Beng Hiang I

Beng Hiang is a 34-year old Hokkien restaurant situated in Amoy Street that is probably known to all Chinese Singaporeans, and definitely all taxi drivers. Since I was a child, my family has been visiting Beng Hiang about once every four months for its authentic, homecooked tasting Hokkien food.

Throughout the years, Beng Hiang's decor has remained the same, and we have all grown older with the head waitresses. Therefore whenever we visit Beng Hiang, there is some sense of familiarity-comfort that the restaurant gives me, which I do not feel at other Hokkien restaurants.

As my family was still feeling a little full at dinner-time, we ordered only a few dishes with a view to packing up leftovers to eat the next day.

Hong Kong Kai Lan with Salted Fish: The amount of veggies served is much less than the two bags I can eat for dinner, but Beng Hiang is generous with the large pieces of crispy salted fish.

Spring Chicken: Fried to a crisp and delicious on its own, although a tad greasy.

Boiled Fish Head with Yam Soup: This is one of Beng Hiang's best classic dishes I reckon, and is also my mother's favourite. The clear broth in the claypot has good depth of flavour and I have never detected MSG in it. What helps thicken it a little is bits of yam, broken down from the chunks, after hours of boiling. The pieces fish head floating around are fleshy, with many gelatinous bits to suck apart from the bones.

Mee Sua: Beng Hiang's wettish noodles are loved by my family and relatives. I think it is the gravy that they cook the noodles in, which the noodles have absorbed, that makes the dish taste terrific and unique to other restaurants' fried noodles. My favourite (which I have not eaten since becoming Paleo) is actually their hokkien noodles, which comes lying in a pool of black sauce.

Complimentary Red Bean Dessert

Besides the Boiled Fish Head with Yam soup, Beng Hiang is also known for its crispy Fried Oysters with Egg (oyster omelette),  Spiced Sausage (ngoh hiang) & Fried Prawn Balls, and Steamed Bread with Braised Brisket (Kong Ba Pau). If you decide to visit, do try these signature dishes!

Beng Hiang
http://www.benghiang.com/

112 - 116 Amoy Street
Singapore 069932

Tel: 6221 6695 / 6221 6684

Opening hours:
- Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm (last order)
- Dinner: 6:00pm - 9:30pm (last order)