Uncle Quek Elevates Singapore’s Hawker Classics for Hong Kong Diners

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(Bloomberg) — As Singaporean expats here can attest, life in Hong Kong is a cycle of hope and disappointment when it comes to seeking out the flavors of our homeland. So when I heard that chef Barry Quek of Whey fame had opened a new, casual eatery where hawker classics like bak chor mee and hae mee would be offered, I made a reservation at Uncle Quek faster than one can say: “Singaporean bak kut teh is better than Malaysian bak kut teh.”

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The bad news first: Uncle Quek’s bak kut teh, the pork rib soup that’s beloved in the region, is closer to the Malaysian style. That is, the soup is more herbal rather the peppery — a choice the chef told us was made for Hong Kongers’ sensitive palates. Fortunately, everything else is fantastic, with a lineup that nails the original flavors of traditional dishes while elevating them beyond street food with richer and higher-quality ingredients.

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While its mission is mostly to faithfully recreate Singaporean classics, the few experimental touches speak to an exciting, Whey-like energy in the kitchen. The cereal fried chicken is a sweet-and-crunchy nod to the cereal prawn, and the lobster laksa is a decadent take that infuses a touch of lobster bisque into an already indulgent dish (and luckily hasn’t had its flavors tamed for local palates). I was, however, disappointed there were no dessert options on the menu, which only underscores how quickly the restaurant won my trust. 

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Uncle Quek is run by chef Elvin Lam, a Barry Quek protégé who told us that he was conscious of its price point, which is slightly above other lunch options around Lyndhurst Terrace. We spent HK$798 ($102) on a heavy dinner for two. The eighth floor location also won’t benefit from any walk-in traffic. So consider this a plea from Singaporeans in Hong Kong who have mourned the demise of Bibi & Baba in Wan Chai and even the Toast Box locations on Hong Kong Island: Let’s help Uncle Quek stay alive.

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The vibe: Uncle Quek’s minimalist, honey-colored wood interior is pretty much exactly like the other restaurants in the same group, which include Whey and Korean-French fusion restaurant Sol in the same building. The open kitchen and concrete flooring underscore its status as one of the group’s most casual, affordable eateries.

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Can you conduct a meeting here? Not if there are spirited diners near you, as the acoustics of the space tend to magnify noise. 

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Who’s next to you: I heard Singaporean (or Malaysian) accents around me, of course, and the other diners were mostly casually dressed young couples or groups of friends — quite a different vibe from the sleek party crowd downstairs.

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What we’d order again: The lobster laksa (HK$248) is quite the star, though the uninitiated may want to split a portion given its richness and spiciness. The chefs also nailed the wet-but-not-soupy noodle texture and flavors in the hokkien mee (HK$188), a stir-fried noodle dish, and bak chor mee (HK$168), noodles with minced pork. While the “wok hei” charred flavor of true Singaporean street food was missing, I’m grading on a curve given the restaurant’s induction hobs. The achar salad (HK$55) was deliciously tart and nutty — the complexity illustrating its superiority among spicy Asian salads. And it might be worth ordering the bak kut teh (HK$68) just for the perfectly fried dough fritters that it comes with — and fine, that Malaysian herbal flavor does go well with its Zinfandel (HK$88).