Hong Chang Eating House

Eatery Review: 

Hong Chang Eating House

Renown for: 

Frog Porridge, Sambal Stingray, Zi Char

Cuisine: 

Chinese (Cantonese); Local Fare

Getting there: 

Bus services 28, 93 and 153 stop on the same side as the establishment. The closest MRT station is Serangoon. Dismal amount of public parking space along Somerville Walk; better luck trying to find a space among the private houses. 

When to go: 

Dinner’s the only time you should have a meal here. As it’s comically adjacent to vehicle tuning workshops, lunch here could mean you’ll probably be inhaling petrol fumes with your sambal sting ray!

Food Waiting Time: 
7 Mins

Ambience: 

Coffee shop by the road with outdoor seating. Somewhat ample seats available, both indoors and out. Might get the occasional drag racer speeding through Upper Serangoon Road to distract you from the meal, but other than that, not much of a scenery to clap eyes on. 

First Impressions: 

Reading about this place in a magazine featuring underrated hawkers inspired me to check it out for myself. I’ve always been one to support the underdogs of any craft because they tend to do something that might just surprise you, and in this case, they surely didn't disappoint. A word of caution, this place doesn't have a traditional menu - less the signboard for porridge and stingray - so make sure you know what you want when ordering.  

Hong Chang Eating House @ 2 Braddell Road

The crux: 

Fried Rice

The food came in staggered but in reasonable time. First to come was the Fried Rice, and it came in smelling absolutely tantalising! It had a significant dose of wok hei which perfumed thru the entire dish. It was very simple, but properly done, all fried rice should take after this one! The addition of freshly, crisp Ikan Bilis was a good touch. Not only was it functional as a garnish, it worked well together with the smoky wok hei-ness of the dish to add a different contrast of savouriness.  

Frog Leg Porridge

Next was the Frog Leg Porridge. By far the best I’ve had in a very long time! Starting with the plain porridge, it was thick, really thick, just how I like my Cantonese-style porridge. It had to be thick to hold the kung-pao sauce from the frog legs. The porridge was lightly seasoned so as to accommodate the more savoury sauce from the frog legs. However, it was good enough to have it on its own. The frog legs were perfectly cooked as well, extremely tender with just a little bite to the meat. Frog being mild tasting in itself - some say they even taste like chicken - has to go with a substantial sauce to bring out its natural flavour or use it as a vehicle to carry the sauce. In this case, the sauce was heavily seasoned with ginger, spring onions and dried chilli. Coupled with a luscious, lip-smacking, savoury sauce made from cooking the frogs in it, with the bolster of oyster and soy sauce to back it up, made it an extremely enjoyable and tasty dish to finish. This was definitely the star, and something not to be missed. 

Sambal Kang Kong & Onion Omelette

The Sambal Kang Kong and Onion Omelette came not long after. The kang kong was tender and well seasoned with hei bi hiam and sambal. Personally, the sambal could have been spicer but others might not feel so. However, this dish was just average, in the sense that you can find one at any decent hawker centre. 

The omelette was a tad on the oily side but was perfectly seasoned and cooked. Soft and pillowy eggs carrying a slight fresh crunch from the onions. Again, similar with the kang kong, average dish - many replicators. 

Sambal Stingray

Lastly, Sambal Stingray - what we’re here for! The stingray was perfectly cooked! Tough to get the timing right on such irregular cuts of fish, with varying thicknesses. The stingray was somewhat fresh tasting, but felt ‘old’ in regards to the age of the stingray. Similar logic to veal and beef. Again, the sambal could have been spicer. Cincalok always goes as a complement to Sambal Stingray as it cuts through the richness and spiciness of the sambal. This was no different, however, the cincalok could have had more acidity and more fermented shrimp flavour. Other than that, this was pretty well done Sambal Stingray. 

A final note on the service you might get. Our drinks took almost 30mins to come! Even after reminding the staff 3 times about our drink orders. Getting hold of their attention also requires some guts to either stand up and call for one, or wave your arm frantically like an insaniac.         

Price & Value for money: 

$39 for dinner for 2 and eating to our heart’s content. Good value for money. 

The verdict: 

Overall, a clear win for the underdogs on this occasion. Coming here - even if it is out of the way -  just for the Frog Leg Porridge will see you leaving thoroughly satisfied, but do not neglect the fact they still have a pretty noteworthy Sambal Stingray hiding in the back. This place will surely be my go-to place for well-priced Frog Leg Porridge. I’ll be back for more!

Final Score: 

8/10

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