Meixi's Kitchen : Hakka Yong Tau Fu

This is a new stall opened in the recently renovated coffee shop just beside the food centre, serving handmade Hakka Yong Tau Fu. 

The standard order is 6 items with noodle or rice at $4.20 and at $5.00 if go with the laksa gravy. They will deep-fry the items again and serve it on a separate bowl if you order the soup and laksa version. The handmade items tasted relatively fresh and my all time favorite has to be the stuffed brinjal, meatball, ngor hiang and stuffed tofu. 

The condiments are available at the counter for self-service. There is also a pot of soya beans for you to add into your soup. 

This brand has been around since 1986 and they have a few outlets islandwide.

MEIXI'S KITCHEN

Block 630 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 #01-972 SINGAPORE 560630
Operating Hours: 7.45 am to 9.00 pm (Daily)

The Hakka Yong Tau Fu Stall : handmade based on a home recipe

This stall has been around for the longest time and is one of the popular stalls in this food centre, serving traditional Hakka style Yong Tau Fu using a home recipe. I used to visit this stall quite often when working and staying near here. The queue is usually quite long during lunch as well as weekends and they usually sold out before 1.30 pm. Some of the items were already gone when I was there at 12.30 pm and it only left a few choices when I went back later to take away. 

You are expected to choose your items first before joining the queue. When it is your turn, you handed the bowl to that assistant and telling her your preferences. You will be given a number and you are expected to hang around the area to wait for that number to be called in about 15 minutes or so.

Most of the items like egg, pig's intestine, brinjal, beancurd, fishball, yam and others are freshly fried to give it a slight crisp. Each item is freshly made and is stuffed with minced meat or fish paste. Some of the unique items that you should try are the fried pig's small intestine, fried tau pok with minced meat, lotus root with fish paste and fried meat roll, these are my usual favourites. Each of this handmade item is reasonably priced at 0.60 cents and it is served along with a bowl of lightly flavoured soup if you have it dry. There are bits of nicely fried garlic added to the soup for that extra flavour. You could choose to have it with bee hoon or rice for 0.50 cents. It is served separately on a plate then garnished with chopped coriander and white pepper to serve. 

THE HAKKA YONG TAU FU STALL

Block 20 Ghim Moh Road #01-25 Ghim Moh Food Centre SINGAPORE 270020

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 2.00 pm (Daily)

Ding Hao Yong Tau Fu : Good Hakka style Yong Tau Fu, Must-try!

This shop is nestled amongst the others in this housing estate, it is located near the end of Block 304 after passing by 3 coffee shops just to get there and it has been around for more than a year. The owner inherited a secret recipe from Ya Rong Yong Tau Fu in Johor Bahru, Malaysia for Yong Tau Fu as mentioned on their Facebook page. They serve it the Hakka style with specially marinated minced pork together with a small proportion of fish paste instead of with just the fish paste like the Cantonese style that is commonly available. 

They minced the pork by themselves and to maintain its freshness, they added in the ice cubes in the blending process. Those pieces of Yong Tau Fu are handmade daily just 2 hours before their opening and are available at 0.60 cents per piece. You could choose to have it with soup or dry or with the curry sauce, they even have it with bean paste or go with the chee cheong fun or try their house special, the stir-fry Yong Tau Foo. There are different versions of stir-fry Yong Tau Foo like Kapitan Yong Tau Foo, Gan Xiang Yong Tau Foo, Sweet & Sour Yong Tau Foo, Marmite Yong Tau Foo, Gong Bao Yong Tau Foo, Lemon Yong Tau Foo, Rendang Yong Tau Foo and Thai Sauce Yong Tau Foo. And, their broth is simmered using prime ribs and mushroom. 

The number on the receipt will be called out when it is ready for collection which is not as effective. It happened when I heard my number was called by the lady serving at the counter. When I was at the counter, another customer thought it should be his order as he heard it wrongly. 

Apparently, they actually mixed up the order. We ordered 2 portions, the first portion is to go with the curry sauce and thick bee hoon, the second portion is to go with chee cheong fun and minced meat sauce but they mixed it up.

The Curry Yong Tau Fu is a popular item on their menu. The curry gravy was not too thick nor too diluted with a comforting level of spiciness. It went well with the thick bee hoon and also those pieces of Yong Tau Fu. The highlight has to be the fresh-tasting handmade Yong Tau Fu items and every piece of it is equally enjoyable. 

The minced meat gravy though looked uninterestingly but it was quite tasty and not overly saltish. It somewhat reminded me of Jason Niang Dou Fu at Beach Road and if you are a fan of that particular Yong Tau Fu then you would also enjoy this one, too.

The Uncle that manned the counter came over to clear the table next to us and he asked, "How was it?" I said, " I liked it. I could actually taste a mixture of minced meat and fish paste." He then said, "We added in to give it a bite of fish taste." And, I said, "The location is not very good though" which he agreed and said, "Most people would not walk all the way to the end and they will usually miss our shop." Before he walked away and he said, "Do come back more often since you liked it."

They strive to bring their customers a unique and pleasant dining experience by offering variety on their menu as stated on their card. They have a royalty card programme for their regular customers and a stamp is received for every $5.00 spent and to accumulate 8 stamps in exchange for a free set meal. 

This Yong Tau Fu is quite similar to the famous Hakka Yong Tau Foo at Ghim Moh Food Centre, both are good but in a different style. Nonetheless, this is worth a try. 

DING HAO YONG TAU FU

Block 304 Ubi Avenue 1 #01-85 SINGAPORE 400304

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 9.30 pm (Closed on Public Holidays)

Mei Handmade Hakka Yong Tau Foo 美手工客家酿豆腐 at Woodlands

The food centre was rather quiet on a Sunday with most than half of the stalls were closed. After placing my taking away orders at the Yan Ji Seafood Soup, i went walking around to look for other choices for lunch as i did not want to wait for at least 45 minutes to eat as that was the expected waiting time at the Yan Ji Seafood Soup.

This stall caught my attention with quite a few of those awards and certifications prominently displayed and amongst them, one has even listed them as serving one of the best Yong Tau Foo in Singapore. Though no queue but there was a constant flow of customers so i guess they must be of certain standard. When looking at their Yong Tau Fu items, it is not difficult to tell from its odd and uneven shapes that most of them were handmade.

The owner is an elderly Uncle in his 60s. We started chatting in Hokkien. When i pointed to those awards displayed, Uncle chuckled and said, "All of those ah? Kelong ones la!".  His eyes sparkled with pride when he was saying that. 'Kelong' is a term usually used in Singapore and Malaysia to indicate cheating to achieve an objective by non-appropriate means. They have moved to this food centre for about 8 years now but Uncle has been at it since a teenager.

Uncle was all alone at the stall when i was there so i asked whether is he running the stall all by himself, he said, "I am doing it with my Zha Bo Lang (查某人)". Uncle was calling his wife as my woman, which is the meaning of Zha Bo Lang in Hokkien. I could not quite remember when was the last time when i encountered a man that is still proudly referred his wife as my woman. My late Grandpa used to do that too.

Uncle said, "We are usually at the stall at about 3 am to do all the preparations and we will also start selling by then too." He said his wife will come to take over later so he can go back to have a nap and they operate till about 8.00 pm.

Uncle told me that they handmade most of the items themselves, he said, "We could not make too many at a time, this is to ensure their freshness and also to avoid them from turning bad". Though most of these are the standard items that are commonly available at most Yong Tau Fu stalls but those from this stall are mostly painstakingly handmade.

Uncle said, "It is getting difficult to find the handmade Yong Tau Fu these days, a lot of hard works involved so many stalls have already given up and acquired these items from the factory instead." He continued to say, "The handmade and the factory made ones tasted quite different but again, not many of the younger generation could actually tell the difference."

Uncle was telling me that his most popular items are those handmade meatballs, he said, 'You do not get these anywhere else.' There were 2 different types of meatballs, the fried one and the steamed one, both tasted equally good.

I wanted to have yellow noodles to go with my Yong Tau Foo, Uncle asked. "Extra chilli with a bit of sweet sauce? it has to go with sweet sauce then is nice."

Most of the items tasted really fresh with not a bite of stale taste detected. Though a lot of chilli was added but the level of spiciness is quite mild and the sweetness from the sweet sauce enhanced its flavor quite a bit. It was quite enjoyable and easily one of the better Yong Tau Fu that i have eaten.

One of his regular customers was telling me, he said, "You should try the Laksa here, it is very good". Uncle said, "I added lemongrass into it and that is the key".  I told Uncle that i will come back for his Laksa soon. 

With many of the first and second generation hawkers went into retirement, many of the foods did not actually taste quite the same anymore. 

美手工客家酿豆腐 
Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-29 Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre
SINGAPORE 731004
Operating Hours: 3.00 am to 8.00 pm

Jason Niang Dou Fu : Chye Poh Sauce and Yam Rice are must-try!

I have heard of this particular shop selling Yong Tau Foo along Beach Road, just a few shops away from Prince Coffee House. The boss, Jason Ng, decided to follow the steps of his parents, his parents have been in street food business for a while. Jason ventured into opening 5 Yong Tau Foo outlets at different food courts before set up this cafe to sell Yong Tau Foo. Yong Tau Foo is usually a Hakka dish, consisting primarily tofu with ground meat or fish paste as filling.

What actually distinguish between his Yong Tau Foo and others is they have about 50 items for selection, ranging from fish balls, cuttlefish, crab sticks, lettuce, ladies fingers as well as cabbage parcel also some tau pok and tau kwa stuffed with fish paste. Most Yong Tau Foo is eaten dry with sweet sauce and chilli or the soup version but not so here. You could choose to have it with their special chye poh (preserved radish) sauce or even the satay sauce, or just the laksa sauce. They do also offer chee cheong fun if you did not want the rice or noodles.

You are expected to choose your own items then decide over the counter on the type of noodles and sauce to go with Yong Tua Foo. This was my first time to come across chye poh sauce, since i was sharing it with a friend, we decided to try the chye poh sauce and the laksa version. 

The total amount for all was $18.80. When taken a closer look, i realised they charged for sauce and the type of noodles or rice selected too. Our first bowl consists of 7 items for $6.40, the chye poh sauce is $1.50 and the yam rice is another $1.50 for a total of $9.40. The second bowl has 6 items for $5.40, the laksa is $1.20 and the yellow noodle is $0.90 cents for a total of $7.50. This is not cheap but again, given the rapid raising cost of living including the rental and labor, what is really cheap in Singapore?

There is a promotion for their barley at $1 if you order your bowl of Yong Tau Foo. We had the cold and the warm barley, the warm one is a better choice as the cold one was a bit diluted after the ice cubes melted.

You were expected to collect your order from the counter when the buzzer buzzed. They will have everything placed on the tray and handed it to you. You were also expected to collect your chopstick and spoon as well as the condiments from the station just in front of the counter.

The Claypot Chye Poh Sauce Yong Tau Foo tasted quite unique, it reminded me a bit of the Ampang Yong Tau Foo but taste wise, it is quite different. The Yong Tau Foo items were cooked in the chye poh sauce for a bit and topped with dried shallots and chopped spring onions to serve. It was still really hot even when i done taking the pictures. The saltiness of the chye poh did not overwhelm the taste, it has a savory sweetness and went well with the Yam Rice. I read it would be even better to go with white rice to truly enjoy its unique flavor. 

Though it is quite a small bowl for $1.50 but the tastiness of this bowl of Yam Rice is worth the value. It has got a distinctive taste of dried shrimps and with tons of chunky yam pieces amongst the rice. It was one of the better Yam Rice tasted. 

The Laksa Yong Tau Foo did not taste too special even though it is one of their popular choices. The Laksa sauce did not taste particularly creamy nor too spicy, it just did not quite stand out. They made an effort to separate the items to be placed in the Laksa sauce and to re-fried it then served it separately on the plate, that is definitely commendable. 

The Fried Tempura Brinja was quite nice, it is one of the most unique items amongst their 50 choices for selection.

The overall experience was not too bad but i am not quite likely to make a special effort to come back again given its prices.

JASON NIANG DOU FU

321 Beach Road SINGAPORE 199557

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

928 Ngee Fou Restaurant (Hakka) Ampang Yong Tou Fu

We were there at about 8 pm, close to their closing time. They dimmed their signboard and it didn't left much food at their counter. I thought they must have already sold out but still approached the lady and asked, there were still some left for 2 people though some items were not available. We asked for a mixture of everything that they left with 2 bowls of rice. 

It came quite quickly, the items include kang kong, fishball, fried dumplings, dried beancurd skin, squid eggs brinjal and bitter gourd stuffed with fish paste served in a pool of sauce. Nothing fanciful but pure comforting. 

My favourite item has to be brinja stuffed with fish paste. It tasted fresh, went well with rice, with or without the sweet sauce.

This is worth a try, if you happen to be in the vicinity.

928 NGEE FOU RESTAURANT (HAKKA) AMPANG YONG TOU FOU

928 Upper Thomson Road SINGAPORE 787121

FuLin Fried Yong Tofu : Average Tasting with Bad Service

I expected it to be different but it turned out to be quite a disappointment. The taste aside, the service was rather bad, to be exact, it was kind of rude. The total cost of food ordered was $7.70, rather expensive. I am not quite likely to be back.

FULIN FRIED YONG TOFU

112 East Coast Road #04-01 112 Katong SINGAPORE 428802

Song Kee Fishball Noodle

I have heard of this particular fishball noodle and have been wanting to try it for a while. Their operating hours make it to be quite a challenge though as they operate from 6.30 pm to 3.00 am or sold out. Their off-day is on every Wednesday. They are located along Upper Serangoon Road and within the walking distance from the Serangoon MRT station, not too far from NEX. 

I was just happened to be at NEX to catch a movie and decided to walk about 5 minutes to here for supper after the movie. It was about 9.30 pm then, though no queue but almost 80% of their tables were occupied. 

I went to the counter right in front and ordered from a friendly Auntie. Their system is to order first and pay upon served. A number tag was given to be placed on the table. The waiting time was longer than expected. We waited for slightly longer than 15 minutes before gotten our bowls of noodle. 

The portion of noodle was just right served along with 3 pieces of fishball, a piece of tau pok together with a fish dumpling. 

The noodle was cooked well to give it the desired springiness and softness.

When tossed it, a bowl of tasty noodle awaits. Though i have requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added but the level of spiciness was just right though it was a little oily at the base. 

This is definitely a good choice for supper but too bad, i do not stay in the vicinity.

SONG KEE FISHBALL NOODLE

532 Upper Serangoon Road SINGAPORE 534547.