Previously located at Hong Lim Food Centre, Beng Who Cooks needs no introduction — serving up their “atas cai png” within the food centre, they are also known for starting Beng Who Cares Foundation; an initiative that provides free meals for those who are in need during the “Circuit Breaker”. They have since moved out of their premises at Hong Lim Food Centre, and is now situated at Neil Road just a few doors down from Epiphyte. Serving up different menus for lunch and dinner service, the lunch menu carries rice bowl and salad bowls being served, whilst offering a good variety of tea and alcohol for beverage options; dinner would see a degustation menu being served — a daring shift away from what they were previously known for, apart from serving the same dishes from the said menu in ala-carte format.

Was torn between posting up this item and the Bak Chor Rice — both were actually really solid items that I would really crave for and return back here in the future. That being said, the Beng’s Prawn Paste Chicken deserves the mention more solely because of how they were previously known for their grain bowls at Hong Lim, and the serving of such a side is already a departure from what they were back then. The Beng’s Prawn Paste Chicken is essentially what it is; chicken mid-joints that are marinated in prawn paste with a crispy deep-fried batter; no-nonsense here, just good fried chicken with a shattering crisp fried batter on the outside that is also surprisingly light, while the meat comes all juicy, tender and succulent with the umami flavour coming from the marination — all coming with a chili dip that is akin to that zippy Hainanese Chicken Rice chili with a hint of Chinchalok that gives those weeks an extra flavour boost that also tingles the taste buds; pretty well-suited for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness.

I have not been to Beng Who Cooks while they are at Hong Lim Complex nor have known them personally, but from the stories of them on social media I would say that they certainly have came a long way; earnest folks who are making a living in the F&B industry, living through the grind with passion and the drive — all that whilst not forgetting about the society. Kudos to them and the other folks in the F&B who takes pride in feeding the community; its something we should appreciate as consumers. Wishing these folks here all the best in what is to come for them!