Dinner at Ban Heng Restaurant @ Boon Keng

Blk 22 Boon Keng Road #01-21 Singapore 330022

Tel: 6291 0407 / 6298 5285

Website: http://www.banheng.com.sg

Having tried the Ban Heng Pavilion Restaurant at Harbourfront before, we came to the Boon Keng branch for family dinner. I had booked another Cantonese restaurant at a nice hotel, but at the mom's insistence, we came here and was glad we did so.

Decor was simple, traditional Chinese Oriental style with big round tables and muted tones. Service was very attentive, personable and thoughtful - the very example of a service crew that genuinely served from the heart, since this restaurant does not charge service charge.

We started off with a pot of Hot Tea while munching on crispy crackers. The first appetiser was a plate of sliced and chilled  Century Eggs served with pickled ginger slices.

Then came the Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushrooms - an aromatic dish redolent with the earthly flavor of shitake mushroom complented with the bouncy texture of sea cucumber.  French beans and carrots added colors and crunch to the dish.

Coffee Pork Ribs consisted of tender mini racks of ribs marinated and cooked with coffee powder to give the flesh a heavy dose of sweet caffeine fragrance.

We also had the Crispy Duck- we had wanted Yam Duck but they didnt serve that due to the yam of day being not nice enough - the exterior was crackling as the name suggested,  an appetising dish. This item was interestingly paired with keropok a la roast chicken style.

Trio-Eggs Spinach was a nice balance of soft, leafy vegetables sweetened by 3 types of eggs,  being chicken eggs, salted eggs and century eggs.

Next, a big fat springy Pomfret Fish in a zesty tomato sauce - enjoyed the saccharine freshness of the tender fish.

Finally, Stir-fried Fine Rice Vermicelli, better known as "Mee Sua"  that were longevity noodles for the birthday Mom. The Mee Sua was fried with prawns and eggs, with lots of "wok air" (wok hei) so it was utterly delicious.

Other than the spinach, which we order medium, the rest of the dishes were all in small portion. The bill came up to SGD$200.20 in total, which was very reasonable.

All throughout dinner, the ladies were efficiently refilling our teas, changing plates and checking if everything was all right - in an unobstrusive way. We enjoyed the dining experience here very much - thank you Ban Heng for making Mommy's birthday celebration a lovely one!