Review: Keming Bing Sat sells 3 billion bowls of char siew rice a year, and it’s now in Singapore

The backstory

At first glance, Keming Bing Sat, sitting in a corner of Plaza Singapura’s basement level, offers a familiar Hong Kong cha chaan teng experience with silky milk tea and glistening char siew on rice. 

But look closer at the menu and you’ll see it’s clearly built for the social media era, focused on aesthetics and trendiness, particularly with a drinks and dessert menu that’s clearly designed to be photographed — think teddy bear ice cubes and lava Ovaltine toast.

With 140 outlets across China, Keming Bing Sat’s accolades are impressive, with over 3.3 billion char siew rice portions sold in a year (allegedly), and was even named TikTok’s Favourite Restaurant in 2021. 

Its Singapore restaurant space itself is intimate and cosy, with a mixture of larger booth seats and single tables for solo diners sitting around 50 people. 

There’s also plenty of green panelling, mellow wood, and warm lighting — a vague attempt at replicating a Mongkok cafe’s nostalgic vibe, perhaps?

Our verdict

Keming Bing Sat is affordable, satisfying, and a little fun. Almost all the dishes we tried were decent, and the char siew rice is still a good enough reason to visit at least once whenever you’re in the Orchard vicinity.

While a visit to Keming Bing Sat might not change your life, at these prices, it doesn’t need to. 

Shoutout to the quick service (most of our order came out within five minutes), and of course, the visuals are a big part of the draw.

What it’s good for

The crowd favourite char siew rice (S$10.90) isn’t a complicated dish, just a pile of rice topped with glistening slices of char siew, two eggs, and some kailan.

But it’s done well, with hot and fluffy Wuchang rice (one of China’s top-quality japonica rice varieties), and roast pork that’s cut thick and nicely caramelised with a good fat-to-lean ratio. 

There’s a glaze of the house’s supposed 23-ingredient sauce (it mostly tastes like soy, sugar and five-spice) that makes it sweet and savoury, and it hits the right notes, especially when you break the egg yolk and mix it together. 

I only wish there was a bit more sauce for the rice. Onto other eye-catching dishes: I don’t know if Stephen Chow’s favourite noodles (S$10.90) is actually endorsed by the famed Hong Kong actor, but I’d understand if he did. 

This is undoubtedly instant noodles (Maggi-level stuff), but when topped with beef brisket, luncheon meat, and a single braised chicken wing, it becomes fancy. 

The noodles are cooked just beyond al dente and the broth is light and slightly beefy. I prefer a richer and oilier soup, but this is still warm and comforting regardless.

Keming Bing Sat’s signature snack platter (S$8.80) is a good way to sample some of Hong Kong’ greatest street hits. You get curry fish balls, chee cheong fun, braised chicken wing tips, and Thai-style chilli shrimp rolls. 

The rice rolls doused in a mix of peanut and sweet sauces are the standout — soft, chewy, and satisfyingly rich. I tried the wing tips earlier with the noodles, and this is just as good. 

The curry fish balls were bouncy, but the curry could be creamier and more aromatic (In fact, if you ever find yourself in Kowloon, check out Fishball Man in To Kwa Wan for some of the best curry fishballs), while the shrimp rolls were crisp on the outside with juicy filling, slathered with sweet chilli.

The drinks are a big part of the appeal here. We observe a staff in the kitchen brewing the Little Bear iced lemon tea (S$4.90) with the traditional high-pour-low-draw technique, which enhances the black tea’s aroma and flavour.

It’s thick and strong — a lot more than you usually see in Singapore coffeeshops — with two slices of lemon inside for good measure. The bear-shaped ice is adorable, though it offers more texture than taste.

Want something fruitier? Try the Dreamy Blue Bear soda (S$5.90). It’s obviously aggressively aesthetic, but doesn’t taste as unhealthy as it looks – bright, slightly sweet and with a hint of sourness.

For dessert, the lava ovaltine toast (S$7.90) mostly delivers. Topped with Ovaltine and Oreo crumbs, the “thicc” toast comes crisp outside and soft inside, with a fragrant and mildly sweet (but not cloying) cream made from fresh milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk that oozes out as you cut in. 

It’s best eaten fresh though — when we got back to the dish after our mains, the toast was noticeably more soggy.

What it could improve on

The Happiness lava egg waffles (S$6.90 for four) didn’t bring as much, well, happiness.

While it looks cute, the dense batter needed more fluff, and the filling more cheese. It was a bit meh, tasting like a lousier version of Mr Bean’s always-reliable cheese pancakes.

I like the idea of the scallion oil chicken chop rice on a hot plate (S$13.90), but Keming Bing Sat’s rendition could be a lot better. 

The chicken thigh has a light crisp on the skin, but the flesh feels soft and overly tender (from over-marination, most likely) rather than juicy and meaty. 

The scallions on top are aromatic and slightly sharp, but also too salty, taking away the sweet edge and depth of a good scallion oil. 

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Yes, especially if you get the booth seats. 

Is a reservation necessary? Walk-ins only.

How to get there? Keming Bing Sat is at the basement of Plaza Singapura, directly accessible via Dhoby Ghaut MRT D.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For more ideas on what to eat, read more about Nampla with homely, Thai fare and Zouk’s new French bistro at Bugis.

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Plaza Singapura to try Keming Bing Sat.