Hokkien restaurant Beng Hiang finds a new home at Shangri-La Singapore

At a time when a slate of Singapore’s heritage restaurants are disappearing from the dining landscape, one stalwart Hokkien establishment is making a comeback.

Beng Hiang Restaurant, which closed its Jurong East premises late last year, will reopen on June 26 at Shangri-La Singapore hotel. The much-loved Hokkien restaurant, which was founded in 1978 on Murray Street, was acquired by the Hong Kong-headquartered hospitality group in 2015.

The move marked a rare example of a major hospitality company stepping in to preserve a legacy food brand that used to be independently-run. Beng Hiang is one of Shangri-La Group founder and chairman Robert Kuok’s favourite restaurants.

The restaurant’s “special residency” is housed in the Garden Terrace, one of the hotel’s event spaces. The end date of the residency has not been determined yet.

For Shangri-La Singapore, the decision is as much about preserving cultural heritage as it is about food.

Stephan Kapek, Vice President Operations and General Manager of Shangri-La Singapore, says: “Beng Hiang holds a special place in the memories of many, and we are honoured to serve as steward of its next chapter at Shangri-La Singapore. Through this residency, we hope to carry forward Singapore’s rich culinary heritage in a way that remains meaningful, relevant, and lived – thoughtfully evolved for today’s diners, international travellers, business guests, and a new generation discovering authentic Hokkien cuisine.”

Hokkien heritage lives on 

The reopening comes seven months after Beng Hiang ceased operations at its standalone restaurant in Jurong East, where it had been located since 2015. The restaurant, which expanded to Amoy Street in the 1980s, is known serving traditional Hokkien dishes, including seafood Hokkien noodles, braised in pork bone and prawn broth; crispy oyster omelette; superior crab meat and fish maw soup; kong ba bao (slow-braised pork belly buns), and braised duck with sea cucumber.

Beng Hiang at Shangri-La Singapore will be headed by Food & Beverage Manager Tony Leong and Chinese Sous Chef Chef Tan Peng Chiew. Both have been with the brand at its previous locations.

New menu additions include Tea-smoked Crispy Chicken, Fuzhou Fish Noodle with Seafood and slow-braised Hokkien Duck with Aged Ginger.

The restaurant will also introduce a Fujian heritage tea programme featuring premium teas from Fujian, the birthplace of Hokkien culture and cuisine. The tea selection includes Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao, Anxi Tieguanyin and Fuzhou Jasmine Dragon Pearl, available as both traditional hot brews and cold-brewed expressions.

The re-opening of Beng Hiang restaurant is a much-welcomed development in the local heritage food scene, which has been hit by closures.

They include Hainanese-western restaurant Prince Coffee House, which is slated for closure in July, Cantonese restaurant Wing Seong Fatty, which will close down on June 28, nasi padang restaurant Warong Nasi Pariaman, which shuttered in January, Teochew restaurant East Ocean, which called it a day last December, and Ka-Soh restaurant, which closed down last September.