Hong Kong, Wan Chai. November 2023.
You might wonder why I'm giving 5 stars for glutinous rice w lap cheong and cheung fun w dried shrimp. It is because the cheung fun was pretty darn good - way better than anything I can get back home. And the glutinous rice bowl? The best taste and texture in a glutinous rice I've ever had.
This is a three generation business that just churns out good food. Currently run by second generation, Ng Siu-Fung, and with sons and other family members involved in the business, Keung Kee has been in the community for 70 + years and plans to be century old institution that puts out representative Hong Kong snack food.
Yes, this is a snack shop, not a bing sutt, not a cha chaan teng, and certainly not a restaurant. They started as a street food cart selling only snacks. Their non-soup or congee dishes are still modestly sized for one person.
Now, one of their signature dishes is glutinous rice in a bowl with lap cheong and lap mei, some mushrooms, and a sweet sauce. Thai Golden Phoenix glutinous rice, soaked and double boiled, and prepared slightly differently than straight stir frying. The rice texture comes from a combination of new and old cooked glutinous rice - very moist yet satisfyingly chewy.
And the stir fried nuggets of cheung fun with dried shrimp are addicting. Adding soft scrambled egg makes it even harder to share.
The Keung Kee name is not unique. There is a dai pai dong and roasted meat shop with the same name. Make sure you go to Lockhart, not elsewhere, and go into the one the new golden lettered sign! read more