This place looks like I’m in Penang.
Hopefully it’ll taste just as good.
Kok Sen Restaurant
- Cash Only
- Old School Chinese Food
- Get There Early or Wait in Line
Thanks Bib Gourmand!
In the now-defunct 60’s red light district, surrounded by fitness gyms, hawker centers, a lot of Japanese and Korean restaurants, Kok Sen Restaurant is a classic gem of an open air Chinese Tze Char restaurant hiding in plain site. Perhaps they aren’t hiding, since there’s always a line of people waiting to be seated in their busy venue.
Tze Char is essentially what amounts to Chinese soul food that everyone is too lazy to cook but can never say “no” to lining up for.
People don’t seem to mind waiting, quite literally next to the people that are finishing up their meal. One time, the people I was waiting for to leave, whether by design or not, ordered more food as my hopes of being seated next got dashed on the rocks of hunger and betrayal.
I wonder if I could order take away?
Come early otherwise get ready to stand waiting for a table to open up. If you’re desperate, you can opt to sit in the back alleyway. I’m not particularly fond of eating in the back of the shop simply because there isn’t a fan back there.
Where Is It
Bordering on Chinatown, off of Tanjong Pagar’s Keong Saik Road, Kok Sen is surrounded by boutique hotels, bars and restaurants.
What to Eat
These noodles will haunt me. Everything I’ve had has been delicious to my American palate with big bold flavors and contrasting textural mouthfeel, I’ll be coming back time and time again.
- Big prawn hor fun noodles
- Homemade tofu with minced pork
- Poached spinach with assorted eggs
- Claypot chicken
While the noodle sauce is to die for, the other dishes were good but I’ll order something else the next time I’m back. The menu is extensive and I’m sure there must be other tasty morsels.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m either unfamiliar with or simply don’t know about, which apparently when it comes to Singaporean Chinese food, is extensive.
The Noodles Always Brings Me Back In
Did I say anything about these good noodles? Because these noodles are good, and whether you want to be equally haunted by them is a question you have to ask yourself before ordering them.
I imagine if I grew up on this food, I’d wait till the end of time for a taste of my childhood.
Mindset is key to making the best of any situation. I know it can be crazy at Kok Sen so I will do my best to avoid the bad times for a better time. The service can be hit or miss, and the waits can be horrendous but you know what, it’s worth it to go early and get in, eat up, and get out before everything goes crazy. And so should you!
Kok Sen Restaurant
- 30 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089137
- Street View
- +65 6223 2005
What’s your classic Chinese dish must eat?
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Eat Singapore Chinese at Kok Sen Restaurant
This place looks like I’m in Penang.
Hopefully it’ll taste just as good.
Kok Sen Restaurant
- Cash Only
- Old School Chinese Food
- Get There Early or Wait in Line
Thanks Bib Gourmand!
In the now-defunct 60’s red light district, surrounded by fitness gyms, hawker centers, a lot of Japanese and Korean restaurants, Kok Sen Restaurant is a classic gem of an open air Chinese Tze Char restaurant hiding in plain site. Perhaps they aren’t hiding, since there’s always a line of people waiting to be seated in their busy venue.
Tze Char is essentially what amounts to Chinese soul food that everyone is too lazy to cook but can never say “no” to lining up for.
People don’t seem to mind waiting, quite literally next to the people that are finishing up their meal. One time, the people I was waiting for to leave, whether by design or not, ordered more food as my hopes of being seated next got dashed on the rocks of hunger and betrayal.
I wonder if I could order take away?
Come early otherwise get ready to stand waiting for a table to open up. If you’re desperate, you can opt to sit in the back alleyway. I’m not particularly fond of eating in the back of the shop simply because there isn’t a fan back there.
Where Is It
Bordering on Chinatown, off of Tanjong Pagar’s Keong Saik Road, Kok Sen is surrounded by boutique hotels, bars and restaurants.
What to Eat
These noodles will haunt me. Everything I’ve had has been delicious to my American palate with big bold flavors and contrasting textural mouthfeel, I’ll be coming back time and time again.
- Big prawn hor fun noodles
- Homemade tofu with minced pork
- Poached spinach with assorted eggs
- Claypot chicken
While the noodle sauce is to die for, the other dishes were good but I’ll order something else the next time I’m back. The menu is extensive and I’m sure there must be other tasty morsels.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m either unfamiliar with or simply don’t know about, which apparently when it comes to Singaporean Chinese food, is extensive.
The Noodles Always Brings Me Back In
Did I say anything about these good noodles? Because these noodles are good, and whether you want to be equally haunted by them is a question you have to ask yourself before ordering them.
I imagine if I grew up on this food, I’d wait till the end of time for a taste of my childhood.
Mindset is key to making the best of any situation. I know it can be crazy at Kok Sen so I will do my best to avoid the bad times for a better time. The service can be hit or miss, and the waits can be horrendous but you know what, it’s worth it to go early and get in, eat up, and get out before everything goes crazy. And so should you!
Kok Sen Restaurant
- 30 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089137
- Street View
- +65 6223 2005
What’s your classic Chinese dish must eat?
