlic

The Sweet And Sour Pork (SGD $12) features crunchy succulent chunks of pork belly, glazed in a thick sticky sweet and sour sauce. Tossed with crisp red onions and crunchy bell peppers / capsicum, with vegetal earthy sweet notes, the vegetables lending a nice texture contrast. Nicely addictive with bright sweet sour savoury flavour, we kept reaching for more and more. Highly recommended!

Sweet And Sour Pork (SGD $12)

Sweet And Sour Pork

The Deep-Fried Chicken With Prawn Paste (SGD $12) has chicken drumettes, wingettes, and wing tips, coated in a firm crunchy batter that's spiced with prawn paste. With a unique shrimpy savoury salty spice flavour to the exterior, when bit, you get the moist piping hot interior with sweet savoury salty flavour. Good!

Deep-Fried Chicken With Prawn Paste (SGD $12)

Deep-Fried Chicken With Prawn Paste

Loved the Stir-Fried Tomato With Eggs (SGD $10), which had a generous portion of fluffy moist scrambled eggs and large juicy chunks of fresh tomato. With bright vegetal eggy sweet savoury flavour, this practically begs to pair with some white rice. Highly recommended!

Stir-Fried Tomato With Eggs (SGD $10)

Stir-Fried Tomato With Eggs

The Stir-Fried Asparagus With Prawns (SGD $18) was an off-menu, seasonal dish, with ingredients freshly sourced from the market the day of our visit. The dish features crunchy asparagus with smoky vegetal sweet salty flavour, juicy button mushrooms with vegetal earthy sweet flavour, and bouncy succulent deshelled prawns with sweet savoury flavour, coated in a simple vegetable stock gravy. Nicely refreshing and appetizing. Good!

Stir-Fried Asparagus With Prawns (SGD $18)

Stir-Fried Asparagus With Prawns

The Mixed Ingredients Crispy Noodles (SGD $13) is done traditional style, which in this case, includes the use of pig's liver (which I didn't realise). The crispy noodles with starchy salty savoury flavour are coated in a thick gravy, garnished with crunchy chye sim / choy sum / Chinese flowering cabbage with vegetal sweet flavour, tender pork with meaty sweet savoury flavour, bouncy succulent deshelled prawns with sweet savoury flavour, and wispy egg with eggy sweet notes. Delicious with distinct wok hei / breath of the wok, this gives me the hope that their other noodles are equally delicious. Highly recommended!

Mixed Ingredients Crispy Noodles (SGD $13)

Mixed Ingredients Crispy Noodles

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