Kok Sen

The street got cocktail bars and boutique hotels. Kok Sen got air-conditioning, eventually.

Kok Sen is the zi char to take a group to when you want to show someone what wok hei actually tastes like, and the Big Prawns Hor Fun is the dish that makes the case. The compromises: it isn't the cheapest zi char in town, and with only a handful of tables, weekend dinners mean a wait. Go at weekday lunch, bring enough people to order widely, and share everything.

Keong Saik Road is better known now for cocktail bars and boutique hotels, but Kok Sen was feeding the street long before any of that. This third-generation family zi char kitchen has been going for more than 50 years and holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin Guide. Wok hei, the smoky breath of the wok, is the whole reason to come.

Old regulars will remember it as an open-air restaurant at 30-32 Keong Saik. In 2022 it moved a short way down the road to 2/4 Keong Saik Road and gained air-conditioning, wood panelling, colourful lightboxes of the signature dishes, round tables and green booths. It also takes credit cards now, which in zi char terms is practically a rebrand.

What to order: the Big Prawns Hor Fun, kway teow in a smoky prawn-broth gravy with egg swirls and prawns about twice the usual size; the gravy is the reason to order it, and the prawns go some way to explaining the bill. Add the prawn paste chicken, and a fish cooked whichever way the table agrees on. The Claypot Yong Tau Foo, with vegetables and tofu stuffed with house-seasoned fish and squid paste under a dark braising sauce, is the one to order if someone at the table wants something that isn't fried. The Bittergourd Sliced Fish in black bean sauce rounds it off.

How to do it well: weekday lunch is the easier table, and if you must come for dinner, arrive early rather than late, before the signatures run out. The restaurant manages its own bookings, so contact it directly for a group. It is closed on Mondays. Afterwards, Keong Saik's bars are right outside, which is either the plan or a hazard.

Good to know Closed Mondays. The restaurant manages its own bookings, so contact it directly; a weekday lunch is the easier table.

Kok Sen | 2/4 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089112