Hui Ji Fish Ball Noodle . Yong Tau Foo : Is there a drop in standard?

The last visit to this stall was about a year or so ago, i remember rather well that there used to be an elderly Auntie helping out there. She was not at the stall today and i found out from the stall assistant that she would not be coming anymore. The stall is left with the Uncle to take charge of the cooking with that assistant to do the rest.

I was there at about 11.30 pm and there was a short queue at the stall. I joined in and waited, there were more people joining in but some left the queue after waited for a while. The lady behind me commented that the elderly Uncle was too short in cooking thus prolong the waiting time. We chatted for a bit before she left, she said, "It's getting difficult to find such an old noodle stall as most of those stalls in the food courts are by foreigners that are employed to do the cooking". After she left, I waited nonetheless. I waited for another 5 minutes to make my order and another 8 minutes to receive it.

This stall is mainly serving Fishball Noodle at $2.50 and $3.00 but you could choose to add in their handmade yong tau foo items. You could choose between their default items that has arranged placed in a bowl or to pick them yourself. I added fishcake, ngor hiang, tau kwa and dried beancurd skin to my fishball kwa teow mee for a total of $4.00. 

While waiting for my order, i overheard the other customers requested to have extra fried pork lards added to their noodles. I came across a particular review that said it is their chilli and fried pork lards that actually made their noodles stood out. 

Their no-frills presentation looked a little messy, the portion of kwa teow and mee was topped with ingredients then with sweet sauce and chilli, garnished with chopped spring onions. My first mouthful was a bit disappointing, it just did not taste as good as i remember. Though i requested for extra chilli to be added but its spiciness was not distinctive but it tasted better when i had it with those bits of fried pork lards, indeed, its taste has been enhanced by the fragrance of those bits of tasty pork lards. 

The supposedly handmade fishballs did not taste quite like it, the texture was not as springy and bouncy as expected. I wonder whether, perhaps it has to do with my expectation as it did not actually taste too bad but just not as good. 

I wonder how much longer would this stall be around? That elderly Uncle was looking tired, perhaps due to the long working hours that he put in to run this hawker stall and age is catching up with him. 

HUI JI FISH BALL NOODLE . YONG TAU FU
30 Seng Poh Road #02-44 Tiong Bahru Food Centre SINGAPORE 168898
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)