One thing you won’t find on the menu, though, is fried eggs – which happens to be the only thing the Liews’ dad used to crave when he came home from work (Wayne recalls being asked to fry up a crispy egg, and using the lid of the wok as a shield from the oil). Why did he refuse to serve them at the restaurant?
“There are some urban myths in zi char,” Paul explained. For instance, when the restaurant opens for the day, there’s a superstition that the first dish sold should never be rice, whether white or fried, so, if a customer asks for that, they’ll be asked to order something else as well. And, “You never serve fried eggs, because it represents business being bad,” he chuckled.
Speaking of egg dishes, there was one Chinese New Year when a customer came in asking for egg fuyong. The kitchen was serving up only their Chinese New Year menu, and egg fuyong wasn’t on it. “But the customer said, ‘My father is dying and wants egg fuyong,’” Wayne recounted. So, his dad made the dish. Now, “The family comes every year on that day to eat and remember their father,” Paul said.
It is connections like these, built and cultivated with diners over the years, that sustain the KEK spirit, Paul told us. “Some diners are three-generation families, like us. My parents have always been very aware of the standards of hospitality we need to keep in place – if not, it will be just another outlet.” He added, “Why has our business lasted 52 years? It’s not only the food – it’s the soul of everyone in it.”
KEK Seafood (Tampines) is at SAFRA Tampines, 1A Tampines St 92, #01-K2. KEK Seafood (Alexandra) is at 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-136.