Hillstreet Char Kway Teow: I have eaten the rest, this is still the best

It is good to know that some things never change.

Almost 2 years ago, I blogged about Hillstreet Char Kway Teow and even in the early days of the blog, I already gave this old man a 4.75/5 for his Char Kway Teow. I think it was the very first time I awarded a 4.75/5 to any hawker. Now, two years later it is time to post some new pictures of the Char Kway Teow and let some of our newer readers know about this CKT legend.

I think that any self confessed Char Kway Teow fan will need to eat this Char Kway Teow at least once in their lives. After reviewing several other Char Kway Teow stalls, I still haven't really found any stall that could surpass this old man's plate. Since Char Kway Teow isn't exactly Cardiac Friendly Food, I always tend to tell myself that I shall only eat half a plate so that I can enjoy the flavour but not feel too guilty after that. But I need to confess that every time I come here, I always end up with an empty plate! Really can't help it. 4.75/5

Mr Ng still looks as feisty as before and now even with 46 years of frying experience under his belt, he still looks like he's got a few more years in him. Unfortunately, there is no successor to the throne, so it is only a matter of time before another great hawker name becomes just a distant memory.

Conclusion

I have heard some people complain that they don't want to travel from the West all the way to Bedok to eat a plate of Char Kway Teow. Well, you can't really call yourself a serious foodie in that case can you?

Hill Street Fried Kway Teow
Blk 16, Bedok South Road, #01-187
Opened for lunch till about 4pm. Then around 6pm till all he runs out of food.
Closed on Mondays

Mr Ng 90421312

Read the last blog post here

What to do next:
Go around the corner to visit Big D's Grill
Check out the other acclaimed Char Kway Teow Stalls

Heng Huat Char Kway Teow: Healthy.....yet Still can Eat

With Damien


Char Kway Teow must be one of the top three dishes with the worst reputation for being unhealthy. Just ask anyone which is the most unhealthy hawker dish and I think most people will mention Char Kway Teow.

To counter this bad rep, an increasing number of Char Kway Teow stalls are putting more vegetables on top of their Char Kway Teow in an effort to disguise the artery clogging properties of what is essentially rice noodles in a lard based sauce.

But if you think that the drive towards a healthier Char Kway Teow is a recent trend, then you would be surprised that this man has been frying his Char Kway Teow this way for over 20 years, from the time he took over his father's stall in Spottiswoode Park. He started adding the vegetables not because of health reasons, because he felt that it actually tastes better that way

He claims that he was the first one to actually fry Char Kway Teow this way and that other people, especially the famous one at Golden Mile FC had copied him. Is this true? Don't really know. Perhaps there are readers out there who can support or renounce his claim?

Anyway, I actually liked this CKT better then the more famous one at Golden Mile. He adds chye poh to the CKT and that adds a bit of kick. Still, I am a firm believer that CKT requires lard and without lard it is impossible vfor a CKT to reach its full potential. So I would rather eat a good CKT once in a long while and enjoy it rather then to eat partially healthy CKT more often. That said, this one is actually quite enjoyable although they don't put the lard in. Not something I would go all the way to Pasir Panjang to eat, but I'd say it is better then a lot of CKT I have eaten. 4/5

Conclusion

Not a bad CKT considering there is no lard and the vegetables will definitely soothe your conscience.

So what would you consider to be the top 3 most unhealthy hawker food?

PS: Westies should be happy that I am venturing this far West eh?

Heng Huat Fried Kway Teow
121 Pasir Panjang Road
Pasir Panjang Food Centre
5 miles Stall #01-36
11am to 9.30pm
Closed on Sundays and PH

Tanjong Pagar Fried Kway Teow: Should the Kway Teow be thick or thin?

With AlecEe, Kat, zanzoo, iwatch_ueat, liverpool, pk and smart


The review of this Char Kway Teow is mixed. I thought that it was very good, but others in our group thought it was good but not that good. However, being a 30 year old stall, I am sure that they will have their regular supporters.

The thing that is distinct about their Char Kway Teow is the use of thin Kway Teow rather than the usual wider version. Somehow I felt this made the Kway Teow more lively. Sometimes, the thicker Kway Teow can be a little flat and limp, if you know what I mean. The look and texture of the Kway Teow was reminiscent of Penang style Char Kway Teow but tastewise, this is your typical Singaporean Teochew style Char Kway Teow. It is also a little on the sweeter side which really agrees with my palate. However, it fell just short of crossing the Wok Hei threshold. A bit more charred flavour could have pushed it up to the "Must Try" rating! 4/5



Conclusion

If you are a Char Kway Teow afficianado, you should have this one on your "Been there, done that list". Something you would want to try if you are within the one kilometer radius and yearning for good Char Kway Teow.

BTW, do you all feel that classic Char Kway Teow should have the wider Kway Teow or not?

Tanjong Pagar Fried Kway Teow
Blk 6 #02-09 Tanjong Pagar Food Centre
9am to 4pm daily
62276749

Mei Shi Mei Ge: Celebrating our Heritage Food

Orchard Road Hup Kee Hokkien Mee Prices starting from $4

It is a shame that a lot of kids who are growing up nowadays cannot speak their own dialects. It is especially true for most dialects except for Cantonese which is preserved because of the movies and music coming out from Hong Kong. Sadly, my own kids can't even say "Teochew Nang Kah Chng Ang Ang" (Teochew people have red backsides). Well they can but they do it with an English intonation. While we have done a great job at promoting Mandarin as the unifying language amongst the Chinese people, I think it came at the expense of losing the rich Heritage of the different Dialect groups.

As the margins between the different dialect groups slowly become blurred, the foods associated with the different dialect groups also become less distinct. Thus we have Hokkiens selling Hainanese Chicken rice for instance. Interestingly, the phenomenon of fusion never really made its appearance across the dishes. I don't think I have ever seen a Teochew man selling Hokkien Mee who would try a fusion Hokkien Char Kway Teow Mee. The closest I got was a Teochew Man frying Char Kway Teow who addes a Seafood stock to his Char Kway Teow just like a Hokkien Mee. But the dish is still distinctively a Char Kway Teow.

I am glad that the good people at Kopitiam also feel the need (as I do) to preserve the heritage of our dialect groups when they set up their latest Food Court. The new Mei Shi Mei Ke Food Court at Hougang Mall endeavours to embrace the local dialects and highlight the origins of our local favourites.

The first thing that impresses you as you approach the Food Court is the decor. They have Chinese style tables and chairs and calligraphy decorating the walls featuring nursery rhymes from the five common dialect groups. The uniforms that adorn the hawkers also hint of the past. Not quite Samsui Woman, but the association is not difficult to make.

Aside from the outward appearance, Kopitiam has also made the effort to resurrect some of the less common hawker fare that are novel even for a Gen X guy like myself.


Hainanese Coconut Leaf Dumpling $3

Take for instance the Hainanese Coconut Leaf Dumpling which was a first for me. This seems like a cross between a Bak Chang and a Ketupat. I was told this is a very traditional Hainanese dish. The Glutinous rice is dry and has bits of dried shrimp mixed into the rice and filled with Kong Bak and mushrooms. It's not moist like the more familiar Lotus Leaf Dumpling but dry and savoury like the Pulut Pangang. Quite an interesting dish to try. 4/5


Hokkien Fried Pork Stuffing $5

Both carnineviand and I were especially delighted by the Hokkien Fried Pork Stuffing (Ngor Hiang) which was being sold at the Mini Wok stall. It was one of those long lost tastes which suddenly triggers that sense of nostalgia that I had difficulty identifying at first. Even doing a Google search in my long term memory failed to produce any results until carnineviand suddenly said "Swimming Pool", and then it all came back to me. It was that Ngor Hiang that I used to eat after swimming at Toa Payoh Swimming Pool almost thirty years ago! Carnineviand's eyes also lit up and we were both celebrating the fact that we were at the same swimming pool at around the same time!

This might sound very unusual, but that cheap, 30 cent, Swimming Pool canteen Ngor Hiang was the absolute tastiest pseudo-meat morsel that can really satisfy a palate that is thoroughly cleansed by chlorine. Since then, I have never really found a Ngor Hiang that had that particular taste, that is, up till now! 4.5/5.



Perhaps the most decorated stall that they managed to attract is Orchard Road Hup Kee which is famous for its iconic straw hat which serves their Hokkien Mee and Char Kway Teow on Opeh leaves.

The Hokkien Mee was certainly one of the better ones around. However I am of the opionion that Hokkien Mee is very much an operator dependent dish unlike Laksa where the gravy can be prepared beforehand, in Hokkien Mee there is the element of frying that is operator dependent. Thus, no matter how good the stock is, it boils down to the control of the wok fire and the timing of the stir fry. This is the single element that separates the good from the great. Having said that, both Hokkien Mee and Char Kway Teow here are very good but just lacks that final element to make it great. 4.25/5


Pu Tien Fried Bee Hoon $4

Those looking for something a little different to tingle the tastebuds would be very happy to find an outlet dishing out Pu Tian Xing Hwa cuisine. Pu Tian cuisine is gaining popularity in Singapore with many new restaurants opening around the island in recent years and it is good to see that we can now enjoy the food without having to go to a restaurant. The Pu Tian Fried Bee Hoon uses a very thin Bee Hoon, typical of the dish and is cooked in a very mild stock and topped with seaweed and peanuts. Quite a good dish where you can appreciate the taste of the Bee Hoon as the flavours are not overpowering. 4/5



I remember eating these Fen Yuan when I was a kid. Mom used to make them to celebrate Dong Zhi which marks the beginning of Winter (in China of course) and used to tell me that I would be one year older when I eat it. Nowadays it is more common to see Tang Yuan which is filled with peanuts, red beans or sesame paste. So I was very intrigued to see that the dessert stall here is making the Fen Yuan by hand. Aside from the pink and white ones they also have yam and sweet potato flavoured Fen Yuan. It is certainly a blast from the past. 4/5

Conclusion

This is certainly a food court with some character! Kopitiam has managed to create an environment where parents might feel the urge to teach their kids a little about the past, ala "Tan Ah Teck": "Long long time ago, when your father was still your age..... we used to eat this Fen Yuan during the Dong Zhi festival......" It would be great to see more food courts like these and to have the concept extended to include our Malay and Indian heritage foods!

Mei Shi Mei Ke Food Court
Level 4 Hougang Mall

This review was commissioned by AsiaOne Wine & Dine
This was first recommended by wei

Ya Kwang Dai Pai Dong: Cze Char Lobster Noodles!

700g Live Maine Lobster Noodle $60

This is a Dream come true!

I finally managed to persuade a Cze Char Hawker to do a Lobster Noodle for me. And it is not just any Lobster, it's a Maine Lobster as well. And the best thing is that this large plate of Lobster only costs $60! This is great value considering my last Lobster Noodle cost $80++ for a half lobster!



The Lobster Noodle idea was already simmering since my first meeting with Jason, whom I would describe as a New Age, Service Oriented Cze Char Hawker. Just like how the IBM changed from a maker of computer hardware to a provider of business solutions, Jason's Cze Char does not just provide Cze Char dishes, he is there to satisfy your Cze Char cravings.

He has recently re-branded his stall from selling mainly Kway Chap to what is known as a "Dai Pai Dong", which is a popular concept in Hong Kong. Essentially, what that means is that he will cook for you whatever you want, subject to availability of ingredients. Think of it has having your very own Cze Char Chef whom you can get to satisfy your whims and fancies.



I can't tell you how excited I was when I received the SMS reply early Sunday morning that Jason had managed to procure a Live Maine Lobster for me! I was so excited that I had to really struggle to keep the thought of the Lobster Noodles out of my mind during Church Service that morning. (Come on, don't tell me you never think of lunch during Church Service before!)

If you are wondering how the Lobster can be so cheap, let me just let you in on the secret. Just across the road from his restaurant is a Live Seafood Supplier. So instead of Jason keeping the Lobsters alive in his own shop, he just hops across the road to buy the Lobster! That way he saves on the cost of keeping the water tanks and also curbs potential wastage!



I have already mentioned about the Lobster Anticlimax Phenomenon in an earlier blog so I was a little apprehensive just before I took my first mouthful of the noodles. The last thing I want was to be disappointed yet again.

God not only forgave me for thinking of Lobster during Church, but He really blessed me with a treat that day! This is exactly what I was looking for! Phwa Sayah! I was in Heaven.

Jason had modified the recipe a little by using Handmade Noodles instead of egg noodles. These are noodles he makes himself on the premises. The Handmade Noodles were excellent at absorbing the taste of the Lobster but still maintaining its chewy and gummy texture. The Maine Lobster was superbly sweet and succulent. This is definitely one of those significant life changing moments for me. 4.8/5



Now if you have to feed 7 people, you will need to share your plate of Lobster Noodles and eat something else to fill the stomach. Besides the Kway Chap and the Kong Bak which are both excellent here, you should also try a plate of Jason's Char Kway Teow which is the best Penang Style Char Kway Teow I have had in Singapore. It has that wonderful savoury wok hei flavour and the Kway Teow was lively and slippery. 4.5/5 Another dish that you might like to try is his Mild Curry Fried Chicken Wings. The taste is very unique and you can hardly make out the taste of the curry, but its really got that ooommph! 4.5/5

Conclusion

This must be THE DISCOVERY of the blog!

You will have to order your lobster earlier in the day so that Jason can hop across the road to secure one for you. Jason will continue to offer it at this promotional price for a limited period of time only and it is also dependent on the Lobster season, so make sure you go soon. And, if you just happen to see someone carrying a big camera there, make sure you come over and say hi!

Ya Kwang Dai Pai Dong
709 Geylang Road (Lor 37)
11am to 11pm daily
98170006
Order your Lobster before 7 pm but the earlier the better!

Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow: Wet Wet Wet

To be very honest, this is the ugliest plate of Char Kway Teow I have ever laid eyes on. But it is also the most unique Char Kway Teow I have ever come across.

It is almost like a Hor Fun since the Kway Teow still white in colour and it is swimming in the sweet black sauce gravy. Although the stall's name is Apollo (probably named after the Apollo lunar missions of the 60's) it is better known as the Wet Char Kway Teow of Marine Parade Hawker Centre.

If you like sweet stuff, you will like this Char Kway Teow as the gravy is very much on the sweet side. As I said, the Kway Teow does not taste like it has had enough contact with the wok. But overall, a better than average plate of Char Kway Teow and certainly very unique. 3.75/5

Conclusion

Just gotta try it at least once to decide if you like it or not.


Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow
Marine Parade Food Centre
#01-174
11.30am to 9.30pm
Closed Tuesday

Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow: Remember the old comic strip?

I wonder how many Gen Y readers know who Lao Fu Zi is? I haven't come across a Lao Fu Zi comic strip for years, so I don't know if they are still as popular today. When I was a kid, reading Lao Fu Zi was a matter of looking at the pictures and trying to make out the meaning since I could not read the Chinese script. I don't think much has changed if I were to pick up a Lao Fu Zi comic nowadays. In fact, I am having trouble even helping my son with his primary 2 chinese composition. My Lao Shi's would be very disappointed with me.

This is one of the more popular stalls in the newly revamped food centre which I missed in my last series, so it is time to add it into the blog.

Unfortunately the stall does not normally fry the CKT with lard unless you specially request. So our first plate of CKT was not that great. It was still quite flavoursome, but it lacked the oooomph of a well fried CKT. Not giving up, I went back to request that they try another "No holds barred" CKT using whatever it takes to make it the best plate of CKT on the earth. The result: A good plate of Char Kway Teow, but still not quite up to our expectations. 4/5

Conclusion

Good plate of Char Kway Teow. The queue is quite long, so there are many fans of it. However, the plate we had that day just failed to hit the sweet spot for us.


Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow
Old Airport Road Food Centre
#01-12

302 Newton Char Kway Teow: 40 years and still going strong! Serangoon Way Food Centre

With iwatch_ueat and introducing Tag Tag and carnineviand


Now this was a very fun blog entry to write.

Our group of makankakis visited Serangoon Way Food centre and carnineviand told me about this famous Newton Char Kway Teow stall. It was 3.30pm in the afternoon and there was a queue outside the stall. Being a skeptic, I asked if the Char Kway Teow was really that shiok or are they just famous. The usual answer I get for such a question was, predictably, that they used to be really good but the standards have dropped somehow. But he said, "You should see how the old man fries his Kway Teow!"

Ok, I was curious enough to investigate.

The old man behind the wok must be in his 70's and he was attacking that wok like a loan shark trying to extract money from a defenceless debtor. I mean his whole body was shaking, rattling and rolling so much that it was make a belly dancer jealous. And he looked as if he was really enjoying himself!

So I struck up a conversation in Teochew and found out that he had been frying Char Kway Teow for 40 years. I did not want to be short changed, so I issued him my ultimate challenge. I asked the old man to fry for me the Char Kway Teow from 30 years ago! I wanted a no holds barred, do whatever it takes, gimme gimme gimme a shiok shiok plate.....of Char Kway Teow!



Most of the time, it just pays to be nice to people.

The old man cleared the area, pulled up his pants and stirred up a Char Kway Teow storm. He was frying with the gusto of a 21 year old, joyfully re-living the memories of a long forgotten youth. My request had set him free to perform his magic on every strand of Kway Teow Mee. Ok, I am getting a bit carried away. But my makankakis all agreed that this was a plate of Char Kway Teow to behold. Especially for carnineviand whose faith was miraculously restored.

The big difference with this Char Kway Teow was that the old man uses a seafood broth made from freshly blanched squids, prawns and cockles to wet his Char Kway Teow instead of plain water. This gave the Char Kway Teow an added seafood flavour. A Char Kway Teow worth going back for. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Another really good Char Kway Teow but the most endearing of all was the sight of a 70 year old man doing what he has been doing for 40 years as if he had just started doing it yesterday. That, my friends is what I call PASSION. And THAT is what makes his Char Kway Teow great.

Newton Circus 302 Chao Guo Tiao
Serangoon Way Food Centre Stall 46
12.30pm to 9pm
Closed Mondays and Fridays (Semi Retired)

No 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow: Old World Charm: Zion Road Riverside Food Centre Part 3 of 3

Talking about New and Old World Hawker Foods, if you want to taste something with a bit of vintage, then you will have to check out this stall. This guy has been around since the days when John Travolta had a really cool hairstyle and a prominent chin. He still looks good but getting a bit thick round the neck, know what I mean?

I prefer Char Kway Teow (CKT) with lots of bean sprouts and Gu Chai (Chinese Chives) as it gives it that special crunchy sweetness and balances out the rich savoury flavours of the Lup Cheong, lard and noodles. So when this plate of CKT came, I was pretty excited. It was one darn good looking, dare I say, sexy plate of CKT.



The Kway Teow was slippery and lively and it has that "This wok has been around before you were born taste". However, my seasoned makankakis, the HolyC and smart both insist that it was even better once upon a time. So even though it was a good plate of Char Kway Teow, I was given room to imagine that it could be even better. For me a dash more dark sauce might have pushed it up a quarter of a point. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Good plate of Char Kway Teow. Next time I order, I will specifically tell him that I want more wok flavour and more dark sauce. I think that should do the trick.

No 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow
Zion Road Riverside Food Centre
Stall 17
12pm - 3pm/6pm to 11pm daily