Ho Fook Hei, Great World City

Why travel to Hong Kong when you can have your favourite Cantonese dishes in Singapore? Ho Fook Hei is one such classic home-styled Cantonese restaurant that takes pride in preparing their dishes the traditional, authentic Cantonese way.

It's hard to resist an ice-cold drink to quench your thirst. You could go for the herbal cooling Homemade Chilled Dried Longan Drink with Luo Han Guo ($3.50++) to alleviate the “heatiness” that Cantonese dishes usually have. Or, try the Signature Homemade Red Apple and Hawthorne Drink ($3.50++), which has slight sour tinge that brings back childhood memories of Hawthorne flakes.

We were treated to a platter of Pork and Prawn Rolls “Hae Zor” ($7.80++) to start the evening's feast, reminiscent of Asian sides like "ngoh hiang". A thin crusty exterior with a tender filling makes this savoury snack a must-have starter. It tastes even better when dipped into its accompanying condiment, the enhanced flavour bursting in your mouth with every bite. We could not stop snacking on these.

The first main course for the evening The Specialty Rose Wine Soy Sauce Chicken (Whole: $35++, Half: $$19++). Brined overnight with a selection of spices, the perfect layer of skin on the chicken showcases the chefs' skill in poaching and roasting (for the skin is known to tear easily). A slightly supple yet dry texture, the modest aroma of the rose wine lends a favourable scent on the taste buds.

The chicken is best paired with their Egg Noodles ($3.80) and their homemade chilli sauce. The delectable egg noodles have a "QQ" (soft chewy) texture that goes well with the slightly mild and oily chilli. We definitely taste the crisp hebi (dried prawns) in the chilli but the chefs would only grin secretively when asked. It was so good that we cleaned the chili sauce from its container, eager to try it with almost everything we ate during the dinner.

The Honey-glazed Black Barbeque Pork Belly ($13++), is delicate and has a nice fat content, ready to semi-melt in your mouth with oozy goodness. Surprisingly, the sauce stickiness isn’t as cloying as one might expect.

If you’re up for something comforting, Ho Fook Hei offers the Red Grouper Fish Fillet Congee ($9.80++). The congee uses Japanese rice, creating a silky yet viscous comfort food and it's great for the soft sliced fillet. Do take note, this dish has a "fishy" smell.

For steamed fish, you can choose from Cod Fish Fillet ($24.80++), Threadfish Fillet ($18.80++) and the Seabass Fillet ($14.80++) with four different choices of sauce and cooking styles to pair with. We had the Cod Fillet Steamed with Old Ginger Sauce and Seabass Fillet Steamed with Signature Nonya Assam Sauce. While we felt that the codfish has lost its buttery texture, the old ginger’s strong taste gave it a boost in flavour. The seabass was slightly sweeter and sour due to the assam sauce, but it was slightly stringy.

To end tonight's feast, we were offered Sago and Pomelo in Fresh Mango Puree ($4.50++) and Warm Red Bean Soup with Aged Mandarin Peel and Lotus Seed ($4.50++). The fresh mango puree was a cooling and refreshing choice, sweet and irresistible. On the other hand, the Aged Mandarin Peel in the red bean soup is unique for its medicinal value and taste.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Ho Fook Wei, and feel that it's a great choice for family get-together. As implied in the name of the restaurant, may prosperity and good fortune follow! Ho Fook Hei Great World City 1 Kim Seng Promenade #01-141, Singapore 237994 Opening Hours:

Daily: 11:30am - 3:30pm, 5pm - 9:30pm

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