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Uncle Quek elevates Singapore's hawker classics for Hong Kong diners
Uncle Quek elevates Singapore's hawker classics for Hong Kong diners

The Star

time2 days ago

  • General
  • The Star

Uncle Quek elevates Singapore's hawker classics for Hong Kong diners

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (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.' 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. 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. 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. 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. Can you conduct a meeting here? Not if there are spirited diners near you, as the acoustics of the space tend to magnify noise. 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. 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). Need to know: Uncle Quek is on the sixth floor of 8 Lyndhurst Terrace and is open from noon to 9pm. every day except Sunday, when it is closed. Reservations need to be made via a finicky website and are hard to manage or cancel, which I've been told they're working to fix. (This review was originally published in Hong Kong Edition, a weekly newsletter.) -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Uncle Quek Elevates Singapores Hawker Classics for Hong Kong Diners
Uncle Quek Elevates Singapores Hawker Classics for Hong Kong Diners

Mint

time2 days ago

  • General
  • Mint

Uncle Quek Elevates Singapores Hawker Classics for Hong Kong Diners

(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.' 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. 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. 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. 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. Can you conduct a meeting here? Not if there are spirited diners near you, as the acoustics of the space tend to magnify noise. 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. 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). Need to know: Uncle Quek is on the sixth floor of 8 Lyndhurst Terrace and is open from noon to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday, when it is closed. Reservations need to be made via a finicky website and are hard to manage or cancel, which I've been told they're working to fix. This review was originally published in Hong Kong Edition, a weekly newsletter. To subscribe for free, click here. Read our reviews of Uncle Quek's sister restaurants: fine-dining Singaporean spot Whey and Korean-French fusion eatery Sol. Are there any restaurants you'd like us to review? Drop us a line at hkedition@ More stories like this are available on

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

Bloomberg

time2 days ago

  • Bloomberg

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

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.' 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.

Hong Kong chefs turn food waste into delicious dishes for cookbook highlighting leftovers
Hong Kong chefs turn food waste into delicious dishes for cookbook highlighting leftovers

South China Morning Post

time11-07-2025

  • General
  • South China Morning Post

Hong Kong chefs turn food waste into delicious dishes for cookbook highlighting leftovers

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When there are leftover lemon peels, chef Barry Quek makes dry assam lemon noodles. The Singaporean executive chef of Whey, a one-Michelin-star restaurant in Hong Kong, was among nine top chefs recruited to offer recipes for a new book called Conscious Cooking – Asian Delights. The book – a collaborative project between the University of Hong Kong (HKU)'s school of biological sciences, the Green Hospitality platform, and food-saving app Chomp – aims to help reduce food waste by showing how to turn undesirable kitchen scraps into useful ingredients for delicious dishes. 'Traditionally, assam [also known as asam] is tamarind paste, or something very sour like the dish assam laksa,' Quek explains. 'We incorporate a lot of lemon peels into the assam paste, and it goes really well with other assam ingredients like ginger, pork, flour, tamarind and shallot. 'Another way to use lemon peel is to salt it, along with white asparagus trimmings, a few star anise, cinnamon and coriander seeds, then just let it ferment for use next season. Just let it pickle.' Dry assam lemon noodles by chef Barry Quek is one of the recipes in Conscious Cooking – Asian Delights. Hong Kong generates roughly 3,400 tonnes of food waste a day. Among Asian metropolises, it is one of the worst culprits.

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