Koung's Wan Tan Mee : the popular Wanton Mee in Geylang

Mr Koung Boon Kong, 70s, the owner, started selling wanton mee since 1964. This is probably one of the famous choices for wanton mee in Singapore. He started working as an apprentice at a pushcart stall before taking over when the owner decided to quit. It was only $0.40 when he started selling it. Now, a basic plate is priced at $4, it will be $5 if you want extra noodles, $6.00 for extra ingredients and it is $7 for extra noodles with extra ingredients. There is also Dumpling Soup at $3, $4 and $5.

My dining companion said, "It is not quite worth it to pay an extra $2 for extra ingredients. You only get more pieces of wanton but not too many slices of char siew."

Their char siew is still marinated and roasted at their stall every morning over the charcoal oven. This traditional charcoal char siew is going at $5.00 for 100 grams on their menu. My dining companion said, "I do not find their char siew spectacularly nice." Those pieces of char siew were slightly lean but it still tasted tender and flavorful.

The egg noodles were nicely cooked to the desired softness with a slight springiness, served with their special chilli sauce, oil and soy sauce.

You could see an elderly auntie making those wantons at the side of the stall. The tasty filling was encased in a thin wrapper. 

The dumpling tasted the same but it has a piece of prawn in it and of a bigger size. My dining companion said, "I prefer the dumpling to wanton."  

This might not be the best wanton mee but I enjoyed eating it.

KOUNG'S WAN TAN MEE

205 Sims Avenue SINGAPORE 387506

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 7.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Penang Seafood Restaurant : Assam Laksa, a must-try

We came across this restaurant while going to Kwong Cheong Thye to get the ingredients for making mooncake. When we were browsing the menu, a friendly lady approached us. She said, "Table for 2? We are famous for the Assam Laksa and Penang Fried Kway Teow. We used to be at the opposite before moving here." She continued to say, "We are celebrating our 10th anniversary by offering a 20% discount for the food items from 11 am to 4 pm on Monday to Friday till the end of the month."

I decided to go with Assam Laksa, there are 2 sizes, the small portion is at $4.80 and the big portion is $5.80. The same lady was taking our orders, she asked, "Small or big portion?". She pointed at the table next to us and said, "That is the big portion. I can finish it by myself." I opted for the bigger portion. My dining companion ordered the Penang Fried Kway Teow ($5.00) and he requested to have it without chili. We also ordered Prawn Paste Chicken ($12) to share. We also ordered a canned drink ($2.00) and Lime Juice ($2.50). I wanted to order coffee but was told they are using the 3-in-1 instant coffee. 

The canned drink and Lime Juice came right after.

The Assam Laksa came first. There were some reviews stated that this is probably the best Assam Laksa in Singapore. I eagerly took a mouthful. It was flavorful, spicy and tangy. It would be even better if they are using the right type of noodles, those that are thicker and chewier and not using the thick bee hoon. 

The Penang Fried Kway Teow was not as good as expected. The chilli was omitted as requested, it did not taste as savory as expected. They might have replaced it with the usual dark sauce as it actually tasted like the local style fried kway teow. It was stir-fried with ingredients like cockles, lup cheong, and prawn with a handful of bean sprouts.

Those pieces of Prawn Paste Chicken were nicely fried to the desired crispiness but the prawn paste taste was not as intense. 

I am likely to come back for their Assam Laksa if happen to be in the vicinity.

PENANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

32 Aljunied Road SINGAPORE 389817

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 11.55 pm (Daily)

Kwong Satay : pretty good Pork Satay

Kwong Satay is amongst one of the longest surviving satay stalls in Singapore. After all these years, they still stay true to their old recipe. It is used to produce traditional pork satay which is not as commonly available these days and their soft pork loin satay have been their customers' favourite. They also serve chicken and mutton satay using ingredients like cumin, fennel, coriander, lemon grass, turmeric, candlenut, star anise, nutmeg etc as part of their marinade. It mentioned on their website that the secret to their success lies in the use of saffron, one of the most expensive spices.

Their pork, chicken and mutton satay are at 0.50 cents each. I ordered both pork and chicken, it was well-marinated, nicely grilled to imbue a smoky flavour and not overly charred with its tenderness and juiciness still retained. Both pork and chicken were rather good but the pork fared slightly better. 

The ketupat was moist and they are probably the only one that is using pandan leaves instead of the usual coconut leaves in wrapping the rice cake. 

Their satay sauce is based on a Peranakan-inspired recipe and crushed pineapple is added to the peanut dip which imparts an appetising flavour but it is not as nutty as I would have liked it to be.

They have set up a factory in Bukit Batok Crescent and supply satay to other hawker stalls and eateries as well as to home parties in Singapore. 

KWONG SATAY

549 Geylang Lorong 29 Sin Lian Eating House SINGAPORE 389504

Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Closed on alternate Wednesdays)

Swee Guan Hokkien Mee : it just didn't taste that good

This legendary Fried Hokkien Mee is located at a coffee shop in Geylang Lorong 29 together with the supposedly famous Kwong Satay and Hup Kee Fried Oyster. And, do not mistaken this with another Fried Hokkien Mee stall that is known as Geylang Lorong 29 Fried Hokkien Mee but located at Telok Kurau. That stall, in fact, is operated by another family member that went separate way and started his own stall, both stalls are still using charcoal to fry their Hokkien Mee the traditional way. This stall has been around since 1968. The current boss has been doing it since 1979 and has a total of 35 years of cooking it, he was the one that fried my plate of Hokkien Mee that evening.

There was a short queue when i was there for dinner and i ended up waited for about 30 minutes before receiving my plate of Fried Hokkien Mee.

The noodles, consist of thin bee hoon, thick bee hoon and yellow egg noodles, came out a little gooey but rather flavorful, served together with squids and prawns, fried with a handful of beansprouts in rich prawn stock then served with sambal chilli. It came with a distinct charcoal accent used i did not quite get used to it, it did not actually taste like wok hei but a rather subtle smoky flavor of charcoal, that is more towards a rather uncomfortable charred taste. To the extent, i even left quite a big portion unfinished.

I might just give it a go if i happen to be vicinity next time as i am not quite convinced how could a legendary Fried Hokkien Mee that has been around for so many years tasted so bad? probably i was just unlucky to be there on their off day.

SWEE GUAN HOKKIEN MEE 水源福建面

549 Geylang Lorong 29 Sin Lian Eating House SINGAPORE 

Operating Hours: 4.30 pm to 11.00 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle : Not My Number 1 Ban Mian

If you ask for a recommendation for homemade noodle commonly known as Ban Mian, this particular one is usually amongst one of the recommendations. Some even listed it as one of the best in Singapore if is not the best. I have heard about them but i have not been to this part of Singapore much so never have a chance to try it so far. When i was supposed to visit an old coffee shop in Geylang, i made an effort to come here for lunch. 

They are located at the food court at level 5 of City Plaza. You could choose from their 8 different types of noodles than paired it with sliced fish, prawns, kidney, fish maw and even clams. After some thoughts, i went with their ban mian with prawns, the dry and the soup version at $ 3 each. After ordering, i was issued a buzzer for food collection later and it took slightly more than 5 minutes before it buzzed.

They do offer some deep fried items to go with their noodles, i tried their fried beancurd, fried ngor hiang and fried fish balls amongst the others like luncheon meat and more. Since it did not taste too special, i would rather just skip it but it did taste nice when eaten with their spicy chilli.

Their soup You Mian consists of a good portion of noodles, served with prawns, sliced mushroom, minced meat, vegetables and ikan belis. Perhaps it has to do with my expectations as i did not find anything too special of this bowl of noodles. The texture of noodles was just right with a slight springiness and not overly soft but the soup did not have much flavor.

The choice of noodles for the dry version was Ban Mian, it was a slightly better choice than the You Mian that i had for the soup one. It was served with the same ingredients but added with their dark sauce. To start, i tossed it a little to mix the dark sauce well with the Ban Mian together with the chilli underneath. The Ban Mian was cooked just right for an al-dente texture with a firmness and chewiness. It tasted nice though not too impressive as i had eaten better one than this. 

Overall, i do not think i like it enough to just come specifically for it. I might just eat it again if i happen to be in the vicinity with no other better option.

POON NAH CITY HOME MADE NOODLE

810 Geylang Road #05-02 City Plaza SINGAPORE 409286

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Alternate Saturdays)

Bak Chor Mee.

It was that queue that gotten my attention to this noodle stall. This was the only stall that gotten a queue when i was there for lunch. I was curious enough to join in the queue to check out the stall.

I waited for a good 10 minutes before the smiling Auntie asked for my order. I told her i wanted the larger portion of the mushroom minced meat noodle for $3. I paid her then waited for a few minutes for it to be ready.This stall offers Fishball Noodle, Macaroni, Laksa and Tang Hoon for the selection of $2.50 and $3.00.

A good portion of noodle is served with 3 pieces of meatballs, braised mushroom, slices of lean meat and a handful of minced meat. It was served in a bigger porcelain bowl that have got their stall name printed for the $3 portion.

A brunch of beansprouts was added too to add the desired crunchiness to the noodle as well as to make it a slightly healthier choice. It was then garnished with chopped spring onion and dried shallots to enhance its flavour further.

A bowl of hot soup was served along with the noodle in a small porcelain bowl that gotten their stall name, too. It tasted rather light with just a bit of peppery taste with chopped spring onion added to it.

I actually loved the porcelain spoon with the porcelain saucer that we do not usually get to see these days. Most of the hawker stalls are using the plastic spoon with plastic saucer. Some of these hawker stalls are using the disposable spoon, disposable saucer with disposable chopsticks or even have it served in a disposable bowl even for dining there.

I personally did not find those disposable wares to be appealing.

Bits of red cut chilli in the light soya sauce served in the saucer came together with the bowl of noodle.

I tossed the noodle well with the sauce underneath. Then, i was eager to have the first mouthful I totally in love with the taste. Though the chilli did not taste particularly spicy but it complemented the noodle with the ingredients well. The ingredients used have got a distinct freshness. I liked the meatballs the most. It is just the taste that i like.

The texture of the noodle has got a delightful springiness with just the right chewiness to make it desirable.

This bowl of noodle is worth coming back for more.

The queue was still there when i done eating the noodle and i guess many are probably the regular customers that have been supporting this stall. This is likely to be another hawker passionately serving good quality food at an affordable price. This is a great find indeed.

MUI KEE FISH BALL NOODLE

69 Geylang Bahru

Geylang Bahru Food Centre #01-2817

SINGAPORE 330069.

Tasty Rojak

I have already eaten lunch when i came across this stall. The owner of this particular stall is a friendly elderly Uncle in his 60s. He looked rather eager when he spotted me walking towards his stall.

He asked, '$3?'. I said, 'No. I just want the $2.50.'

I seated at the table right in front of his stall. The Uncle served the rojak in a few minutes.

He stood beside the table and started chatting with me. He said this stall has been around for 30 years. Honestly, i never quite expect this stall to be around for decades as the signboard looks pretty clean to me. Uncle said he has been painstakingly in maintaining it. And, he said most of the stalls in this food centre are new and these new stalls usually last only a few months.

He started his stall with his Sister and Brother but both of them decided to call it quit and left him alone. He said he has to wake up very early to get all his ingredients then prepared it. He said he usually has to work from morning to about 10.30 pm or slightly earlier.

While chatting with Uncle, i took a bite of the tau pok. Both the you tiao and tau pok have got a delightful crispiness. I told the Uncle so. He said, he toasted it before he served it. He said the only secret to keeping its crispiness is not to serve it immediately after toasted.

He said he insisted in using the freshest ingredients to serve. He told me that he has been using the Prawn Paste from Penang to mix his rojak. He actually proudly having it stated on his signboard, too. The other ingredients found in the rojak were the fresh tasting cucumber, pineapple, turnip and lots of beansprouts to add the desired crunchiness to the texture. It was topped with bits of freshly grounded peanuts to enhance the flavor. The portion was rather good for $2.50. The taste is actually comparable to those famous ones out there. I could tell the prawn paste is of a good quality as it is rather thick with a rather distinctive taste.

I would have invited Uncle to pose for my picture but he is a bit shy to do so. He is the type of hawker that deserved my respect. He is passionate in serving quality food at an affordable price. Uncle shared that the business is not as good as it used to be after the closure of the cinema. I do hope his stall is still around when i am here the next time. I hope his stall is able to survive for another decade or longer.

I enjoyed the chat with the Uncle and his rojak.

TIAN TIAN XIANG ROJAK

69 Geylang Bahru

#01-2735 Geylang Bahru Food Centre

SINGAPORE 330069.