Fook Kin is the kind of place that I would take my mum to. They do Chinese roasted meats in a trendy-looking and air-conditioned shop along the exclusive Killiney Road. My mum likes to know what is hot and what is not, but she also cannot take the heat of some of the older, airless hawker centres. Whilst I must admit, Fook Kin do the best char siew in all of Singapore, I personally do not believe in paying top dollar for roasted meats. A few of their dishes are also a little hit-and-miss.
Flossie’s rating: ★★★
When I say Fook Kin is trendy-looking, I’m not kidding. Their aspiration when designing the decor was to be Instagram worthy hence the cheeky play on words with their violet neon sign “we Fook Kin love you” as soon as you enter. The money behind Fook Kin is just as trendy, as it is co-owned by Class 95FM deejays The Muttons, aka Justin Ang and Vernon A. Let’s not hold their trendiness against them but we must acknowledge that it is a lot more pricey than your average roasted meat hawker.
Amazing Pork
The true highlight of Fook Kin is the caramelised char siew prepared in the Kuala Lumpur style. It is perfection. The bright-red marinated pork hangs all sticky and delicious from the kitchen window. The meat is the right balance between succulence and flavour without tasting fatty. This is rare in your hawker-variety, where cheaper cuts of pork are used. However, high-grade lean pork makes all the difference as you don’t want your char siew to be too fatty and overpower the already sweet marinade. The other thing I like about their caramelised char siew is that it strikes the right balance between sweet and smokey. I’ll keep coming back to Fook Kin for this one dish alone although it is a little pricy. A medium serving costs just under $20 and is enough for two people if you order additional sides.
Their second best dish is the pork belly. It is not as fatty as I generally like my sio bak to be. It is more meaty, and the meat has a pinkish rather than whitish hue. This will appeal to dieters who want to indulge in soft pork flesh that has just a sliver of crunchy crackling. It comes served with a squirt of French-style mustard and some fresh cucumber and coriander.
Disappointing Duck
Fook Kin also have some hearty-looking ducks hanging in their kitchen window. But don’t let the crispy, tanned skins tempt you. The ducks are appallingly dry with too much meat and not enough gooey fat or crispy skin. As I have pointed out in previous posts, this could be down to local tastes but in my view, these ducks do not compare to their Hong Kong cousins. They are certainly not worth $16 for a single portion. I can already find duck of equal quality at almost any Singapore food court.
Less Notable Mentions
I cannot enjoy Chinese roast meats without a bit of veg to balance the palate. The broccoli and mixed mushrooms are just delightful, lightly steamed and tossed in oyster sauce. I can literally eat a whole plate of that stuff on my own and it is so healthy (and keto-friendly). The kai lan cooked two-way is a disaster however. I appreciate they have tried to be a little adventurous but just why, why, why would you deep-fry the crap out of kai lan and sprinkle it with pork floss? It is beyond me!
Fook Kin also have a range of noodle and rice dishes. The noodles are the flat, crinkly ones that are common in the pork noodle stands at most hawkers. Tasty but nothing special. I certainly wouldn’t recommend paying top dollar for them.
I will definitely take my mum to Fook Kin. If you are like my mum, and you prefer to dine in an air-conditioned environment, then I think you would enjoy this place. It’s not ridiculously priced but a bit more expensive than what I’m used to paying for roasted meats. The caramelised char siew is certainly worth it. However, this place would be a whole lot better if they worked on their roasted duck and vegetable offering.
Fook Kin
111 Killiney Road
Singapore 239553