Fu Gui : worth trying Fishball Noodle

A friend told me about this stall at Empress Road Food Centre. I was there at about 11.30 am and there was a short queue. The owner has just reopened his stall after completed his reservist training. While queuing, he raised his voice and said, "The mee pok and mee kia have finished already." The customer in front of me wanted mee pok but there was not enough so he decided to have it with mee tai mak. It reminded me of the elderly owner of the already closed Sembawang Teochew Minced Pork Noodle at Sembawang Hills Food Centre. He ever told his customer that wanted to mix mee pok with mee tai mak, the texture of both noodles is different so it is not advisable to mix them together. After the customer left, he said to me, "I would not want to cook something that is not nice."

When it was my turn to order, I said, "The small portion of Minced Meat Noodle." There are 2 sizes, the smaller portion for $3 and the larger portion for $4. I opted to have it with yellow noodles and wanted to add fish dumplings to it but I was told that the fish dumplings have finished. While waiting, I asked, "How long have you been in this food centre?" He said, "About a year or so." I did not take notice of his stall when I was there for the stewed duck about 5 months ago. I was told that it is quite unusual for most of the noodles to run out at 11.30 am. And, I said, "Maybe your customers missed your noodles too much so die-die-must-eat today." He laughed. He asked the customer after me, "I thought you were just here this morning?" 

I asked for an extra amount of chilli to be added. He asked, "Extra chilli?" I nodded my head and replied, "Is it going to be very spicy?" He said, "Not too spicy but maybe a little saltish." He was right. The level of spiciness is quite manageable. It was served with a good portion of noodles with minced meat, fishballs, and slices of fishcake then garnished with chopped spring onions, ikan belis, and lard. I tossed the yellow noodles lightly to mix it well with the chilli and an enjoyable bowl of Fishball Noodle awaits. Though it is listed as Minced Meat Noodle on the signboard, it is actually more like Fishball Noodle. 

The stall closes at about 1.30 pm as the food centre is usually quiet after lunch hour on weekdays. 

FU GUI

7 Empress Road #01-100 Empress Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 260007

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 1.30 pm

Happy World Roast : by a passionate 3rd generation hawker

They have been around decades since 1961 at Sixth Avenue in Bukit Timah before moving to Empress Road Food Centre. This family run business is in the good hand of Edward Wong, the third generation that is running the stall currently. It is always heartening to see a passionate young hawker in doing his part to continue the legacy left behind by the earlier generations.

I went with their set for 1 pax that consists of a plate of char siew and sio bak together with a bowl of chap chye, a bowl of peanut soup and a bowl of rice for $6.00. 

The sio bak fared a bit better than the char siew and both are of a reasonable standard. It would be better if the braised sauce is served separately, perhaps in a bowl. The rice was served with dark sauce drizzled over, a rather traditional way of serving which you do not get to see it often these days.

Most roasted meat stalls do not serve chap chye, they might likely be the only one that is doing so. It tasted homely, a simple dish that is often cooked at home. It consists of cabbage, grass noodles and dried beancurd and it was braised over a good amount of time to achieve that delightful softness. It was also served along with a bowl of peanuts soup, another homely dish that will warm your heart. 

Though not the best but it has a lot of soul and authenticity that you do not come across often these days. This is truly the kind of passionate and hardworking hawker stall that deserves our utmost respect. 

HAPPY WORLD ROAST

7 Empress Road #01-107 Empress Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 260007

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 6.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)