Wong Kee Kway Teow & Fish Soup

Came to know about this establishment named Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup whilst scrolling around social media on the phone some time back — located at a distance away from Boon Keng MRT Station along the North-East Line, its address at Blk 122 McNair Road may sound familiar to some; this is because Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup is actually located in the same space at the foot of the void deck of a block within the neighbourhood named McNair Spring where Wild Coco used to be situated at before their move to Hamilton Road. It does seem that some work has been done to the space by the folks of Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup to bring the space back to the looks of a normal coffeeshop; gone would be the quirky tropical-themed decor and neon lightings that adorned the space during its days as Wild Coco, while there is some change with the dine-in furniture that seems pretty tasteful despite being plasticky pieces. Whilst being of a setup similar to that of a typical coffeeshop, Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup is in fact an independently-run eatery; the menu offered at Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup can be described as fairly extensive, with the menu segregated into sections dedicated to its Kway Teow Soup and Fish Soup offerings, individually-sized zichar with rice dishes and all-day breakfast menu. Beverages available at Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup includes Nanyang-style Kopi & Teh, as well as Milo, homemade barley, lime and sour plum juice, and canned drinks.

Having tried the Signature Pork Noodles - Soup (without Organs) some time back at Legacy Pork Noodles, we initially thought that the version of the Signature Dry Noodle at Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup would have been something quite similar to the aforementioned item. Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup does allow patrons to opt for their desired choices of carbs to come with their Signature Dry Noodle — our order was made for the Mee Kia, but it is noted that Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup also offers Kway Teow, Thin Bee Hoon, Thick Bee Hoon, Yellow Noodle, Mee Pok, Mee Sua, Mee Tai Mak and Plain Rice for the choices of carbs to accompany their soups. Things start to get a little obvious that the Signature Dry Noodle served at Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup is more of a local rendition of the dish rather than the Malaysian version of it when we had collected the food from the counter once it has been prepared. Giving the noodles a light toss, it seem that the Mee Kia at Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup comes with a mix of vinegar and sambal chili that brings it closer to our local minced meat noodles in terms of the overall flavour profile; the addition of vinegar bringing a bright tang amidst the savoury notes of the chili that also brought it a moderate kick of spiciness should do just about okay for those whom are tolerable to reasonable levels of spiciness. The noodles also came with a few chunks of crispy pork lard; that being said, these were lightly crisp with bit of bite — not totally crisp as what some other establishments would serve up. The soup in the meanwhile did carry a savoury note; not quite as intense as the one that we have had at Legacy Pork Noodles — one that also can be described to be closer to the soup that typically accompanies the soup rendition of the local minced meat noodles.

Elements that came in the bowl of soup included stalks of greens, fish slices, pork slices, minced pork and fried beancurd — the meat and fish slices were void of any undesirable fishy or porky stench, though the most interesting element seems to be the fried beancurd that seemed to be purposely executed to carry a bit of a bite and the ends for some contrast of texture. That being said, we aren’t quite sure if the direction taken for the execution of the fried beancurd will gel well with the patrons here. During our visit to Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup, we had also given their Traditional Kaya Butter Toast a go; the toast comes sliced thin and features quite a sizeable slab of butter — the result is this crisp and buttery Kaya toast that comes with a slight note of Pandan sweetness from the Nonya-style Kaya that is spread on the toast. There is some form of likeness between the Iced Kopi here with the one that we usually would associate with those served at Nanyang-themed establishments such as that of Great Nanyang, Nan Yang Dao, Best Ah Ma Cafe etc.; the Iced Kopi here coming all frothy and rich-looking. This would be one they would suit those whom like their Nanyang-style Kopi to come with a good caffeinated kick without it being too sweet.

Overall, Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup does seem to be that sort of establishment that is primarily targeting to serve the residents around the neighbourhood that it is located — its offerings, while not the most memorable, are of a decent quality. They also do offer quite a wide variety of dishes on the menu that would allow one to try something new / or cater to a new craving during every visit. Prices of the main dishes at Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup ranges between $5 to $12.80, with most of the dishes priced from $6.80 to $8.80 — fairly reasonable when compared against the prices of food in the Central Business District. Whilst not a spot that we would make a special trip all the way out for, Wong Kee Kway Teow Soup & Fish Soup is likely one of those spots that residents would not mind having especially on days where it is difficult to walk out of the McNair neighbourhood to get food from the nearby Bendemeer area around Boon Keng MRT Station.