It was meant to be a night out at Vanilla Bar and Cafe but was closed for a private event (dang!). The favourite couple brought us to one of their fave haunts; Beng Hiang Restaurant. I would regard it as one of the least appealing based on its wooden doors barely drapped with cloth and pot bellied uncles chain smoking outside the restaurant. Once you enter, it felt like I was transported decades back to the heydays of Red Star. Bustling with crowds, the large hall was so packed with hungry diners and bawling babies..momentarily I felt displaced, as if inside the restaurant was a world of its own.
Getting someone's attention was harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Finally we got hold of the Captain who kindly got us a table.
The usual suspects of old school dining; oily peanuts, condiments and paper napkins.
Sausage and Prawn Ball ($16)
Two types of fried crispy ngoh hiang served with honey sweet sauce. Adore the pickled vegetables that came with it, provided a lovely sour twist to all the savoury and sweet.
Oyster with Egg ($12)
A hokkien interpretation of the Taiwanese delight. The culinary skills of the chef were put to test with a delicate balance of starch and crisp. Loved the dual textures in this dish, awesome crunchy egg crackers that matched the gooey starchy oyster omelette to a T. Dip it with chilli, I only wished this dish came earlier than the rest!
Fish Maw Soup ($38)
Flooded with generous ingredients, this had a raw egg stirred in resulting in a creamy finish. Not too huge a fan of this bland soup, the cantonese like soup clear and full-bodied.
Bread with Braised Brisket ($14)
Loosely termed as Khong Bak Pau, the jellied fats dissolved into nothingness leaving behind morsels of meaty goodness.
This is no ordinary Braised Brisket, I liked the hint of vinegar in the blackened sauce and honestly, I do regret not slurping the rest of the gravy down.
Hokkien Noodles ($12)
This lacked the wok hei of the Geylang Hokkien Mee I'm familiar with, came across as a healthier distant cousin. On the bland side with more noodles than ingredients.
Hongkong Kai Lan ($14)
Yummy stir fry here with fried chye yu sprinkled on top for seasoning.
Complimentary dessert of Pulut Hitam, just the right amount of coconut milk!
Authentic Hokkien cuisine is what Beng Hiang prides itself for. Nearly every table ordered the same dishes as us, perhaps with an addition of steamed fish. Authentic or not, the Cantonese in me actually liked the Hokkien dishes albeit slightly bland. No service charge and affordable fare makes this place attractive.
Once the door closed behind me, I felt in a fuzzy way that I left behind an era where traid bosses existed. Old school and very nostalgic, I should be back sooner than I think.
http://www.benghiang.com/
Beng Hiang Restaurant
112-116 Amoy Street
Getting someone's attention was harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Finally we got hold of the Captain who kindly got us a table.
The usual suspects of old school dining; oily peanuts, condiments and paper napkins.
Sausage and Prawn Ball ($16)
Two types of fried crispy ngoh hiang served with honey sweet sauce. Adore the pickled vegetables that came with it, provided a lovely sour twist to all the savoury and sweet.
Oyster with Egg ($12)
A hokkien interpretation of the Taiwanese delight. The culinary skills of the chef were put to test with a delicate balance of starch and crisp. Loved the dual textures in this dish, awesome crunchy egg crackers that matched the gooey starchy oyster omelette to a T. Dip it with chilli, I only wished this dish came earlier than the rest!
Fish Maw Soup ($38)
Flooded with generous ingredients, this had a raw egg stirred in resulting in a creamy finish. Not too huge a fan of this bland soup, the cantonese like soup clear and full-bodied.
Bread with Braised Brisket ($14)
Loosely termed as Khong Bak Pau, the jellied fats dissolved into nothingness leaving behind morsels of meaty goodness.
This is no ordinary Braised Brisket, I liked the hint of vinegar in the blackened sauce and honestly, I do regret not slurping the rest of the gravy down.
Hokkien Noodles ($12)
This lacked the wok hei of the Geylang Hokkien Mee I'm familiar with, came across as a healthier distant cousin. On the bland side with more noodles than ingredients.
Hongkong Kai Lan ($14)
Yummy stir fry here with fried chye yu sprinkled on top for seasoning.
Complimentary dessert of Pulut Hitam, just the right amount of coconut milk!
Authentic Hokkien cuisine is what Beng Hiang prides itself for. Nearly every table ordered the same dishes as us, perhaps with an addition of steamed fish. Authentic or not, the Cantonese in me actually liked the Hokkien dishes albeit slightly bland. No service charge and affordable fare makes this place attractive.
Once the door closed behind me, I felt in a fuzzy way that I left behind an era where traid bosses existed. Old school and very nostalgic, I should be back sooner than I think.
http://www.benghiang.com/
Beng Hiang Restaurant
112-116 Amoy Street
Haha I used to intern along Amoy Street and have eaten here a few times! Pretty good! Glad to see that the quality still remains.
ReplyDeleteheh...looks like beng hiang's a fave amongst quite a few pple i knw! :)
ReplyDeleteLOL. All the same same dishes lolx. You know something funny? My sisters & I vowed not to hold our wedding dinners there hahaha.
ReplyDeleteStill craving for my hokkien mee & kong ba pau! & orh luak. (:
Oh btw, this is Hokkien mee Hokkien-style. You can find similar renditions at all tze char stalls just that Beng Hiang does it best. The Geylang hokkien mee etc aka fried prawn mee is a totally dish altogether!
ReplyDeleteHAAHAH..."My sisters & I vowed not to hold our wedding dinners there hahaha." The same way i'd not be caught having my wedding at red star. :P
ReplyDeleteahhhhh thanks for enlightening me! seems more like a yi mian version.. this shws how much of a hokkien kia i am. =p