Teochew Kway Teow Soup : This is Goodbye

The Uncle and Auntie will be retiring on 13 March 2022. This humble stall has been in the same coffee shop for more than 30 years but is closing down. This coffee shop is near to my late Grandpa's house and I used to stay with him. I literally grew up eating from this stall. And, Auntie is like 看着我长大的. This might not be the best Teochew style Fishball Noodle but the taste is alluring as it is a part of my growing up memories. I really enjoyed the taste for sentimental reasons. I am 重感情.

I went back one last time to say goodbye by tasting it for the last time. The stall has always been there so it is quite shockingly sad to know that I will have to part with this decades-old familiar taste. I am definitely going to miss it.

TEOCHEW KWAY TEOW SOUP

Block 347 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 301-2150 SINGAPORE 560347

Song Kee Fish Ball Noodle at Circuit Road Food Centre

This stall at Circuit Road Food Centre is one of the many outlets of Song Kee Fishball Noodle in Singapore. All of them are mostly operated by relatives, they are related but different entities and so, they will usually claim that they are, in fact, not related. The Finest Songkee's Cuisine at Upper Serangoon seemed to be the only exception, the nephew is a minor shareholder there so an identical name is used. As for this stall, it is operated by one of their uncles, and this uncle has been making fishballs for more than 40 years. He is still insisting on doing so right now. It is located just beside Soon Lee Lor Mee that I patronize regularly.

There was just another customer in front of me so it was my turn, he asked, "You want a mixture of everything?" I nodded. He took out the oval-shaped and started cooking. When it was done, he placed the bowl on the tray and collected $5. There is a smaller portion for $3.50.

The texture of fishballs was soft and bouncy, those 2 pieces of tau pok with fish paste were not too bad but there is no fish dumpling and no crispy lard too. The other Song Kee at Cheng San Food Centre in Ang Mo Kio used to have fish dumplings too but it seemed to stop serving. 

The other Song Kee at Tembeling Road in Joo Chiat will be moving to Yio Chu Kang Road in this coming April. The new shop is at 100 Yio Chu Kang Road and it is much nearer to where I am staying.

SONG KEE FISH BALL NOODLE

Block 79 Circuit Road #01-06 Circuit Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 370079

Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 1.00 am (Closed on alternate Wednesdays)

Matasoh Fishball & Meatball Mincemeat Noodle : handmade fishballs

Daddy Soh or Papa Soh, is the 2nd generation taking charge of this hawker stall. They used to be at Bedok North but closed in April 2019 before moving to the current location in August 2019. He has more than 40 years of experience in producing fishballs and fishcakes before deciding to bring the legacy of the fishballs noodle back. 

It was started by Grandma Soh. She was respectfully known as Mata Soh, literally means "Police Auntie" in Hokkien, partly based on her surname, which is Soh. She started selling the fishball noodles to bring up her 7 children single-handedly right after the end of the Japanese Occupation in the 1950s. The social disorder was a common scene at that time and there were disturbances such as taking the protection money from the street hawkers and shop owners by the gang members. Grandma Soh decided to liaise with the police officers for the much-needed protection to ensure the well-being of herself and the other hawkers. She has also won over the trust of many police officers by urging her fellow hawkers to follow the simple hygienic conditions as well as those simple rules. When her children were old enough, Daddy Soh and the others started to manage the stall at Geylang Lorong 25 as well as in making fishballs and fishcake 

This was one of the few stalls with a queue during lunch on a Sunday. I joined in and waited for a short while to order the Soh Special ($4.50/$5.50), listed as the number 1 item on their signboard. The menu also includes Huatiao Sesame Mee Sua Soup ($4/$5), Dry Noodle ($4/$5), Soup Noodle ($3/$4) and Fishball/Meatball Soup ($4/$5). I pointed to the plastic container placed together with the red-cut chilli and soy sauce, asked, "Those are fried lard?" The younger man replied, "Yeah. It is up to you to put all you want."

When I received my noodles, I added a ton of that crispy lard. The Soh Special is their newest addition, it is served with an onsen egg together with fishballs, meatballs, fishcake sliced meat, and minced meat. I broke the egg to mix it with the noodles and the chilli. The noodles were cooked well to the right texture and those bits of crispy lard actually enhanced the flavor. The odd-shaped fishballs were amongst the nicest that I have eaten, the texture was so soft and springy. The meatballs were equally good as fish meat was added for the desired bounciness. 

MATASOH FISHBALL & 
MEATBALL MINCEMEAT NOODLE

Block 90 Whampoa Drive #01-54 Whampoa Makan Place SINGAPORE 320090

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

Pin Ji Fishball Minced Meat Noodles : a sincere bowl of noodles

Keith and Michelle, the owners, are the young couple behind this two-month-old stall. They used to be in the recruitment industry before starting this stall. The recipe is obtained from a childhood friend, and this same friend is also the supplier of those handmade fish dumplings, fishballs, and meatballs, using yellowtail fish to make them. 

There are 3 sizes for selection, the $3, the $4 and the $5 but only the $5 is served with the fish dumpling. I decided to go with the $5 portion and opted for dry mee pok. Michelle asked, "Do you want it with meatball or fishball as we have run out of fish dumpling." I replied, "Meatball then." Michelle actually made an effort to smile and looked at you when she was taking the order. When I was attempting to take out a tray from the stack of trays, She said, "Let me help you." When I was picking up the tray after Keith placed the bowl of noodles along with the bowl of soup on it. Michelle turned and said, "Thank you." And, that actually left an impression when compared to a not so pleasant encounter when ordering the popular Xiao Di Fried Hokkien Mee in the same coffee shop. 

My dining companion tried it first, he took a few mouthfuls and said, "This is quite good." I tried it and asked, "Does that remind you of Song Kee Fishball?" He replied, "A little. I find the taste of the meatballs to be quite familiar but could not actually recall where did I taste it." The noodles were nicely cooked and the texture of those fishballs is good, it has the desired springiness, different from those that are commercially mass-produced. The meatballs consist of pork and yellowtail fish paste and we liked it. The crispy lard and chilli are also handmade by them. 

The wait is slightly longer when I was there on a Sunday but the wait is quite worthwhile for this simple goodness. I could sense the high amount of passion and sincerity behind this bowl of noodles. 

PIN JI FISHBALL MINCED MEAT NOODLES

Block 153 Serangoon North Avenue 1 #01-512 Guan Hock Tiong Eating House Singapore 550153

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 1.30 pm

Quan Ji : Teochew noodle in Ang Mo Kio

Ivan and Chun Siang, both are 25 years old and they are the owners of this a month old noodle stall in Ang Mo Kio. They met at Singapore Polytechnic when doing a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Ivan, took a year off from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to start this noodle stall with Chun Siang, a fresh graduate from NTU. The recipe is based on the grandfather of Ivan's wife that started selling the noodles in 1965. The original stall is still located at Bedok Interchange. 

Their signature noodle ($3.50/$4.50) is Minced Meat Fishball Noodle, it consists of noodles with minced meat, sliced meat, meatball, fishball and slices of fishcake. Vinegar is not commonly used in Teochew style noodles and it was omitted. The Mee Pok and Mee Kia were sold out when I was there for lunch so I decided to have Mee Tai Mak. I also ordered Laksa. I was given a number and it will be shouted out when it is ready for collection. We waited for about 15 minutes before it was ready.

The dry Mee Tai Mak was for my dining companion. He took a mouthful and asked, "Did you request for extra amount of chilli to be added? It is quite spicy." I did not request for extra chilli to be added. The chilli was surprisingly nice but it might be a bit too spicy for those that have little tolerance towards spiciness. 

The Laksa tasted just like any of those available at any hawker stalls that are serving this dish. The gravy was light and kind of diluted with little coconut taste, it did not taste too spicy.

It was served with prawns to replace the cockles together with other ingredients like slices of fishcake and tau pok. 

Apparently, the 2 young owners are not doing the cooking. It was cooked by their helper, an elderly lady that is hired to do the cooking. It reminded me of Douglas Ng of Fishball Story. It used to be good when he started his first stall at Golden Mile Food Centre but the standard dropped quite a bit when he started to hire cooks to man the stall. He went about franchising to expand the business but all these franchised stalls were only around for a while before closing down.

QUAN JI TEOCHEW MEE

Block 260 Ang Mo Kio Street 21 SINGAPORE 560260

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

Ah Lim : Mee Poh . Noodle Soup . Dumpling Soup

This stall is in the coffee shop at the junction of Jalan Tua Kong, along the East Coast Road is by the disciple from the original stall. The original Ah Lim is at Marine Parade, the stall is taken over by the son as the elderly Uncle has retired. There is a stall in the coffee shop at the corner of Simpang Bedok by the former helper and there is also a shop directly opposite, near the coffee shop, there are also other stalls in other parts of Singapore that has "Ah Lim" as part of their signboard. It is difficult to really tell whether are they actually related and the authenticity of the recipe used. 

I was there after 2 pm but the coffee shop was still crowded with most of the tables occupied. When ordering, I was told that the waiting time is quite long. I ordered the smallest portion of mee pok for $4. The auntie asked me for the table number and collected the payment. I waited for about 20 minutes before receiving it. 

It consists of a good portion of nicely cooked mee pok with fishballs, minced meat, slices of fish cake and lean meat. My dining companion said, "This is not bad but not the best that I have eaten." 

My dining companion said, "Do you know why I know this is a popular stall?" He pointed to those wooden clippers at the stall and said, "When you see those, that is a good sight." Though not too common, you still get to see those clippers at most of the Ah Lim's stalls. You do not see it often these days but it used to be a common practice at some of those older hawker stalls. My great grandfather used to run a noodle stall at Chia Keng as told by my Grandpa.

AH LIM
15 Upper East Coast Road SINGAPORE 455207
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 5.00 pm (Daily)

新路潮洲鱼圆粿條麵汤 : formerly from Margaret Drive Food Centre

This is one of the stalls from the now-defunct Margaret Drive Food Centre before moving to this food centre. I used to eat at their stall at Margaret Drive Food Centre, it was already popular then. There was a short queue and it took me about 15 minutes to order and receive it. I ordered the dry mee pok with extra 5 fishballs for $4.50, there is also an option to add 2 fishballs for $3.60. The normal portion is $3.00 and $3.50 with extra noodles. It was cooked by a young chap with a man bun.

The mee pok was cooked al dented then served with chilli and ketchup with bits of crispy lard, garnished with chopped spring onions. The concoction of the sauce has an old-school taste and I liked it, it is not exactly spicy and with a tinge of sweetness. 

The fishballs were served in a bowl of lightly flavored soup and there was a total of 15 in it. The texture of those fishballs was firm and bouncy, it tasted quite fresh. 

It was sold out at about 1 pm on that day. It was sold out before 12 pm when I returned for lunch on a Sunday.

新路潮洲鱼圆粿條麵汤

159 Mei Chin Road #0205 Mei Ling Food Centre SINGAPORE 140159

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

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

Mei Seng Kway Teow Mee : cheap & good

This stall had the longest queue in the food centre during lunch on a Sunday. I decided to join the queue out of curiosity. There is the option to choose between the dry or soup at $2.50 and $3.00. They might be one of the few stalls that are still selling their bowls of noodles from $2.50. Where else to actually get a bowl of noodles at this price? The light of the signboard went off after I joined the queue. Two of the customers went to queue after me but was told no more and so, I was the lucky one to get their last bowl.

I went with the larger portion of mee pok, it was served along with a bowl of soup that contains ingredients like the fishball, fishcake, sliced meat and minced meat. 

After tossing the mee pok to mix it with the chill and chopped spring onion, my dining companion had his first mouthful and he said, "Their special chill did not taste as spicy as it looked. And, it actually made the mee pok tasted special and different from the others." The noodles were cooked well, it was tender but firm to the bite.

My dining companion tasted the soup and said, "The soup is unexpectedly tasty, it is nice. The combination of the noodles and soup is good." 

Most of their customers actually ordered the dry mee tai mak and it was also the first to run out. I like it enough to want to come back for more.

MEI SENG KWAY TEOW MEE

Block 409 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 #01-37 Teck Ghee Square Food Centre SINGAPORE 560409

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 4.00 pm

Jing Ji Fishball Noodle : a 3 decades old noodle stall

This was one of those stalls that I featured when writing for Makansutra. This stall has been around for more than 30 years, it started as a pushcart in the vicinity before moving into the food centre. It has been handed down by Mr Toh that started it to his 2 daughters.

The older Madam Toh is 59 years old, she is the one taking the orders and serving it when it is ready. The younger Madam Toh is 56 years old and she is doing the cooking. Their Uncle used to run a noodle stall just a couple of stalls away, he was also taught by Mr Toh using a similar recipe but that stall has already closed down.

There was a queue of about 8 people when I was there at about 11.15 pm. When it was about my turn, I was told that they have already run out of fishball. I decided to go with mee pok at $3 and added $1 for additional ingredients. I requested to have an extra amount of chilli to go with the mee pok. When waiting for my order, I overheard Madam Toh talking to the customer behind me, "You did not come for a while." There was another customer right behind me asking whether would there be anymore mee pok left when it is her turn to order. She is likely to be one of the regular customers as Madam Toh seemed to remember how she likes her order to be done. I was told that most of their customers are the regulars staying in the vicinity and they usually come as a family. 

The mee pok was cooked just right, firm and still springy. It did not taste too spicy with that extra amount of chilli added, a hint of the vinegar and lightly flavored by lard. It was served along with a bowl of soup consisting of slices of pork liver and fishcake as well as meatballs. The meatballs have an ideal consistency and texture. Those slices of pork liver were lovely, it was tender and soft in the right thickness and size. I got the last few bowls of the noodles before they sold out at 11.30 pm.

Their secret to their survivability is none other than using the freshest ingredients. The elder Mr Toh used to go marketing personally to source for it, he was doing that even when he was in his 80s. Such old-school taste can be so memorable. I was told that their children have no plan in taking over their stall at this moment. Enjoy it while it lasts. 

JING JI FISHBALL NOODLE

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-04 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

Song Kee Kway Teow Noodle Soup at Toa Payoh

This is one of the other Song Kee on our shore and this particular one is related to the other Song Kee along Upper Serangoon Road and also that one at Thomson Plaza. They are not directly related to the other Song Kee in Joo Chiat and Bishan. There is also another Song Kee in Ang Mo Kio operates by the daughter of Mr Chua Keok Sip, the father of the 3 brothers who run the Song Kee in Joo Chiat and Bishan. 

This particular stall has been around for about 16 years in this food centre. The option on menu is straightforward, the dry one at $3.50 or $4.50 and the soup at $3.50. They used to serve fish dumplings but no longer do so now. I ordered the $4.50 portion, opted to go with kway teow and requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added. It consists of a piece of tau pok stuffed with fish paste, meatball, fishballs, and slices of fishcake.  

Having tried the other Song Kee, I would not consider this is the best amongst of them. The sambal chilli tasted quite familiar and it added flavor when mixed with the nicely cooked kway teow. It is not particularly spicy though, a little oily but still acceptable. I did not find those handmade fishballs to be any special, same with the meatball and stuffed tau pok, it was still quite enjoyable nonetheless.

SONG KEE KWAY TEOW NOODLE SOUP

75 Toa Payoh Lorong 5 #01-20 SINGAPORE 310075

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 12.00 am (Closed on alternate Wednesdays)

Song Kee Fish Ball Noodle in Ang Mo Kio

This is the other Song Kee Fish Ball Noodle nestled in the food centre just a stone's throw from the Ang Mo Kio MRT station. I was told that it is manned by a relative, the stall started quite early and usually sold out before 10.00 am as it happened a few times when I was there late. There is always a queue right at the stall but it moves pretty quickly and so the waiting time is usually a short one. 

There are the $4.00 and the $5.00 portion available. When it was my turn to order, I asked, "Only the $5.00 came with the fish dumpling?" The friendly auntie replied, "No. The $4 is already served with fish dumpling and the $5 portion has extra fishballs." I decided to go with kway teow dry at $4 and requested for extra chilli to go with it. 

The star has to be that only piece of fish dumpling. My dining companion felt that it is not as good as the one from the other Song Kee in Bishan. The skin of this fish dumpling is slightly thicker and chewier. The tau pok with fish paste, fish balls, and meatballs were pretty average though. The chilli was nice and not too spicy, it complemented the kway teow nicely. 

It served along with a bowl of lightly flavored soup and fresh-cut red chilli.

SONG KEE FISH BALL NOODLE

527 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 #01-123 Cheng San Food Centre SINGAPORE 560527

Operating Hours: 6.30 am to 12.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)