My
first encounter with Ming Kee was through an introduction by old
family friend Uncle E. At that time, we were missing the taste of
Fried Mud Crab with Egg Noodle, Cantonese Restaurant style from our
days in Melbourne - (our first food hunting ground). We instantly got
'hooked' on the crab beehoon here, and started to visit Ming Kee
frequently until we were just sick of it and stopped going there for
a few years. With a sudden craving for crabs beehoon beckons
recently, we decided to visit our favourite restaurant.
Before
making a reservation, I discovered that there are two establishments with the same signboard of Ming Kee Live Seafood on the same road. I investigated
further to check if both the restaurants are the same, and turned out
that the Ming Kee owner have sold the older and bigger shop space and
opt for a smaller establishment. Another food blogger SgFoodOnFoot,
helps to point me to the right direction and made the right
reservation.
During
the dinner, I have a chat with the restaurant manager, they say that
they are trying to get the current owners of the old establishment to
remove the signboard. Thus, if you are along Macpherson Road, the one
opposite the Caltex petrol station is real Ming Kee. To our surprise,
the boss is back in the kitchen and doing the cooking himself.
Anyway, enough with the background lesson and lets direct our
attention to the food.
We
started with the Triple Cook Bee Hoon Crab ($5 per 100 gram), which
suppose to be the signature dish of Ming Kee. First slurp of the Bee
Hoon, you can taste the solid stock used in cooking this dish. It is
flavourful and robust. The crab is fresh and cooked nicely. The fried
shallots and mushrooms on top added another texture to the dish. It
is better than most restaurant that serve this dish, however seems to
fall short of the old Ming Kee standard. There is something missing
in the stock, lacking of the 'Omphh' factor.
|
| Triple Cook Bee Hoon Crab |
While
we only reach the stage in devouring the crabs, the next dish of
Home-made Bean Curd ($8) and Guinness Stout Short Ribs ($12) arrived.
The homemade bean curd has a tender and smooth texture. The gravy is
good and well absorb in the broccoli. Good to go with rice. The short
ribs are well seasoned and marinated. It is tender and sweet. The
cutting of the meat are inconsistent, if you got the big piece, it
can be slightly chewy. Something that they can look into.
 |
| Home-made Bean Curd |
 |
| Guinness Stout Short Ribs |
For
another seafood dish, we had Mexico Pacific Clam with garlic and soy
sauce. The clams are fresh, huge, juicy and steam to perfection. The
fried garlic and soya sauce provided a slight salty taste that bring
out the taste of the clams. The dish of the night!
 |
| Mexico Pacific Clam with garlic and soy sauce |
To
balance the meal, we have Nai Bai with Three Eggs. The vegetables are
fresh. The sauce is smooth and creamy with a hint of infused stock.
For desserts, the manager gave us Mango Pudding, free of charge. It
is smooth with a well balance sweetness. The use of fresh milk
instead of evaporated milk, make this dessert provide a good ending
to the heavy meal of the night.
 |
| Nai Bai with Three Eggs |
 |
| Mango Pudding |
This
new establishment is smaller than the previous shop. Big table are
limited, while to maximise space, they have a 'cafe built-in' style
of table and chairs for table for 4 or less. The setting is actually
simple and clean. Service is good considering the limited service
staff. The manager is friendly and full of smile. Please take note
that seating is by reservation only.
Overall,
I am glad that Ming Kee has managed maintained their standard of
food, serving good quality seafood with a more reasonable price
compare to the old establishment. I wish they are able to get back
the 'Omph' factor in Triple Cook Crab Bee Hoon. Cheers!!
Acknowledgement:
The
pictures for this review is only available due to the generosity of
Miss Cora Seah. Little Devil BFF that saves the day as Chubby Botak
Koala, left all his camera memory cards at home. Lesson learned, to
check your equipment before you go for a food review. Thank you very
much for the treat as well.
Food
& Drink: 8/10
Value:
8/10
Service:
7.5/10
Ambiance:
7.5/10
Budget
per Person: $51 - $80
Ming Kee Live Seafood
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