This uncle runs a soup stall for only 3 hours a day, and it’s always sold out

For enjoyers of Chinese steamed soups, it can be quite a challenge to find a go-to soup place that serves your tastes. Soup stalls at hawker centres can be hit-or-miss in terms of taste, but if you’re craving authentic soups that will remind you of that home-cooked taste, Meng Kee Steam Soup might just satisfy those cravings.

Image credits: S S on Google Review (Left) & Ang on Google Review (Right)

A long-running neighbourhood classic

This unassuming roadside stall in Taman Paramount is operated by Uncle Ricky with his family and a small crew of workers. And it’s quite a hidden gem, operating since 1960 (as the stall sign proclaims). The stall runs on a humble scale in stark contrast to many of the larger Chinese food shops nearby. They only run for 3 hours a day and 4 days a week. Still, they get quite a number of patrons daily. So many that by the end of the day, the soups are usually sold out!

The main attraction of the menu is, of course, the variety of steamed soups. They also offer some side dishes along with rice to complete the meal. The price of the soups is at RM10–13 per bowl. The ones including fancier ingredients such as herbal chicken are on the higher-priced side. Nonetheless, for the portion and taste, the prices are very much worthwhile.

What’s on the menu?

One of my personal favourites is the classic ABC chicken soup. It’s a fragrant mixture of sweet and sour ingredients such as carrot, tomato, potato, and onion. I also love their lotus root pork soup, with its hearty combo of lotus root, nuts, and pork ribs.

Other recommendations include the refreshing bitter gourd chicken as well as the peppery radish soup, which is especially good on rainy days.

Image credits: Sean Tan on Google Review (Left), Ada Yeoh on Google Review (Right)

The soups at Meng Kee come in generous portions. The stall also offers several side dishes, such as minced meat, curry chicken, siew pak choy, and more, which complement the soups quite well. The selection of soups and side dishes varies depending on the day, and it is always interesting to see some rarer items on the menu now and again, such as salted chicken, which makes for a good surprise for returning patrons.

Image credit: S S (Google Reviews)

While stocks last: get your fill of soup before they run out

As a frequent visitor to the stall, I noticed that they almost always run out of soup when closing time is near, sometimes even as early as 7 pm. The best time to visit the stall tends to be within the 5 pm-7 pm window spanning from the opening time up until the beginning of the final hour, which is when the soups start to dwindle in supply. Despite only having 3 hours of operation per day, the soups are usually sold out before the closing time of 8 pm. This nearly daily occurrence certainly serves as evidence of the stall’s success.

Lovers of Chinese soup, this is one stall you do not want to miss. When you do pay Meng Kee a visit, remember to get there before they run out of soup for the day!