Kek Eng Kee Seafood: One of the Popular Zi Char Spots in Singapore (and One of My Favorite Singaporean Food Experiences!)

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This article is part of the Singapore Food Trip 2025 series.

First things first: What is Zi Char? Literally “cook fry” and sometimes spelled as “Cze/Tze Char”, this refers to Chinese home-style dishes or meals that are cooked upon order. You can find these in eateries and kopitiams, and its price range falls in between the prices of hawkers and of higher-end Chinese restaurants.

It’s one of the Singaporean food experiences that every foodie should try. And one of the best spots to try it (three of our Filipino friends who live/d in Singapore highly recommend it!) is at Kek Eng Kee Seafood.

Kek Eng Kee Seafood at Alexandra Village

Kek Eng Kee started in the 70s as a hawker stall in Old Havelock Road Hawker Centre. When the hawker centre was demolished, the zi char restaurant moved to Alexandra Village where one of its branches are located. Today, it is run by its third generation of owners.

They have an airconditioned section in the Alexandra Village branch, which is perfect to escape the Singapore heat!

Kek Eng Kee has been included in the MICHELIN Guide, visited by food experts such as Mark Wiens and the late Anthony Bourdain, and featured in Netflix’s Street Food. But is it worth the try? We went to find out!

We ordered their bestsellers, starting with the Moonlight Hor Fun or stir-fried wide rice noodles (hor fun) in egg gravy. It’s called “moonlight” because it’s served with a raw egg yolk in the middle, intended to be mixed with the noodles.

Beef Moonlight *Hor Fun* (Small: SGD11.8; Medium: SGD19.8; Large: SGD23.8)

It’s so smoky that when I started mixing it, the aroma started coming out. The noodles are soft but chewy at the same time. And we got the beef version so it has tender pieces of meat. This dish came in first and what a way to start our zi char feast!

Another bestseller is the Claypot Pig Liver. It has soft pig liver cooked in a sweet, soy sauce-based gravy and complimented with crisp veggies and sweet red onions. And believe me that the liver has no bitterness at all!

We also tried the zi char staple Coffee Pork Ribs, which are deep-fried pork ribs covered in coffee sauce (yes, they have that in Singapore!). I thought it would be weird. But to my surprise, it works well, having a nice coffee flavor. However, I think it’s over-battered.

Coffee Pork Ribs (Small: SGD19.8; Medium: SGD29.8; Large: SGD36.8)

Another zi char staple we got is the Cereal Squid. You might be thinking, “What’s up with Singaporeans mixing breakfast items with their dishes?” LOL. But these cereals aren’t corn flakes or worse, fruity pebbles. LOL. Rather, it refers to multi-grain cereals. Then it’s mixed with butter, chilies, and curry leaves, where the squid (or other proteins, especially prawns) are tossed in it.

Cereal Squid (Small: 21.8; Medium: 31.8; Large: 38.8)

Kek Eng Kee’s version has tender squid, while the cereals are crunchy and have a nice sweetness.

Of course, I couldn’t resist their KEK Curry Fish Head, my favorite Singaporean dish of all time! Its gravy is flavorful and stay-in-the-mouth spicy, with a nice coconut flavor. The fish is clean-tasting, the okra add texture, the crisp beancurd skins are crunchy, and the beancurd/tofu is silky and absorbs all the flavor of the gravy. It reminds me of the Chinese-style fish head curry of Kam Long Ah Zai in Johor Bahru (Malaysia), which I love!

To balance our meal (LOL), we got the Chinese Spinach with Eggs of 3 Kinds, which I learned is a zi char classic as well. The spinach are crisp, the gravy is tasty, and there are three kinds of eggs (duh)—regular, century, and salted.

Chinese Spinach with Eggs of 3 Kinds (Small: SGD15.8; Medium: SGD23.8; Large: SGD27.8)

Kek Eng Kee is also famous for their Signature Chilli Crab, which one of the quintessential Singaporean dishes, and Salted Egg Prawns. However, my wife and I are allergic to crustaceans. So our friends did the eating for us. They love it and I trust their verdict!

Salted Egg Prawns (Small: SGD27.8; Medium: SGD42.8; Large: SGD49.8)

The chilli crab is best paired with Deep Fried Buns:

So is Kek Eng Kee Seafood worth visiting? Absolutely! They make great zi char dishes, which you can eat in a great al fresco space, adding to the experience. It’s easily one of the best Singaporean food experiences I’ve ever had. With that said, I highly recommend Kek Eng Kee to you!

For Kek Eng Kee Seafood branches and operating times, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as their Website.