Famed Roast Meat Specialist Foong Kee Reopens As Hawker Stall With $4 Char Siew Rice

Before its sudden closure in June 2021, Foong Kee Traditional Charcoal Roaster was widely considered as one of the best places to get legit Cantonese-style roast meat. The dine-in restaurant at Keong Saik Road was very famous for its charcoal-roasted duck, siew yoke and char siew, which is made with a cut of pork known as “bu jian tian” (which translates literally to ‘no see sky’ in Chinese, another term for the pig’s tender armpit area).

Closed in 2021 

Foong Kee’s chef-owner Derrick Wong, 60, told 8days.sg in 2021 that he decided to close his restaurant as “Foong Kee needs rest for a long period. More than 20 years’ work, just need rest.” The closure also coincided with his shop unit being sold to a new owner who started their own business there.

Back then, Derrick reckoned that a comeback was still possible, as he vaguely quipped in Mandarin: “Maybe one day lost and found. Start business again later.”

He has made a comeback 

True to his word, the roast master is now back in action after a prolonged break. And this time, Derrick has reopened Foong Kee as a hawker stall at his old stomping ground, Commonwealth Crescent, which was where his eatery was located before he moved to Keong Saik in the mid-2000s. 

It’s next to Hammee’s 

The comeback stall, located on the second floor of Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre, is right next to popular burger joint Hammee’s. It is open only for lunchtime for now. But for Foong Kee fans who are planning to rush down to the stall, do note that it is closed tomorrow (Feb 22) as the boss has to attend to personal matters.

The menu 

Derrick still serves his well-loved char siew, roast duck and roast pork over rice here. Prices start at $4 for a plate of char siew or roast pork rice, $5.50 for a combination of both, $4.50 for roast duck rice, $6 for a roast duck-pork combo and $8 for a plate of all roast meats plus rice. 

Previously at Keong Saik you can also order dumpling and wonton soup as well as soy sauce chicken and noodles, but Derrick doesn’t appear to serve them here anymore, perhaps due to lack of space. 

But he has hauled his enormous traditional dome cooker to his new stall to do his roasting in-house. So you can still buy items like a Whole Roast Duck ($50; $26 for half and $14 for quarter) and Char Siew and Roast Pork ($50/ kg).