Food-Stars: Hainanese High at Wee Nam Kee, Serendra

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Hainanese High at Wee Nam Kee, Serendra

Hearing about the newly opened branch at Serendra, we decided to brave the Citibank crowd and try their Hainanese Chicken for a second time.

Wee Nam Kee, Serendra

It was a good thing we made reservation days before, the restaurant was filled to the brim. While waiting to be seated, we heard that the next available slot was for 2pm already.

As you enter, you'll notice the striking difference from their Ayala Triangle branch. In Serendra, they had booths for a more cozy seating. One thing though, tables for 4 are a bit small and cramped. If you're planning to order a lot, I suggest you ask for a bigger table or be placed in a booth.

Caged Lights

Interiors included light bulbs trapped in red bird cages and other Singaporean knick-knacks. The servers were attentive and helpful. As for the owners? Let's just say the staff were better trained.

Wee Nam Kee's Oversized Hainanese Chicken Dips

A familiar tabletop piece will greet you once you sit down. Reminds me of the former Heaven & Eggs pancake syrups.

Hong Kong Fried Noodle

The 1st dish to come out was the Hong Kong Fried Noodles. Serving is good for 4 people. Ratio between noodle and other ingredients (carrots, red bell peppers, shrimps, squid & pork) were proportionate. The noodles were cooked just right, not too soggy or chewy. As for the taste? It was okay, but will not be ordering again.

Cereal Prawns

This was 4 pcs per order. We remembered the cereal prawns we had on our last Singapore trip. We were hoping to relive and enjoy it again here at Wee Nam Kee but alas, the prawns were overcooked. The skin was sticking to the prawns and it was frustrating having to peel it little by little. The cereal was not crunchy but tasted okay. Verdict? Much improvement can be done.

Of course, you can't eat here and not order their specialty dish, Hainanese Chicken. This comes with the chicken broth used for simmering the chicken. You can also order the Hainanese Rice which is the perfect complement to the chicken. The chicken was tender and the slices were perfectly even. The rice on the other hand lacked flavor. It was not able to absorb the hainanese taste of the chicken. Presentation-wise, this was a win. Taste-wise... is another thing.

One of our staple favorite, we also had their Chili Crab. Get ready for messy fingers. A bit disappointed about the sauce, it was not spicy. It lacked the usual "kick" of other chili crabs. Overall, an okay crab dish.

Any Chili Crab order is not complete without the Man Tao. It's been our tradition to dip this in the chili sauce. But because it was not spicy, it made the dipped man tao taste bland. Instead of biting into mouthfuls of flavors & spices, it became an ordinary fried bread with red sauce. Sigh.

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