Review of Ho Kee Roast

Block 531A, Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Food Centre, #02-21

Nearest Mass Rapid Transit Station: Chinatown MRT

Buses to Hong Lim Food Centre: 2, 12, 33, 51, 54, 61, 63, 124, 143, 147, 174, 190

Opening Hours: 07:00 to 20:00 (Daily)

Queue: 1 to 3 people (Waiting Time: Less than 5 minutes)

Service: Fast and good

Environment: Clean but crowded hawker centre

Reputation: Traditional Singapore Char Siew Rice, Roasted Delicacies, Dumpling Noodles and Wanton Noodles

Thoughts after eating: Average

Value for money: 60/100

Will I come back again in 6 months' time? No, there are better alternatives

My opinion:

Ho Kee sells traditional Singapore Chinese noodles and roasted delicacies. For this food review, my mother and I have tasted their char siew and roasted pork rice for lunch. There were 6 pieces of char siew, 6 pieces of roasted pork and moderate amount of rice in our takeaway packet.

Although the meat items were delectable and melted easily with every bite, there were lots of charred and fatty portions. Pork skin was average tasting and not crispy enough. Black sauce was bland and not thick enough for rice meals. Chili was robust and spicy enough to gain a few last minute bonus points for the food.

In a nutshell, the food here was unhealthy and badly let down by the below average black sauce. Honestly, there are more than 5 stalls in the food centre that sells meat rice. Unless the owners dramatically improve their food quality, they risk closing shop in the near future.

Ways for the owners to improve their food ratings:

First, cut out all charred and fatty portions from the meat items. Second, add more ingredients for future customers. Third, make the black sauce sweeter and thicker.