Hao Lai Ke 好莱客 : by an ex-Din Tai Feng chef

This unassuming stall is run by a chef that used to work with Din Tai Feng, a Taiwanese chain restaurant. It is located in a coffee shop within walking distance from Bedok MRT station. The queue was unexpectedly long on a Sunday during lunch but I still joined in the queue nonetheless and waited for about 40 minutes before ordering. The signature Pork Chop Fried Rice of Din Tai Feng is also available right here at just $6, much cheaper and they named it Pork Ribs Fried Rice instead and it is a must-order right here. I also ordered the Dan Dan Noodle ($4.50) and Fried Dumplings ($5 for 10 pieces). The items under the Fried Noodle were not available on that day. 

I was given a buzzer and waited for about 15 minutes before the Fried Dumplings were ready. I went back a few minutes later to collect the Pork Ribs Fried Rice and the extra portion of Pork Ribs, waited another few minutes for the Dan Dan Noodle. 

The Fried Dumplings is not on their menu. I tried looking for it initially but did not find it there. It was featured in a poster on the counter though. Those fried dumplings were quite tasty.

The Pork Ribs Fried Rice looks identical to that of Din Tai Feng. My dining companion had a mouthful and said, "They are using the short grain rice, a slightly more expensive choice." The short grain rice is also known as Pearl Rice, its texture is more starchy. He said, "The fried rice is very good, it has a noticeable eggy taste. The pork chop is not as flavorful though there was a hint of black pepper. Maybe the long queue affected its standard? The texture is soft and tender though." The pork chop is slightly thinner and lesser egg is used to cook the dish but still rather good value in comparison. 

I ordered an extra portion of Pork Chop at $4.

The Dan Dan Noodle (担担面) is their signature dish. The handmade noodles served with braised minced meat garnished with grounded peanuts, chopped spring onions, and lettuce. Though the color of the soup was fiery red, it did not taste too spicy, there was a slight sourish though. My dining companion that has little tolerance to spicy foods took a mouthful too. The noodles were cooked just right, though soft but still retained its chewiness.

I would likely be back to try the other dishes only if the queue is shorter.

HAO LAI KE 好莱客

Block 204 Bedok North Street 1 #01-393 SINGAPORE 460204

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.00 pm / 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Daily)

628 Soya Sauce Chicken in Ang Mo Kio

This is one of the newest stalls in this food centre that opened in March 2017, it used to be a mixed vegetable rice stall that was around for quite a few years. I was their only customer when I went for dinner at about 6 pm. I decided to go with their Soya Sauce Chicken Drumstick Noodle at $4.50, it is $1.50 more expensive as compared to their regular Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle at just $3 for their dry and soup version. If you do not like the noodle, there is an option to have with horfun too. Apparently, it is only $4 if you order the Soya Sauce Chicken Drumstick Rice. 

If you are thinking of getting half or a whole chicken, there are 2 sizes. The smaller chicken is $7 for half and $14 for the whole, the bigger chicken is $11 for half and $22 for the whole, it is served with some braised peanuts. You can choose to go with rice or noodle for just $1.00 each. They also served BBQ Pork Noodle for $3, it is actually the roasted pork that they are using. 

It tasted close to the Michelin-starred Hawker Chan Liao Fan Soya Sauce Chicken, which is not even that good, to begin with, and definitely not quite worthy of that Michelin award as there are many better Soya Sauce Chicken in Singapore just like Lee Fun Nam Kee in Toa Payoh and Chiew Kee Soya Sauce Chicken in Chinatown, which are my current favourites. Even this Soya Sauce Chicken from 628 Soya Sauce Chicken is not too bad as well. You should give it a try if you happen to be in this food centre. 

628 SOYA SAUCE CHICKEN

Block 628 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-59 AMK 628 Food Centre SINGAPORE 560628

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

Kar Soh Wanton Noodle : Handmade Hakka Noodle

There was a short queue of a few people when I came here for lunch on a rainy Wednesday. It is a coffee shop at the block just opposite Toa Payoh Vista Food Centre. I was looking for the stall serving Hakka Noodle as posted by a friend on Facebook. There are 2 stalls under the same name and manned by an elderly Auntie all by herself. One of the stalls is serving Hakka Yong Tau Fu, the Yong Tau Fu set is at $3.00 which consists of 5 pieces of Yong Tau Fu items with noodles and every additional piece is priced at 0.50 cents, there is a choice of dry or soup version with an option for Curry Laksa Yong Tau Fu at $3.50.  The other stall is serving Wanton Noodle ($2.50/$3), Ipoh Hor Fun ($2.50/$3), Homemade Hakka Noodle ($3), Century Egg Porridge ($2.50), Shredded Chicken Porridge ($2.50) and Lean Meat Cuttlefish Porridge ($2.50). 

The queue was at the Yong Tau Fu stall and I did not know whether I should join in so I just stood there and waited. The Auntie spotted me and she asked, "What do you want, Miss?". I pointed at the Hakka Noodle on the picture and said, "Hakka Noodle." She did not ask me whether I want the dry or soup version. The picture showed the soup version but I remember seeing the picture posted by my friend was the dry one. I just stood there and waited. The other 2 customers have collected their orders then the Auntie placed a bowl of soup noodle on the tray and called out to me, "Miss, your order is ready."

I collected it and went to one of the tables along the walkway and seated down. It was raining rather heavily at that time so the soup Hakka Noodle is a better option. It consists of a good portion of noodles with ingredients like fried beancurd, skin, handmade meatballs and meat wantons. The noodles were nicely cooked and served with a lightly flavoured hot soup. 

It was a comforting choice and I would definitely go back for their dry one soon. This stall might be moving to the Toa Payoh Vista Food Centre and is in the midst of getting the approval, it is likely to happen in May or early June. 

KAR SOH WANTON NOODLE . PORRIDGE

Block 66 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 Yong Liang Food Centre SINGAPORE 310066

Operating Hours: 6.00 am to 2.30 pm (Daily) (Closed on last Wednesday of every month)

Yummy Noodle House : Prawn Paste Chicken Noodle

A friend has mentioned about this stall quite recently and suggested that I should try it if I am there for lunch. I was there just last week and walked past it, I stopped to check their operating hours with the lady boss. I was told that their regular off day is usually on Friday. I made an effort to come back on a Wednesday for a late lunch. The lady boss was there.

I asked here, 'What is nice to eat? Do you have a recommendation?' She said, 'Everything is nice. Our Laksa is pretty good and you should also try our handmade meatballs.' I decided to go with Prawn Paste Chicken Noodle ($3.50) and added 3 pieces of meatballs for $1.00 with Wanton Soup ($3.00). She said, 'You have to wait for 5 minutes as we need to deep-fried the Prawn Paste Chicken.' I chatted with her while waiting for it to be ready. 

I said, 'It is good to see young people like yourself wanting to work as hawkers.' She chuckled then said, 'I am actually not that young.' And, that got me to say, 'You look the most is 25 years old.' She laughed and said, 'You should add another 20 years to that.' I was really surprised. I told her that i could not quite believe as she does not look her age. Then i asked her, 'This is a husband-wife team or brother-sister team?' She said, 'Husband-wife team.' Then i asked her, 'Why do you want to be a hawker?' It is a tough trade.' I also asked, 'Do you do this because of its flexible hours in order to have a more balanced family life? Do you have kid?' She replied, 'We used to run cza char stall prior to this. We have a kid.' And, she said, 'We have to be here as early as 8 am to start the preparation and work till evening.' 

I asked her, 'How is the business so far?'. She said, 'A bit quieter now after the private university moved away but it is still manageable.' She then said, 'It is actually better to be in the neighborhood area rather than here that has many private houses. These households have maids and cars so they do not usually lunch here.'

She then placed my orders on the tray and said, 'Enjoy!'. I thanked her before walking away with the tray. 

It consists of a good portion of noodles with 2 pieces of chicken mid-wings with 3 pieces of meatballs and some green, I requested to have extra chilli added but its spiciness did not quite bring forth its flavor. The Prawn Paste Chicken though freshly deep-fried and still have its crispiness intact but not much taste. I would expect better since they used to run a cze char stall. Those handmade meatballs did not leave much impression as well. 

I would think its overall flavor was not bad but there is still much room for improvement.

The Wanton Soup consists of 10 pieces of good-sized wantons, the filling is mainly well-seasoned minced meat and is firmly wrapped in the wrappers. I tasted a bit too much flour in it. They added in quite a bit of green to make this an alternative choice. 

This is an interesting stall manned by a hardworking couple. Do try it if you happen to be there for lunch.

YUMMY NOODLE HOUSE

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-08 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Fridays)

Dry Mee Sua : Comfort Food at its Best

I could not locate the stall name when i was there to try their Signature Dry Mee Sua for just $3.00. Dry mee sua is not as common as mee pok and mee kia as it required a certain technique to cook it well and to make sure it is done in just the right texture without getting too soggy. It was served with ingredients like minced meat, braised mushroom and fish balls. I have also requested for extra chilli to be added, though not as spicy as i liked it to be but it was quite tasty. 

As they are operating on 24 hrs, this is a good super spot for residents in the vicinity.

Sometimes, such simplicity is what most needed to fill up the stomach, not fanciful but comfort food at its best, live to eat and eat to live.

Block 409 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 #01-02 Teck Ghee Square Food Centre SINGAPORE 560409

Operating Hours: 24 Hours

Mak's Noodle : I Still Want My Local Wanton Mee

This is indeed the Mak's Noodle from Hong Kong, the most talked about wanton noodle that was awarded a Michelin status and have 6 outlets all over Hong Kong. The current owner is still following the exact recipe that being handed down from the founder of Mak's Noodle and its taste has supposedly remain unchanged for almost 100 years. It is currently under the charge of Mr Tony Yung, the son-in-law of the second generation owner that started it in Guangzhou in 1920. They are well-known for its thin and springy noodles and plum wantons with prawns. To maintain the quality, the 2 outlets in Singapore are directly importing the noodles that are made using flour from Canada for a springier texture together with the wanton skins from Hong Kong.

The Director of Asia Gourmet Private Limited managed to persuade the owner of Mak's Noodle to open their first franchised outlet in Orchard then followed by the other outlet at Westgate. Chef Chan For Kam that came from their outlet at Wellington Street is the Head Chef here and will also supervise the future opening outlets, he will be based in Singapore for about 2 years. They will also stationed their other chefs from Hong Kong to the outlets in Singapore.

My last experience at their outlet in Hong Kong was not a pleasant one, i happened to be there when they were near closing time. There was just another 2 tables in there. The service staff seemed a bit reluctant to serve even though they did not turn us away. Our order of wanton noodle and braised tendon noodle came rather quickly and they placed it a bit too hard on the table, giving out a loud bang sound.  I am never really a fan of Mak's Noodle and i would rather go over to Tsim Chai Kee which is directly opposite their outlet in Central, for a bigger bowl and better value wanton noodle anytime. 

My curiosity prompted me to try their outlet in Singapore. There was no queue when we got there for lunch. We were ushered to the table and our orders taken quickly.

If you ever eaten in their outlet in Hong Kong, you might be surprised to find sliced green chili to be amongst the condiments provided on the table along with the same chili paste served in Hong Kong. 

We were then told by the service staff that saucers and chopsticks are available in the drawer attached to the table.

According to Tony Yung, the current owner of Mak's Noodle that wanton noodle is meant to be eaten as a snack and not the main dish, if you are not full then you will have to order another portion. In Singapore, they are sticking to same small serving size about the size of the small rice bowl just like what they are doing in Hong Kong. Such a bowl of wanton noodles is priced at HKD$36, about $6.30 in Singapore. In Singapore, it costs $6.90 here. The 4 wantons that served along are placed right underneath that pile of noodles for a purpose and that is to prevent the noodles from turning soggy by soaking in the broth for too long.

The Wanton Mee Soup ($6.90) came first, serving in an elegant looking blue and white ceramic bowl. The noodles have the distinctive springiness and no alkaline taste, which is good. The broth is flavored with yellow chives and dried sole fish to give it a natural sweetness and savoriness but a bit too mild in flavor.

There is actually a difference between the typical Cantonese wanton and the local wanton as the Cantonese wanton has only prawns and no pork in it. As for this particular one, there was at least 2 prawns in it for an added crunchiness. Fresh prawns rather than the frozen ones are used to ensure a better quality.

Next, came Tossed Noodle with Shrimp Roe and Prawns with Oyster Sauce ($16.20), if without that 4 pieces of prawns is only $8.30. The same springy noodles sprinkled with shrimp roe but rather sparingly, it added with an intense savouriness. Somehow, it did not quite bring out the flavor as it just did not have enough to thoroughly mixed with the noodles. 

There are different types of congee on their menu but i just wanted to have Chicken & Mushroom Congee ($7.50). Congee is rice and water cooked down into thick porridge, Hong Kong style is usually much softer and smoother with every grain nicely dissolved into a thick gruel. It was served with generous amount of ingredients. 

After paying $36.02, we were still left feeling hungry. I would rather have local wanton mee for $3 or $4 that is filling, satisfying and more importantly, cheaper. Worth it or not, it might still be quite an experience for those who have yet to try it in Hong Kong, at least, you do not have to fly there to eat it now.

As a frequent traveler to Hong Kong and after eaten bowls of wanton noodle there, Mak's Noodle has never been my best Wanton Noodle and even some of the Hong Kongers do not eat there too.

MAK'S NOODLE

. 3 Gateway Drive #02-06 Westgate SINGAPORE 608532

. 176 Orchard Road #01-63/64 The Centrepoint SINGAPORE 238843

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

RedRing Treasures : Chicken Cutlet Noodle is worth a try!

In the past, the boss, David was a taxi driver and Esther, the lady boss, was a housewife. They started RedRing Wanton Mee, their first outlet at Holland Drive in 2013. Their son, Roy, a Chemistry Student from NUS that is currently pursuing his graduate studies at Stanford University scientifically developed recipes for their sauces. The first version of the recipes for their sauce were developed by Roy then. Their family has made 4 major upgrades to the recipes since then and they are offering the latest version which is the Version 5. They kept the written recipes in a safe with the exact formulation known only to 4 family members. 

The service was warm and adequate, the orders were quickly taken by the smiling auntie in the picture. She asked, 'Do you want to eat noodles or rice? Do you want it with Chicken Cutlet, Pork Cutlet or Fish Cutlet?' After some thoughts, i decided to have Chicken Cutlet with the noodles and Pork Cutlet with the rice. The Chicken Cutlet Noodle is priced at $5.90 and the Pork Cutlet Curry Rice is at $6.40. I was expected to pay then waited right at the counter to collect my orders. They have a policy to deep-fried their cutlets upon order to ensure its crispiness but they do it in large batches during peak hours to shorten the queue.

You might want to take note they have their own dining area to cater to their own customers. Auntie said, 'As long as you order something from us, you are allowed to bring in food items from the other stalls in the food court.' I paid and waited at the counter for the collection. When Auntie spotted me at the condiments station, she said, 'The red chili is very hot and it could burnt your lips, be careful.' 

There is a limited time offer to give a free drink with every order of Chicken Cutlet Noodle. That auntie was kind enough to offer a free drink even for the Curry Pork Cutlet Rice. 

Everything is prepared fresh on a daily basis from using fresh ingredients to prepare their sauces, their broths and marinade of their cutlets, all are done using their secret recipes. They developed a process to marinate their cutlets for 24 hours in their secret marinade to allow maximum infusion of flavor into the meat. Apparently, the chili sauce did not taste as spicy as warned by the auntie but there was a sharp spiciness though without the spicy aftertaste, it is not quite intimidating. 

Their noodles are made to their specification using special high protein flour and eggs in the right ratio to achieve the desired springiness without relying on the traditional alkaline water and so, their noodles do not have any alkaline taste. The use of egg in the noodles provide a full-bodied flavor that is perfect to go with their signatures sauces. Apparently, the most important step is the 8-hours aging period where they cool the noodles to allow the natural enzymes in the eggs and flour to break down complex sugars and proteins into simpler but rich flavor.

They cooked their noodles in a custom built noodle cooking machine to ensure a perfectly cooked dish with the right consistency. The thermostat of the machine to keep the water temperature at exactly 100C to allow precision in cooking each ball of noodles for just 18 seconds. This is the key that contributed to precision cooking in achieving the springy texture of their noodles. During the process, they kept replacing the old starchy water with the fresh hot water to give their noodles a very clean surface texture to better adsorb their 2 different sauces, the red and the clear. 

Their signature red sauce is made with a strong pork bone broth that boiled for a full 4 hours to derive a maximum flavor. It is the combined with their secret 'rempah' paste made from a solid reduction of onion, garlic, chili and several other as part of their 14 secret ingredients like shitake mushroom and ikan bilis to be the major ingredients to maximize the umami sensation. Their traditional clear sauce is a simpler and less complex sauce made from a rich chicken broth that is designed to be umami rich yet subtle to allow a full enjoyment of the texture and taste.

The Pork Cutlet Curry Rice did not look as good as how it was illustrated on their picture.

Apparently, it did not fare as good as the Chicken Cutlet Noodle. It was served with a good portion of Pork Cutlet with Curry Vegetable and a bowl of curry sauce with a piece of potato in it. The Pork Cutlet was not too bad though a bit too thin. The Curry Vegetable did not cook well enough to give it the desired softness and not too much flavor. The curry sauce was quite good though, rather aromatic and creamy with a slight hint of spiciness.

The other must-try has to be their Onion Flower, just like the Bloomin' Onion by Outback Steakhouse. They serve it crispy and fragrant to pair with their sweet garlic oil. 

REDRING TREASURES

. Block 480 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 #B1-01 Gourmet Paradise SINGAPORE 310480

. 435 Orchard Road Food Republic @ Level 4 Wisma Atria SINGAPORE 238877

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)