Cheung Mun Kee Pig’s Organ Soup King

Address: 24 Foch Road, (Off Beatty Lane, behind Eminent Plaza, across Lavender Food Market)
Date of visit: 6 July 2008, 29 Sept 2007

The first time we went to Cheung Mun Kee was when my friend brought me and my then girlfriend there.

Recently, my now spouse had a craving (a real compulsion) for the Pig Trotter Cooked In Vinegar. As you may know, the dish is known to be favored by either expectant mothers or those that had just given birth. This was not the case here for avoidance of doubt.

This was plebian town, in the heart of plebian-ness. Which thus explains the throngs of taxi driver uncles with their trophy PRC ladies residing demurely on their arms. Ahhh…the power of love…of money…bringing people from different worlds and age groups together.

Something that you will not find in your usual air conditioned eating outlet (or really…any other place) is your communal toothpicks located on the rather dingy pillar with instructions in Chinese characters that bear the hallmarks of calligraphy by a part-time loan shark runner/helper more used to scrawling on the walls on his debtors.

This theme of the place being in the tough neighbourhood was magnified by my encounter with the resident drink store helper/coffee boy (or rather old man/probably ex-convict). I had politely asked him to take my orders for 2 can drinks. I was ignored. I thus proceeded to try to retrieve the 2 can drinks from the refrigerated storage myself. I was stopped in my tracks but his death stare.

His stare was amazing. It was those that I had expected from a scene in prison. The message was communicated quite clearly: “You have somehow made me angry very suddenly. In the next few seconds, I will be going over to you to disembowel you with my pick knive that I have made out of my toothbrush. While you watch as your guts spill out (the irony being that I was at a pig organ soup stall..haha), I will get my Ah Kua friends to sodomise (sodomy being quite a popular topic these days) you. I will not take pleasure in all of these as I am hard as nails. It is just what I do.”

I backed away quickly. He turned away. I then returned to get the 2 cans of drinks (as I was rather thirsty) and paid the money to another drink store helper/coffee boy (probably less of an ex-convict).

Notwithstanding the atmosphere, we were quickly and efficiently served our food. Thus the Pig Trotter In Vinegar and a side of Vegetables for the wife. I must admit that I do not like the Vinegar taste. It was sweet and too vinegarish for my liking. It may stem from the fact that I am a full blooded male (chicken encounter with drink store helper/coffee boy does not count as the guy looked quite tough even though he was probably 3 decades older than me).

I had the famous Pig Organ Soup instead with a side of Steamed Minced Meat. I love the flavourful and savoury taste of the soup. The ingredients were rather fresh and there was no noticeably piggy smell. The Minced Meat was excellent too. Plebian fare at its best.

The meal came up to around S$14.

And you get free soup refills. Good stuff.