Cai Ji Wanton Mee : old-school delight

I was there for lunch on a weekday. This coffee shop was not as crowded as it is nestled in a neighborhood estate and most of the diners are the residents staying in the vicinity. A friend recommended this particular Wanton Mee that has been around for more than 30 years. The current owner took over when the original owner wanted to retire, using the same recipes to keep it going since then. 

Their signature Wanton Mee ($3) is the most popular item so I ordered it. There was no more mee pok so I went with the mee kia. I decided to add extra wanton. The Uncle asked, "The fried or the soup one?" I replied, "Both. I came all the way from Ang Mo Kio so have to make this trip worth it." He replied, "I also stay in Ang Mo Kio, next to AMK Hub." I asked, "Why did you not open a stall in Ang Mo Kio?" He said, "I am only a worker." He then asked, "Do you eat chicken feet?" I nodded. He placed a piece on the plate and said, "Give you eat". 

Everything was placed neatly on the tray and I bought it to the table. The next moment, I saw the Uncle walking quickly towards us. He said, "Sorry. I left out the char siew." He picked up the plate then walked away and came back in a bit. This time, the noodles were topped with slices of char siew, leafy greens. 

My dining companion took the first mouthful after tossed it well and said, "Not bad, quite nice actually." The noodles were slightly thicker and springier in the concoction of only chilli and ketchup that gave it a rather clean old school taste.

My dining companion that usually like the fried wanton, said, "I do not find the fried wanton to be nice. The skin was slightly too hard with very little filling." He added, "In fact, I find the soup ones to be nicer." He took a bite and shown it to me, said, "See! It has more of those well-seasoned filling. I could actually taste the white pepper and sesame oil in it." He also said, "The soup is light but flavorful."

Those wantons though smaller but quite plump. He continued to say, "Those slices of char siew are dry and quite tasteless." He picked up a piece of the fried lard and said, "This is tasty. I left the bigger piece there for you." 

Such a simple lunch can be quite enjoyable.

CAI JI WANTON MEE

Block 112 Bishan Street 12 KF78 SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 2.30 pm (Closed on Thursdays)