Kok Sen Restaurant

Kok Sen Restaurant is one of the early heritage spots along Keong Saik Road / Outram area, a mainstay that has been around for many years. Known for their Chinese Cantonese Zi Char at pocket-friendly prices, Kok Sen Restaurant has a handful of signature dishes, which you can see at almost every table here!Ambience at Kok Sen Restaurant harkens back to the early days of the coffee shop, and it still retains much of that clean, brightly lit, sparse but functional layout. Actual floor space is limited, so tables are extended out into the walkway in front, and the alley at the back. There isn't much shelter if it rains. Typically fully packed, the place is noisy and bustling.Service at Kok Sen Restaurant can be brusque, but they earn points for their extremely quick order fulfillment. Staff can and will make recommendations, especially their signature dishes. Not the best service around, but they are efficient. Waiting times can be long during peak periods, and there is no waiting area, so expect to stand around, sometimes for up to 20 minutes.Food at Kok Sen Restaurant is Chinese Zi Char, with their signature dishes being Cantonese classics, as they do tasty soups, and sauce / gravy dishes. Portions are designed for communal dining. Due to high turnover, their food is usually served piping hot and fresh. Prices are sightly higher than regular coffeeshop zi char, but still wallet friendly, budget about SGD $22 per person for a meal here.The signature Golden Dragon Chicken (SGD $32) is only available on Fridays, and the weekends. The key in this dish is misdirection, a whole flattened chicken, with a beautifully roasted, crisp skin arrives at the table, glistening in the light. But below the skin, the chicken meat has been entirely removed, and mixed with a fish paste, to create a sort of chicken patty fish cake. The taste is beautifully savoury with a light salty flavour, your brain tells you it's eating chicken when you crunch into the golden brown skin, then you get the mix of chicken and fish that throws the senses. Dip into the sticky sweet sauce for added delight. Great!The Claypot Yong Tau Foo (SGD $14 / $21 / $28) is a highlight of any meal here. Assorted pieces of fried bean skin tofu puffs, eggplant / aubergine, and bell peppers / capsicums are stuffed with a home made mix of squid and prawn paste, then drenched with a thick, braising gravy, rather like the Ampang style version. Savoury, just salty enough, with a pleasing combination of textures; crunchy, bouncy, chewy, and tender, I could eat a whole bowl myself! Highly recommended!Full Kok Sen Restaurant review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/11/zi-char-kok-sen-restaurant.html…Read More

Kok Sen is an old school zi char restaurant situated in Keong Saik Road. The restaurant is one of the last remaining old style restaurants in the area as more and more modern F&B outlets set up shop in the up and coming hipster enclave of Keong Saik. The rustic kopitiam does not have air conditioning and their walls are plastered with names of their signature dishes. As there is no air conditioning, the place can be a little humid during the day .Food found here are relatively affordable and of pretty good standards. Although being a zi char place, a variety of unique dishes can be found here. Signature dishes includes Big Prawn Noodles , Crispy Noodles and Claypot Yong Foo .Visited them during a weekday lunch, although it was already 1pm, most of the tables were still occupied. When the place is packed even when its late , you know you are gonna get good food here.Pictured here is the Claypot Yong Tau Foo . Assorted pieces of beancurd, eggplant, capsicums stuffed with fish and prawn paste were serving pipping hot in a unique braising sauce that is full of umami goodness . Bold flavours that just works . The texture of the yong tau foo are rather different too compared to the generic yong tau foo that you get at the hawker centres . Here the fish paste texture has more bite to it , firmer. According to the auntie that took our order , the yong tau foo are made in-house and only limited portions are available . So do come early to try this before they ran out .Visit my blog for more https://gluttonthatshoots.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/kok-sen-restaurant-keong-saik-road-singapore/…Read More