Char Siew Rice There has been quite a number of overseas brands that had been setting up shop all across the island in recent times; one of the more prominent names in recent times does seem to be that of Ke Ming 克茗冰室 that had been in the works at Plaza Singapura. These folks had just opened their doors in late May 2025 to the public; for those whom aren’t able to locate it, Ke Ming is located within the basement of the mall pretty near to the entrance / exit towards Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station in its North East Line ticket concourse area — Ke Ming being situated within close vicinity to the outlet of Pawa Bakery, the outlet of Killiney Kopitiam and the outlet of Old Chang Kee in Plaza Singapura. Despite being an establishment themed after the Hong Kong-style tea rooms, Ke Ming does have a bigger presence in Mainland China than it does in Hong Kong — Ke Ming only operates from a single location in Hong Kong though it does have a presence speeding past more than a hundred outlets in Mainland China. Their space at Plaza Singapura isn’t exactly the largest, and some might even find their space a tad claustrophobic — that being said, the entire space seems to be decked in a way that is similar to that of a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishment; the similarities probably stemming from the fact that such dining establishments existed during the colonial era where Hong Kong was still under British administration. The use of green and orange elements amidst the wooden furniture and fittings provides a bit of colour contrast to the dining establishment, while the table tops came in a marble-esque surface that really carried the old-school vibes well. Most of its tables featured booth seating that are a little tight for four (4) pax, though there are some dining tables paired with dining chairs that seats groups of two (2) pax as well. The menu is segmented across various categories such as that of Steak, Curry, Simple, Noodles and Snacks. Drinks available at Ke Ming will include the usual line-up of Hong Kong-style Milk Tea and Coffee, as well as other interesting concoctions such as the 7 Up with Salty Lemon and Iced Lemon Coke — just to name a few.
One of the highlights of Ke Ming as mentioned by themselves on their menu would be that of the Char Siew Rice — this is a dish which they have proclaimed to be their no. 1 top selling dish in China. The Char Siew Rice that Ke Ming serves up is the typical ”Sorrowful Rice” that was popularised by Stephen Chow in his comedy film, “The God of Cookery” that was released in 1996 — a dish that is now pretty commonly found in other Hong Kong-style Char Chaan Teng establishments as well. The version of the Char Siew Rice at Ke Ming comes with very familiar elements such as that of Char Siew, fried egg and some stalks of vegetables all atop a bed of rice — the rice being drenched with a bit of the char siew sauce as well. The folks at Ke Ming had mentioned to us that the best way to enjoy the dish is to mix all of the elements together so that the white rice gets to absorb all of the char siew sauce along with the runny egg yolks that come with the fried egg. In doing so, the white rice does come with sufficient moisture and flavour; mostly coming with a silkier texture from the egg yolk while the Char Siew sauce does come with a sweet-savoury note. The Char Siew that came with the Char Siew were thick cut but tender without being difficult to chew — we also liked that the Char Siew did carry a bit of a bite without being too gelatinous, while it was sufficiently sweet and meaty without any undesirable porky stench. The stalk of vegetables does come with a bit of a crunch and was a respite from the carbs and meats that came with the dish.
We also managed to give the Stephen Chow’s Favourite Noodles a go — this does seem to be pretty much Ke Ming’s interpretation of the Hong Kong-style Gong Zai Mein; whilst Ke Ming does not describe on the elements that comes with their dishes, it can be observed that the Stephen Chow’s Favourite Noodles does come with other elements such as fried egg, chicken mid-wing and luncheon meat. This was pretty much within expectation where the broth does come suitably savoury; the strands of noodles being chewy and bouncy as it springs back with every bite. The beef brisket is actually pretty tender whilst not being too gamey, while elements like the luncheon and chicken wing are nice inclusions which does add up to the entire bowl being a hearty offering. Meanwhile, the best items to go for for those whom are looking to try a variety of Snacks that Ke Ming has to offer will be the Signature Snacks Platter — the item features sampling portions of their Curry Fish Balls, Signature Chee Cheong Fun in Mixed Sauce, Garlic Chicken Wing Tips and Thai Style Shrimp Rolls all in one serving. The items that really left a little bit more impression for us within the platter would be the Signature Chee Cheong Fun in Mixed Sauce and the Curry Fish Balls; both are really what one would expect to be with the Curry Fish Balls hinting of a strong fragrance of curry spices in its gravy whilst coming with bouncy fish balls, while the Signature Chee Cheong Fun in Mixed Sauce featured rice vermicelli rolls that have been drenched with sweet sauce, soy sauce and peanut sauce for a creamy, nutty, sweet and savoury flavours with the slippery rice vermicelli rolls.
The Little Bear Iced Hong Kong Milk Tea in the meanwhile is also one of Ke Ming’s signature offerings — Ke Ming does serve up a few variants of Hong Kong-style Milk Tea with the others being the Ke Ming Signature Iced Milk Tea that comes with ice cubes made from frozen milk tea, while there is also the more usual Hong Kong Style Milk Tea as well. The Little Bear Iced Hong Kong Milk Tea does come served in a similar fashion as the Ke Ming Signature Iced Milk Tea; not only features ice cubes made from frozen milk tea, but also does come with one ice cube shaped like a bear which is also made from frozen milk tea. Thought the milk tea was inherently fragrant yet silky smooths with a good balance of both elements — a beverages to go for whilst at Ke Ming. The Hot Coffee in the meanwhile is less than spectacular — in part because of how it is tuned towards that of the Hong Kong-style coffee that isn’t necessarily preferred by locals being heavier on milk and really weak in coffee as opposed to our Nanyang-style brews commonly found in Singapore and Malaysia. Hong Kong-style Char Chaan Teng establishments do exist around Singapore and there has been quite a number of them opening across the island in recent years — Ke Ming is one that does seem to be a little different considering how they are an overseas brand; after all, most Hong Kong-style Char Chaan Teng establishments in Singapore are local individually-run eateries. To a certain degree, Ke Ming does provide an authentic flavour of what one would typically expect from a Hong Kong-style Char Chaan Teng establishment; there aren’t many who seemingly do so here and this seems to be a strength of theirs — that being said, queues had already started to form with the social media hype created from its official opening, though queues do seem to be fast-moving even during meal peak hours on weekends. With prices of their main dishes mostly ranging between $7.90 to $13.90 with their Steak offerings priced a bit higher up to $22.80, we would think that their prices are pretty reasonable for those looking to treat themselves to something different within the shopping mall. Looking forward to be back to give their western dishes a go — the Cheese Baked Tomato Pork Chop Fried Rice being something we are especially keen to try out.
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