Review: Beng Hiang Restaurant 茗香菜馆

"Everything in the world may be endured except continued prosperity." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

***

Hokkien Fast Food
(Cross-posted etc)

This place is popular with older people. Usually most of the tables will have at least one person with a white head of hair. Though this year I've been seeing younger people coming here so it seems the secrets of good food are being passed down across the generations.

We ordered Fish Maw Soup, Oyster Omelette, Ngor Hiang/Bak Geng, Kai Lan with Fish, Hokkien Noodles and Kong Bak Pao.

Fish Maw Soup - The soup here is the thin version. If you like your fish maw soup thick (thanks to cornstarch solution) you might not like this, but the version here is thick with ingredients and taste.
Oyster Omelette - This has the best o jian I've tasted. They probably deep fry it, which is why it's so crispy. Although today it was not as crispy as it usually is (maybe the usual chef is on holiday).
Ngor Hiang/Bak Geng - Unlike some places they don't put too much yam so the texture and taste are not compromised.
Kai Lan with Fish - A lot of wok hei, and a generous portion of fish too. Though it was a bit below last week's standard (again, the usual chef might not have been in today)
Hokkien Noodles - This is the one thing here that I don't really like, even though I can tell that it's well cooked. This dish is Malaysian-style Hokkien Mee - with black sauce, alkali and a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I prefer the Singaporean variant.
Kong Bak Pao - When I have Kong Bak Pao elsewhere, it is too oily and I taste mostly soya sauce (or get a mouthful of star anise). Here, the pork belly is so well-cooked that the fat melts in your mouth, and the spice blend is subtle and does not overpower the meat. The coriander garnish is the cherry on the whipped cream of the sundae.

Great food aside, the food always comes very quickly (an hour more than suffices unless the restaurant is very full), they don't charge service charge and they serve complimentary red bean soup.


I also recently did a short Prego review (in short: don't go)