Hokkien Cuisine at its best!

Story & photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM

All food photos are of REAL food with no props or special effects

The inspiring Travelling Gourmet goes to Chinatown…

MY favourite Hokkien restaurant in Singapore is Beng Hiang on sleepy Amoy Street in Chinatown. Amoy is a town in China in the Fujian province from where many Hokkien people came to Singapore years ago to seek their fortune.

This is no Michelin Star restaurant and the plates are not Bernardaud porcelain but Hoover Melamine ware. However, the Kong Ba Pow is delicious & you can’t get that in a Michelin Star restaurant! This Hokkien version of a Hamburger has braised melt-in-the-mouth tende 10mm thick slices ofrPork Brisket in dark soy sauce with garlic, sandwiched in a rice flour half moon shaped bun, with aromatic coriander leaves, and fresh cut red chilli if you like it spicy ($15+ small). It is super yummy! The traditional Hokkien Mee ($7+)in a very gooey, rich brown sauce with crispy flakes of deep fried salted fish, chicken, prawns and bean sprouts and chives is also highly recommended. The plump noodles are like tagliatelle. For your antipasti, you simply much crunch into Ngoh Hiang which is a kind of spring roll with minced pork spiked with 5 spice powder. The other goodie is Ha’ir Cho or a deep fried ultra-crunchy roll filled with prawn mousse & served with a sweet dipping sauce. A combo of both costs $8+. This is a 3G restaurant by which I mean you see 3 generations dining together from Grandpa & Grandma to, papa, mama & the grandchildren. The atmosphere is boisterous and loud but very happy especially during the Chinese Lunar New Year when everyone is doing ‘Lo Hei‘ with the prosperity raw fish salad or Yu Sheng. Very loud shouts of “Haut Ah!” echo in the large dining area! It means “Prosper! in the Hokkien language.

I wrote about Beng Hiang long ago in the famous Food & Wine magazine of the time called “The Food Paper”. I am pleased to say that my framed article has pride of place on one wall of the restaurant. The owner, Mr. Ng is also a talented Chinese Calligrapher and his charming daughter, Ms.Ng is the GM who makes sure everything is well.

A Sweet I recommend is Cheng Theng Dessert Soup wih Tang Yuan ($25+ large)

Enjoy!

There is no service charge but GST (Goods & Services Tax) of 7% is added to your bill.

Beng Hiang Restaurant

112-116 Amoy Street

Singapore 069932

Tel: +65 62216695

About thetravellinggourmet

As a renowned Travel, Food & Wine Writer he has travelled the world in a keen & indomitable pursuit of exotic delicacies & fine wines. His articles have been published in over 20 prestigious publications, both local & international. Dr. Lim has toured and trained in Wine Evaluation & Oenology in most of the world's top wine producing areas from France to Australia. The Travelling Gourmet says, "Gastronomy has no frontier. These are the gastronomic voyages of The Travelling Gourmet. My unending mission. To explore strange new cuisines, to seek out new wines and new culinary experiences, to boldly go where no gourmet has gone before...." Have pen, will travel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage & retrieval system, without permission from Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet and/or MSN. Material may be works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents may be true but may also be products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance whatsoever to actual person or persons, either dead or living, events, or locales may be entirely and purely coincidental and unintentional. No part of this website may be used to villify others or for criminal purposes. Interests: Travel, Food, Wines, Cooking, Wine Appreciation, Parachuting, Languages, Music, Reading, Swimming, Hunting, Ballet, Fencing, Archery, Anthropology and more... The Travelling Gourmet is a copyrighted trademark. All rights and photos reserved. No part may be reproduced without permission.

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