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)