What To Expect When Hong Kong's Mui Kee Congee Opens Its Standalone Restaurant

Hong Kong’s Mui Kee Congee, which has been operating as a pop-up eatery within Les Amis’ Casa Verde café in Botanic Gardens for the past eight months, is finally opening a standalone restaurant. Unlike its original gritty Mongkok stall at Fa Yuen Street Market, the 50-seater is much fancier. It takes over the space originally occupied by Les Amis group’s Caveau wine bar — so this means it's air-conditioned, yay. In case you didn't already know — the Les Amis Group brought the brand to Singapore (it also owns Casa Verde).

Mui Kee is known for its Cantonese-style porridge made from scratch — it involves first mixing raw rice grains with mashed century eggs and stirring this with a pork bone and fish stock over five hours. Mui Kee’s third-generation chef-owner will be in town this month, and will pop by a few times a year to oversee the cooking.

The menu here offers twice as many types of congee compared to the pop-up store — 18. There’ll be the usual Sliced Beef Congee ($12.50) and Pork with Century Egg Congee ($12.50) on the menu, plus new additions like the Parrot Fish Belly Congee ($11.80).

Aside from congee, the Singapore menu also includes new creations such as the Pleated Steamed Rice Noodles (chee cheong fun), with assorted toppings like Sakura Shrimp ($5.50) and even claypot dishes like Beef Brisket for supper. Pair your meal with some Snow Chrysanthemum Red Date Tea ($2.50 hot; $3.50 cold).

Here's hoping the quality of the congee here is better than the hit-or-miss bowls at its pop-up stall in Casa Verde.

Opens March 26 at #01-42 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Rd, S228208. Tel: 6737-2422. www.facebook.com/muikeesg