Chef Charlie's Special Oxtail Stew @ Weng Kiang Kee Porridge in Chinatown Complex

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Chef Charlie of Weng Kiang Kee Porridge jio-ed (invited) me for oxtail stew and beer. I was a little tired having just returned from a road trip to Kuala Lumpur but always enjoyed chef Charlie's food and company of our makan kakis (buddies).

Stall name: Weng Kiang Kee Porridge

Address: 335 Smith Street, stall #02-082, Singapore 050335 (Chinatown Complex Food Centre level 2)

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Chinatown station

Tel: 9850 3529

Hours: 7:30am - 1:00pm (Mon & Tues off)

I just found out today that chef Charlie churns out special orders of oxtail stew, Hainanese mutton soup, etc., from his porridge stall on requests of his fan club. Today, chef Charlie made oxtail stew, so he jio-ed a couple of us for a beer and oxtail party.

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Before partying, a word from the sponsor (joke lah... 😄 ).

Weng Kiang Kee's famous porridge is one of the most indulgent $4.50 can buy in Singapore. The porridge is done Hainanese style i.e. the rice grains are partially dissolved. It is made with a blend of Jasmine rice, Pearl rice and glutinous rice. Inside, there's small intestine, birth intestine, pork slices, pork ball, fish slices, cuttlefish, century egg, you char kway, julienned ginger, chopped spring onion, fried shallot and lard crouton. There's option for raw egg drop. You can imagine the overflowing abundance of flavours and textures.

Oxtail and tendon stewed in vegetable stock made with celery, carrot, tomato, rosemary, thyme, etc. Served topped with chopped parsley.

The meat was stewed to fall-off-the-bone doneness but it was not mushy. The meat was tender, juicy and had a soft-squeaky feel to the bite. I love its texture.

The meat tasted savoury, sweet and tangy which was infused from the thick vegetable stock. Beefiness was very subtle.

There was also beef tendon but I forgot to try any 😂

Truth be told, my first sip of chef Charlie's oxtail stew felt a bit unfamiliar, I mean I didn't get that instant kick from liberal use of seasoning. The blend of savoury, sweet, tangy, beefy flavours was relatively gentle. It had a homely feel and after a couple of spoonfuls I got hooked. I was scooping and lapping up the stew to the last drop. Even now, as I am writing this, I have a craving for it 😂