A Rediscovered Cze Cha Stall
Text and images by Catherine Ling
If you miss the good old cze cha fare of Cheah Sun Kee Eating House at Tiong Bahru, here’s some good news. The lady boss Wendy has resurrected the business with Sheng Ji at the coffee shop of 2 Jalan Bukit Merah. The name is different but the cooks are the same.
Cheah Sun Kee was famous for quite a few dishes. The sweet and sour pork (S$10) is expertly fried without a heavy coat of batter, and tossed with a piquant and tangy sauce. There’s a fragrant crispness as you bite into it, and yet the meat is tender and moist. It’s a generous portion too.
Their hor fun (S$10 for medium) is another signature dish. The rice sheets are nicely charred in places, and bear satisfyingly good “wok hei” (breath of wok) as well. The sauce is punctuated with fermented black beans, which give it that robust salty and earthy flavour. But best of all, it has none of the cornstarch that causes most hor fun to become an insipid goopy mess. Not this one. Good texture, good flavour…this is what hor fun should be like.
Prawn paste chicken (S$8) is also a popular selection. They certainly don’t stint on the prawn paste. You smell it before you taste it, and it is very evident when you bite into it. The midjoint wings are also deep-fried to a delightful crisp.
Of course, every meal should include a vegetable dish. Their three-egg “kou kei” (S$12) is enough for four persons to share. It’s rich with runny egg and features really flavoursome stock.
Sheng Ji has only been operational for a couple of months after Sun Cheah Kee closed more than a year ago. Wendy’s grandfather had been running the stall at Tiong Bahru for more than 40 years, and they had many regulars. She says the landlord took over the premises to start his own zi char business.
But now at Jalan Bukit Merah, the customers are slowly rediscovering their old haunt. It’s a lot busier in the evenings, says Wendy. At lunchtime, Sheng Ji offers individual or single dish meals like noodles, soups, sweet and sour pork rice, and fried rice from just S$4 for the working crowd. It’s good to see Cheah Sun Kee back. The new location may be slightly out west, but good zi char at reasonable prices is worth traveling for.
SHENG JI
Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-5134 Singapore 15002 Tel: 6272-3963 Open daily 11.30am to 2pm, 5pm to 1am (closed alternate Tuesdays)
