Top Singaporean Restaurant in Palo Alto
Killiney Kopitiam
552 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Id say that this the most authentic tasting Singaporean food Ive had from a restaurant in the Bay Area thus far. Killiney Kopitiam is a well-loved institution in Singapore, and as a food-crazy Singaporean, Im so happy (even proud) to see them set up shop here. Mind you, there is no monolithic version of various Singaporean dishes and every restaurant has its own rendition, but I like Killineys versions in Singapore and here. I seldom write reviews but felt compelled to do this one.Stepping into the restaurant to place my order brought a tear to my eye, as the place smelt like a proper Singapore food court / Kopitiam (Coffeeshop) with its mixed aromas of Kopi (coffee), teh (tea), toast etc. I ordered several dishes: Roti Prata, Chicken curry, Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Mee Siam, Seafood Bee Hoon, even iced Teh-C Siew Dai (tea with evaporated milk and less sugar). Tastes just like what Ive eaten at the original Killiney Kopitiam(s) in Singapore. Tastes like home.Mee siam:Gravy tastes just like what Kilineys sells, which is a bit in the thicker side of the spectrum of what one can find in Singapore, with more tamarind flavour and less coconut milk. The Bee Hoon (rice vermicelli or 米粉) is a bit thicker but thats consistent with Bee Hoon in general here. Thats mostly just texture anyway, the flavour is great. They even have chives and thin sliced tau kwa, which really completes it.Mee rebus:Tastes great, again just like what Killiney sells in Singapore. I prefer my mee rebus with a bit more ground nuts but thats just me. Certainly an authentic mee rebus. Not something Ive really ever seen in any other restaurant here. Make sure you finish it with the provided kalamansi limes for max flavour! Could be enhanced even further with a drizzle of Kecap manis (dark sweet soy sauce) and julienned green chillies.Char Kway Teow:Pretty good, but somewhat lacking in wok hei (the blend of flavours emerging from the Maillard reaction and smoke as a result of rapid high heat wok cooking). The Kway Teow (thick rice noodles) was rather thicker than what one would typically get in Singapore, but had a good flavour.Seafood Bee Hoon:Highly recommended, better than their Char Kway Teow imho. Balance of flavours is good and the chef fried it well with some decent wok hei. Make sure you eat this piping hot for max effect. Transported me back to a zi char (cooked food) stall in a Singapore Kopitiam.Chicken curry:Really good Nyonya style curry, more Singaporean-tasting than any other version Ive eaten at any restaurant here. For the less initiated, this is quite different from Thai yellow curry or Jndian curries. I was hoping for a larger portion though, this is essentially an individual-sized portion, essentially one chicken drumstick and potatoes. Tastes just like what Kiliney sells. And its actually different from curry sauce provided together with the Roti Prata. Killiney in Singapore sells the base sauce in foil packs for home cooks, and they should do so here too! (*hint hint Mr Woon*)Roti Prata:Tastes fragrant and light like a Kopitiam roti prata. Shiok and Indo restaurants in Menlo Park and Palo Alto make good roti pratas too, and Indos may be a bit crispier than the one I got at Killiney. That could be because it was a bit cold by the time I brought Killineys home. Killineys also much cheaper than Indos, $6 vs $9.Mr Woon, the owner of the Killiney franchise in Singapore, is Hainanese, and the Killiney Kopitiams are typical Hainanese kopitiams. The Hainanese migrants to Singapore established themselves as formidable cooks serving under British colonists, and their cooking is a blend of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Western flavours (just like the melting pot of Singapore). This is reflected in the dishes on offer at Killiney (e.g. chicken curry - blend of Chinese/Malay/Indian, Hainanese pork cutlet - blend of Western/Chinese). Interesting factoid: many of Mr Woons family members went to Stanford, so theres a Palo Alto connection here.