Lau Hong Ser Rojak : the famous Rojak at Dunman Food Centre

Mr Lim, Khai Ngee, 56, is the owner of this unassuming hawker stall in this food centre. I have heard a lot about his Rojak. Some even said this is the best Rojak in Singapore and the waiting time could be at least an hour. Mr Lim is passionate and insists on using only the best and freshest ingredients. He still crushed and toasted the peanuts and not using those done in the factory just like most of the other stalls out there. He sources the best prawn paste from Penang and dried cuttlefish from Argentina. And, he is still making his own chilli paste.

I was there near 5.00 pm and seated somewhere near the stall, waiting for the signboard to be lighted up. He started exactly at 5.00 pm and I thought I was the first customer but there was already an order ahead of me. I waited. He looked up when he spotted me and asked for my order. I decided to go with a $2.00 portion. The prices are $2, $3, $4, $5 and $6 for Rojak with an option to add Fried Bean Curd for 0.30 cents, a piece of You Tiao for $1.40 and Century Egg for $1.00. There is also the option to add Dried Cuttlefish for $2, $3, $4, $5 and $6. He asked me to come back later. I waited at the empty table right in front of his stall. I observed how he diligently toasting those You Tiao and Tua Pok over the charcoal fire right at the corner of his stall. Then, he meticulously cut it up and mixed with other ingredients like turnip, pineapple, cucumber and even bean sprouts with the prawn paste. He works on it like a masterpiece. He even insists on doing so amidst a long queue in front of his stall. He brought it over to my table when it was done and he said thank you in Hokkien when I handed him the payment. 

The sauce is thick and its fragrance has been further enhanced by the chunky peanut sauce. The You Tiao and Tau Pok were nicely grilled for a light crispiness with a smoky aroma. This is definitely amongst the best Rojak in Singapore. They do accept calling in to place the orders in advance which contributed to an even longer waiting time but the wait is worthwhile though. 

If you are staying in Ang Mo Kio, there is a noteworthy rojak at the first coffee shop of Block 347 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, just a stone's throw from AMK Hub and is near the Ang Mo Kio MRT. This Uncle has been there for the past 15 years. He is equally passionately in serving the best Rojak, he is also painstakingly toasting the You Tiao and Tau Pok. If you requested for an extra level of spiciness, he has a special type of extra spicy chilli paste just for it.

LAU HONG SER ROJAK

281 Onan Road #02-14 Dunman Food Centre SINGAPORE 424661

Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 1.30 am (Closed on Sundays)

Dunman Road Wanton Mee.

I decided to check out this supposedly famous wanton mee stall after had a good one at other famous wanton noodle at the basement.

This stall is located at the upper level of the food centre. I was their only customer at 2.30 pm. At about the same timing, the other one at the basement has got many customers still waiting to place their orders or waiting to collect their orders.

I placed my order with the cheerful female assistant. I wanted the smaller plate of wanton mee at $3 for tasting purpose. I expected it to be self-service but she asked for my table number. I pointed at the other side of the food centre. She smiled and asked me to take a seat. I took notice of some media reports pasted right in front of their stall. This stall was featured in a TV programme once.

The wait was a short while. I spotted the friendly assistant approached my table with my place of wanton mee in 5 minutes. The presentation of the mee was quite a boring one. The mee looked rather plain with a few pieces of equally plain looking char siew and a bit of vegetable.

If you are a fan of the famous Kok Kee Wanton Noodle at Lavender Food Square then you might spot the similarity. The pile of mee was served in a pool of clear looking sauce. I did not think too highly of this plate of wanton mee at that moment. I tossed it well with a small amount of chilli sauce at the side of the plate. As i underestimated the level of spiciness of this innocent looking chilli sauce, i was very much caught by surprise and nearly choked by the unexpected spiciness.

I would think i have a pretty high tolerance level of spiciness so i did not quite expect to give in to the intensity of the spiciness.

I understand the famous Eng's Wanton Noodle has such kind of chilli sauce for self-service on their tables. I guess i should go by there to check it out soon.

The texture of mee has got a delightful eggy taste with a distinctive springiness to give it a desired chewiness. I did not think too much of the slices of char siew though. It tasted pretty average. My guess is the stall did not make it themselves and that very much explained on the disappointing standard.

The 3 pieces of wantons were served with the noodle and not in the soup. The lightly seasoned minced meat filling was wrapped in thin pieces of wanton skin. It has got a comforting old school taste which i liked the most. The soup tasted rather light with a peppery taste.

This is another good standard wanton mee but it does not seem to have too many supporters as compared to the other one at the basement.

DUNMAN ROAD CHAR SIEW WANT TON MEE

271 Onan Road

Dunman Food Centre #02-19

SINGAPORE 424768.

The Return of ANG MOH WANTON MEE.

I have heard so much about this wanton mee. It used to be known as HONG MAO MIAN JIA (translated to be Ang Moh Noodle House) at a shop house along Joo Chiat Road. The brand name and shop house were sold to one of their biggest fan to continue the business. Many have since complained that the standard is no longer the same. 

This particular wanton noodle has got a large pool of die hard supporters that declared this wanton mee to be the best in the Eastern part of Singapore. 

I am a big fan of wanton noodle and have been going around eating from many different places but this is my first time trying out this highly raved wanton noodle.

I went with great anticipation. I was there at about 1 pm. I expected the waiting time would be a short one as there were only 2 other customers right in front of the stall. I went ahead to order for a basic plate of wanton noodle. 

I took notice of their operating hours. Their off day is on every Monday and they are operating from 7 am to 4 pm from Tuesday to Sunday.

I was handled a number tag and asked to come back later. 

The number given was 22 and they were serving number 7 then. I asked the Uncle how long would the waiting time to be. He said it should be around 25 minutes. 

I was only supposed to order when my number is called upon. I was taking the pictures when my wanton noodle is being cooked by the Auntie. Uncle was asking me. 'For advertisement ah?' I smiled and said, 'Many people were talking about your wanton mee.'

A substantial portion of egg noodle was nicely cooked to achieve the likable springiness at the right texture. It was served with a few slices of char siew and vegetable, too. The taste of those char siew was rather average. I understand they do not make their own char siew thus its standard is somewhat compromised. It tasted a bit dry with a slight sweetness. The char siew is not nicely caramerlized thus the smoky taste is lacking.

The spiciness is not too dominating but rather savory. The chilli tasted quite different from most wanton mee out there. I do think the saltiness is a little overwhelmed though accepted. It tasted quite difference from other wanton noodle. 

The soup tasted a little bland though with a rather slight taste of ikan belis. 

The wantons tasted rather old school. The filling is mainly well-seasoned minced meat wrapped in a thin slice of skin.

Now, do i think this is the best wanton noodle? The overall standard is good but not quite memorable. The noodle is good, wantons are not too bad either but i could not say the same about the char siew.

I have had tasted better ones. 

JOO CHIAT AH HUAT WANTON NOODLE

271 Onan Road

#01-05 Dunman Food Centre

SINGAPORE 424768