Restaurant dining at wallet-friendly prices
In these days of rising food and labour costs, it is heartening to find establishments such as Hong Kong Street Family Restaurant Bedok, which has not only survived the pandemic but still serves quality food at affordable prices.
The eatery opened in Teck Chye Terrace in 2001, then moved to Eastwood Centre in 2005 and to its current location at East Village in 2014. The cooks have worked there for more than 10 years.
Going by the quality and robust portions, some dishes offer greater value than those at zi char stalls.
The crab meat with fish maw soup ($14++ for small) is a must-try. But the small portion appears closer to medium size – the claypot brims over with viscous soup and can easily serve four.
The soup is chockful of meaty slivers of crab and large pieces of fish maw with a lovely gummy texture.
The restaurant prepares its superior broth from scratch, using pork bones and old hens. The stock gives the fish maw soup a strong and sturdy base of flavour.
A long-time signature dish is the pork ribs and bitter gourd in bean sauce ($12++ for small). The thickly sliced gourd is cooked to tenderness and the pork is fully infused with the savoury flavour of black fermented bean sauce.
The eatery’s seafood hor fun with egg ($8++ for small, $14++ for large) is light-coloured with a clear gravy, but packs wok hei and plenty of seafood and cai xin.
The hor fun is fried without dark soya sauce as owner Joyce Wong, 63, prefers it that way. But you can request for the dark soya sauce version.
Fresh toman, which is found in the dish, is delivered daily. The fish is clean-tasting with no fishy or muddy odours.
The salad yu tiao ($12++ for small) comprises 10 large pieces of golden fried dough fritters generously stuffed with tasty sotong paste. The fried fritters are crispy on the outside but fluffy inside.
To accompany your meal, order the homemade barley drink, which is concentrated and not too sweet ($1.50++).
Where: Hong Kong Street Family Restaurant Bedok, 01-67/68 East Village, 430 Upper Changi Road
MRT: Tanah Merah
Hours: Open 11am to 2.15pm and 5 to 9.45pm daily. Closed from Jan 20 to 24
Tel: 6245-3881
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