Cheng Ji : Pork Trotter Bee Hoon

I have heard of the Pork Trotter Bee Hoon from this humble stall manned by a middle-aged lady all by herself and how good it is. I came with my dining companion for lunch on a rainy day. There was just another customer at this stall. I decided to have the Pork Trotter Bee Hoon, it is known as Pork Leg Bee Hoon there, there are choices of $5, $8 and $12 and I went with the smallest portion. I also ordered the smallest portion of Fried Kway Teow for $3, there are $4 and $6. I was asked to come back later to collect. Both were ready when I came back about minutes later. 

My dining companion took a mouthful and said, "It tasted exactly like what you cooked at home." He added, "It is not common to find this dish at hawker stall though and for those that do not cook, this is a rare find." 

This is a homely dish, it has been a childhood favorite and always is a simple pleasure. The familiar taste is quite comforting. The main ingredients are simply the canned pork trotter, bee hoon, and bean sprouts with a handful of greens. It is definitely more economical to cook this dish at home. I usually get the Narcissus brand of canned pig trotter for about $3.50 and a packet of mee hoon is about $1.50, serve it with belachan chilli. 

The Fried Kway Teow was quite disappointing, it was slightly dry with no hint of wok flavor. It tasted like the economical Kway Teow Mee available at those stalls serving breakfast. 

CHENG JI

2 Adam Road #01-24 Adam Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 289877

Operating Hours: 9.30 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow : that nostalgic feel

This is one of those stalls with a queue during lunch in this food centre. I was curious and decided to join in the queue. The stall is manned by an elderly Uncle all by himself and it serves only Fried Kway Teow at $3. It is not difficult to tell that most of these customers are their regulars. They ordered in Hokkien and giving specific instructions on how they will like Fried Kway Teow to be done. 

The elderly Uncle stir-fried the mixture of kway teow and yellow noodles in batches before frying them plate by plate. When it was my turn, I tried ordering it in Hokkien too and he replied, "Chilli?". I nodded. I waited for a while before receiving it. I was told that this Uncle learned from his father before taking over the stall. The operation hours are usually short and it closes before 3 pm. Sometimes, he only operates at night. 

If you look at the pair of decades-old chopsticks, it brings out a sense of nostalgic feel.  I wonder how many plates of fried kway teow have these chopsticks served? I used to find them at Grandpa's house when I was little.

Those noodles were nicely fried to infuse a slight smokiness with ingredients like Chinese sausage, fishcake, cockles, bean sprouts and green. It tasted a bit like Penang Fried Kway Teow, it is more savory and less sweet. It might not be the best Fried Kway Teow but it definitely has got a certain standard. 

CHUAN KEE FRIED KWAY TEOW
Block 90 Whampoa Drive #01-41 Whampoa Food Centre SINGAPORE 320091

Hock Kee Fried Kway Teow : the decades-old flavor

Ah Song, 66, the owner, has been frying kway teow for more than 4 decades after taking over the stall from his mother-in-law that started it from a pushcart in the 60s' along Maude Road. This stall used to be in a coffee shop at Maude Road for about 20 years then moved to Syed Alwi Road in November 2015 before moving to Berseh Food Centre in March 2018. 

There are 3 sizes, from the smallest at $3 to medium at $3.50 and the largest at $4.00. There was another customer in front of me. I decided to go with the $4 portion and waited in front of the stall. Uncle asked, "Do you want chilli?" I replied, "Yes." As I will be sharing with my dining companion so I said, "Just a bit of chilli." It was still a little too spicy for him. He said, "I did not taste much of the wok flavor and there did not seem to have any lard. It would definitely be nicer if there are some bits of crispy lard." He added, "It is still a good plate of fried kway teow, much better than some of the mediocre ones." 

Nonetheless, it has an alluring old-school flavor with ingredients like slices of fishcake, cockles, Chinese sausage, and egg. It was fried well to the desired texture, which was drier, more savory and less sweet. 

HOCK KEE FRIED KWAY TEOW

166 Jalan Berseh #01-16 Berseh Food Centre SINGAPORE 208877

Operating Hours: 2.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Daily)

Penang Fried Kway Teow : around for 20 years

This stall only serves Penang Fried Kway Teow for $3.00 per plate. The Aunty saw me taking pictures of her stall. She asked, "You are taking pictures?". I replied, "I want to tell my friends about your stall as there are not many stalls serving Penang Fried Kway Teow these days." 

She said, "We are the second generation hawker, the stall has been handed down from my parents and it has been around for over 20 years in this food centre." And, I said, "Some of the younger hawkers only managed to be around for a few months before quitting it." She continued to say, "It is not easy to run a hawker stall these days. I read about it in the newspaper. It has been very much monopolized." I asked, "How much is your rental?" She replied, "All in all is around $2,000. The cleaning fee itself is already about few hundreds." I asked, "May I know your operating hours?" Aunty replied, "Better do not say, I will close when it is sold out."

It did not actually taste like the Penang Fried Kway Teow but more like a healthier version of usual Fried Kway Teow. The kway teow was broken up in the smaller pieces, it was served with a generous amount of bean sprouts added together with choy sum and other ingredients like lup cheong, prawns and cockles. The level of spiciness of the chilli was mild. 

PENANG FRIED KWAY TEOW

17 Upper Boon Keng Road #01-08 Upper Boon Keng Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 380017

Lai Heng Fried Kway Teow at Sembawang Hills Food Centre

This stall has been in this food centre for quite a while, serving Fried Kway Teow ($3/$4) and Banana Leaf Mackerel Otah ($1). They are related to another stall at Shunfu Mart and that stall used to be at the already demolished Lakeview Food Centre along Thomson Road. It is supposed to be manned by the father and sister. The last time when I was there, it was cooked by a lady. It was served in a few minutes. The kway teow were in broken pieces and some were rather charred and dry. I actually thought the portion was pre-cooked then left it in the wok and they just re-fried it to heat up a little before serving it. I did not go back after that. I heard that the father with his 40 years of experience fries very good Fried Kway Teow though. I was at the food centre a few times but did not get to see his father at the wok.

The experience at this stall in Sembawang Hills Food Centre was better. It is one of those stalls that will still serve it to you after ordering. The portion was quite generous even for the smaller serving at $3. It was served with ingredients like cockles, egg, lap cheong with a handful of bean sprouts. It was moist and not overly greasy but not as flavorful as expected to be and it did not have much smoky wok flavor. I did not find any lard amongst it. 

The Banana Leaf Mackerel Otah is an interesting side dish. It was nicely seasoned with a mild spiciness. 

Though I have been in this food centre quite often for lunch, this is not amongst the regular choices. It is getting difficult to find a good Fried Kway Teow these days.

LAI HENG FRIED KWAY TEOW
590 Upper Thomson Road #01-15 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 5.00 pm (Daily)

Penang Authentic Delicacies : Penang Fried Kway Teow in banana leaf

I came across a picture posted by an FB friend not too long ago. It showed the Penang Fried Kway Teow wrapping in banana leaf in the shape of a cone, it is by a new stall in Golden Mile Food Centre. I was not particularly looking for this stall but wanted to eat Hainanese Curry Rice and it just happened this stall is just next to it. I changed my mind at that point in time and decided to try the Ah Gong Penang Fried Kway Teow. There are the $3 and the $5 portion which I decided to go with the big portion. They do serve Penang White Curry ($3/$4.50), Fried Mee Tai Mak ($3/$5) and also Fried Mee Sua ($3/$5). The lady that took my order, said, "Go, take a seat."

I asked, "Why did you choose to wrap it in the banana leaf? Is this a practice over in Penang? The lady replied, "This method and the recipe are passed down from our Ah Gong (Grandpa). He served it in this way to better preserve its aromatic flavor." Then, I asked, "Are you from Penang? "She said, "No. Not me. My husband is from Penang though."

It was ready in less than 5 minutes as I was the only customer at that time. The lady handed it to me and said, "Thank you." I have traveled to Penang quite a few times but never come across such a method in presenting the Fried Kway Teow there. I slowly unwrapped it by moving the 2 toothpicks that were used to hold the banana leaf together. I was greeted with a nice smoky flavor. The thin flat rice noodles were stir-fried with prawns, clams, roasted meat, Chinese sausage, fish cake and a handful of bean sprouts for a textural contrast. They actually made an effort to peel the prawns leaving only the head and tail part.

It definitely requires the right ingredients coupled with the correct techniques to stir-fry a plate of fried kway teow at high heat for a charred taste. And, this might not be the best that I have tasted but it was actually better than most of the others in Singapore. It was savory, moist and drier in texture, not oily too. I requested to have an extra amount of chill added for a spicier flavor.

PENANG AUTHENTIC DELICACIES

505 Beach Road #01-111 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Zheng Xing Fried Kway Teow Mee : not worth the long wait

There were a few people gathered in front of this stall when I was there. I was curious and decided to try their Fried Kway Teow Mee. There is the $3 as well as $4 portion and I went ahead with the larger portion. I was given a number tag after ordering. It was 1 pm then and I was told to come back at about 1.25 pm. The lady said, "Your order should be ready by then."  I went back at about 1.25 pm and it was not ready yet. I waited for another couple of minutes before receiving it. I was expecting it to be of a certain standard after waiting for so long. 

My first mouthful did not manage to amaze me. It was not bad but not mind-blowingly good. It was just a mass of kway teow and mee stir-fried with ingredients like Chinese sausage, egg, cockles and a handful of cockles. The color was much lighter than most Fried Kway Teow. The dark sweet sauce is clearly omitted as it did not have the usual sweetness. It is also not as savory as the Penang Fried Kway Teow. I requested to have less chilli added but it still tasted quite spicy. 

ZHENG XING FRIED KWAY TEOW MEE

Block 35 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 #01-35 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre SINGAPORE 310035

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays & Mondays0

Peter Fried Kway Teow Mee : not as good as expected

Peter Fried Kway Teow Mee started by Peter Lim, the founder, in a coffee shop at Jago Close. The coffee shop is along East Coast Road and near to Holy Family Church, before moving to Tanjong Pagar Food Centre. Benny, his son, started to help out before eventually took over the stall. He is manning it single-handedly now. The stall was quite popular when they were in Katong but not so now though there is still a queue during lunch. I tried it once a long time ago but I did not have much impression now. 

We were there on a Sunday. While ordering Lor Mee from Soon Heng Food Delights, I could hear the clanging sound of the wok from afar. My dining companion suggested, "Let's go check out the Fried Kway Teow." We decided to go with the larger portion of Traditional Teow Chew Fried Kway Teow at $4. There is a smaller portion at just $3. There is also Penang Style Fried Kway Teow at $4/$5 and Seafood Fried Kway Teow at $4/$5.

The Traditional Teow Chew Fried Kway Teow uses a black sweet sauce with ingredients like fishcake, bean sprouts, and vegetable. As my dining companion does not eat cockles, it was requested to be left out. It was served with a piece of lime. This is likely the first time that I ever encountered this. 

My dining companion said, "The sweetness from the black sweet sauce is quite light." He continued, "Maybe it should not be served with a lime. It must be the cause of the mild sweet taste." He said, "It might go better if it is served with the Penang Style Fried Kway Teow."

The fried kway teow was quite moist but not quite flavorful. My dining companion said, "I do not think I will order this again." 

PETER FRIED KWAY TEOW MEE

6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-05 Tanjong Pagar Food Centre SINGAPORE 081006

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm

Tong Ji (同记 ) Penang Fried Kway Teow at Jurong West

It is getting difficult to find a good Penang Fried Kway Teow in Singapore, it is even more so if you have visited Penang and eaten the Fried Kway Teow there. I visited Penang a few years ago and I got to try the popular Siam Road Char Kway Teow and the Famous Ah Leng Char Koay Teow, both tasted equally good. I used to be patronizing Simei Penang Laksa Speciality regularly at the food centre over at Block 347 Jurong East Avenue 1 for their Penang Fried Kway Teow. This stall serves Penang Laksa too but I did not like it as much. Besides, there used to be a stall at one of the coffee shops at Holland Drive that served good Penang Fried Kway Teow and that was the closest that I have eaten in Singapore but that stall has closed down a long while ago. Since then, I have been looking for good Penang Fried Kway Teow in Singapore. 

A friend left a comment on my blog about this stall at Jurong West that used to be at Block 959 Jurong West Street 91 before moving to its current location. This friend mentioned that a Malaysian couple recommended the stall to him when they shared a table at Malaysia Boleh food court at Jurong Point. The wife came from Penang and she only eats from this particular stall. This friend visited him on his last day at the previous location and then again at his new location. The comment stated, "He is very meticulous in his cooking. I was able to observe his fry his CKT at the old stall as the stove was just at the front. Instead of just cracking the egg and mix it with the other ingredients. He would drizzle some soy sauce on its first. But his chili was nicer when I tried at the new location."

I was there for lunch at about 12 pm. I pointed to the signboard and said, "Penang Fried Kway Teow, please. The $5 portion." The smaller portion is at $4. And, I said, "A friend recommended your stall." I asked, "I heard that you are from Penang?" He nodded his head. He said, "Some people thought I am a Japanese." He pointed to the towel that he tied around his head. He said, "That is for absorbing sweat." While waiting, there were other customers came by to order the Fried Kway Teow. There is also the local style Fried Kway Teow ($4/$5), Mee Goreng with Cockles ($4.00) and Bean Sprouts with Cockles ($5.00) on the menu. 

There is actually a difference between the Penang Fried Kway Teow and a local one. The taste is different, the Penang style is more savory and spicier, the local version is sweeter as no dark sweet sauce is used in Penang Fried Kway Teow so it tends to be lighter in color. His version reminded me of those that are easily found in the streets of Penang. I shared it with a friend and he commented, "That portion is big for $5." The flat rice noodles were nicely stir-fried with ingredients like prawns, cockles, Chinese lap cheong, eggs, bean sprouts and chives in a mixture of soy sauce. The color was slightly darker but it was flavorful. 

TONG JI PENANG FRIED KWAY TEOW

Block 504 Jurong West Street 51 SINGAPORE 640504

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Char Kway Teow : at Circuit Road Food Centre

Mr Chee Wei Liang, 61, is the owner of a char kway teow stall at Circuit Road Food Centre in Macpherson. He took over the stall from his father that was there for about 40 years in this area. He has been running the stall for more than a decade, he even modified the original recipe to a healthier version. My first visit was just last week. When placing my order, I requested for an extra amount of chilli to be added. He asked, "Have you ever eaten before?". I replied, "No. This is the first time." He then said, "My chilli is very hot and not all can take it." Then he suggested mixing a little in during the frying process and also placing some by the side which I agreed. 

I revisited within a week and this time, even before I place the order, he asked, "Have you eaten before?" I nodded and said, "I know your chilli is very spicy." He chuckled. He then asked, "So how? Do you want me to mix the chilli in or have it served on the side?" I replied, "Both, please." The smallest portion is at $2.50 followed by $3.00 then the $4.00 and $5.00, only the $4.00 and $5.00 served with medium sized prawn. I ordered the $3.00 portion this time. 

This Uncle is known to be the "dancing char kway teow man" as he will start dancing especially when there are massive orders lining up. He said, "This is partly to keep the momentum going and also to exercise as this will be my only time to do so." I did not get to see him dance in both occasions as I was his only customer.

His char kway teow is different from the other stalls. This is the healthier version with lesser oil, no pork sausages and fried pork lards, their replacements are mock char siew and chicken ham, he also added in preserved radish (chye poh) with a good amount of garlic to bring out the flavour. He is using thinner kway teow, which is more commonly seen in the Penang style char kway teow. He then fried all the ingredients together with fish sauce and dark sweet soy sauce with a dash of Hua Diao Wine and lemon juice together with bean sprouts, chives and beaten eggs. He does not include the fresh cockles during the cooking process but placed them on the pile of char kway teow when is ready to serve. His reason for doing so is not wanting to overcook those cockles. His homemade chilli is different, it is in bright orangey red and is very spicy.

I was told that his standard is not on par when compared it to his dad. You will either like it or hate this healthier version. I am not a fan. I still like to have lots of fried pork lards added to my char kway teow. 

Uncle is planning to retire in a few years time and is actively looking for a disciple to take over his stall.

CHAR KWAY TEOW

79 Circuit Road #01-19 Circuit Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 370079

Operating Hours: 12.30 pm to 9.00 pm (Closed on Saturdays & Sundays)

Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow : The $2 Fried Kway Teow

This stall has been around for the last 25 years and they are likely to be the only stall that is still selling their fried kway teow at just $2.00. If you visit during lunch, you could see a short queue forming right in front of their stall. 

The owner, Mr Tay Soo Nam, 87 years old was there when i visited. He started frying the kway teow when he was 24 years old on a push cart along Kim Poh Road before moving into old Tiong Bahru Food Centre in 1968. He has not been doing much of the cooking these days but i was lucky to have my plate of kway teow done by him. 

He has already handed over the stall to Madam Tay Li Hwa, his daughter, this stall is now manned by Madam Tay and her husband since 16 years ago. This is good at least such taste is still going to be around for a while longer unlike some of those pioneer hawker stalls that have been forced to cease operation as they do not have anyone to takeover.

When i asked Mr Tay why are they still selling it at $2, he said, "We want to take care of our elderly customers in this area so it is okay to earn a bit lesser." This is also the main reason why he is insisting to keep it at $2 for all these years, bigger portion is available at $3 and $4. The $2 portion is not served with cockles. 

Their fried kway teow has a rather old school taste and is served with ingredients like chinese sausage, fishcake, cockles and beansprouts. Its texture is moist with a sweet-savory flavor and is satisfying. How do they make such simple food taste so memorable? 

This is another hawker stall that is truly deserving our respect and support.

TIONG BAHRU FRIED KWAY TEOW

30 Seng Poh Road #02-11 Tiong Bahru Food Centre Singapore 168898
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.30 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Lian Xiang Shu Shi : Old-fashioned Fried Kway Teow

My attention was caught by their really old signboard, a rather simple one with just their stall name on it which we do not get to see it much these days. It was still early in the morning and i was the only customer then. I approached the Uncle to order a small portion of Fried Kway Teow at just $2.50 and the larger portion is available at $3. We do not usually get such prices these days as a regular plate of fried kway teow is starting from $3 onward with little ingredients added. They do serve Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee at $4 too. I seated at a table near to the stall and waiting for it to be served and i got it in about 5 minutes.

A substantial portion of evenly fried kway teow and yellow noodles was served along with a few pieces of thinly sliced Chinese sausages, cockles, eggs and few stalks of green together with a handful of beansprouts. I actually liked how it tasted, it is more savory than sweet as the sweetness of the dark sweet sauce was rather well-balanced. Though chilli was added but i could hardly taste it. The texture of kway teow and yellow noodles was just right, not overly soft nor too greasy.

This might not be the best fried kway teow that i ever tasted but it has got a homely taste that warmth my heart. This is worth the try if you are here and looking for something to eat.

LIAN XIANG SHU SHI

Block 4A Woodlands Centre Road #02-38A Woodlands Centre Road Food Centre

SINGAPORE 731005

Simei Penang Laksa Speciality : One of the Best Penang Fried Kway Teow in Singapore

It is difficult to find really good Penang Fried Kway Teow in Singapore. There used to be a really good one that i ever tasted decades ago at Holland Drive by an elderly uncle but they closed it down and no where could be found. I have been hunting since then, i tried a few places but this has been the best so far. I would think the most authentic as compared to what i had in Penang. I have been coming back to this stall on a regular basis and still loving it.

You could order it at $3.50, $4 or $5. I usually go for the $5 portion with extra chilli added. Even at $3.50, the portion is quite substantial, it fried with ingredients like a handful of cockles, prawns, egg, cockles with fried pork lards added to enhance its flavor. The uncle fried it well to give the kway teow the desired texture and not overly oily too.

I enjoyed it so much and would not hesitate to suggest it when ask for a recommendation. Authenticity aside, this is the tastier so far. 

Beside Penang Fried Kway Teow, their Penang Laksa is pretty good too. I tried it once and enjoyed it.

SIMEI PENANG LAKSA SPECIALITY

347 Jurong East Avenue 1 #01-199 Yu Hua Food Cente SINGAPORE 600347

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 2.00 pm (Saturday, Sunday & Monday) 

10.00 am to 2.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Wednesday to Friday)

(Closed on Tuesdays)

Dong JI Fried Kway Teow : The Old School Taste

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow is one of the 3 stalls in this food centre serving old school tasting fried kway teow though not as famous as the other stall and with a shorter queue but this is a better choice as compared to the other. You could choose in between $3 or $4 for a substantial portion of fried kway teow with ingredients like slices of lup cheong and fishcake, cockles, prawn with bits of egg and bean sprouts served on an old-fashioned ceramic plate. 

It was perfectly fried by the Uncle to give it a slight wok taste with a well-balanced taste of saltiness and sweetness. As he is operating all by himself so do not expect the friendlier service as he could be a little grumpy at times.

It was a plate of delectable fried kway teow but do not compared it to the famous ones like the Hillstreet Fried Kway Teow or even the Outram Fried Kway Teow as this is the drier version. 

DONG JI FRIED KWAY TEOW

51 Old Airport Road #01-138 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 8 am to 2 pm (Daily)

Armenian Street Fried Kway Teow : That Old School Taste

As a foodie, i have heard so much about the famous Armenian Street Fried Kway Teow but never have a chance to try it so far. I made an effort to go by on a weekday slightly after lunch when i happened to be in the vicinity. It was after 2 pm when i was there.

I wanted just the $3 portion though a bigger portion is available at $4. I stood right there to wait as i took notice of a 'Self-Service' pasted on the stall. The gentleman behind the wok noticed me and asked me to take a seat first and it shall be served to the table later.

A couple of minutes later, it was served by the elderly lady to the table. I could not quite resist the aromatic temptation and tasted it right away.

The mixture of yellow noodle and kway teow were fried to perfection to give it the texture that i totally enjoyed. It was not as soft as some of those out there but slightly firmer. Though it might looked a little greasy but it did not taste so. The ingredients like sliced lup cheong and egg were of the right amount fried together with bean sprouts and chives to give it the desired flavor. 

It tasted just a like an old school plate of Fried Kway Teow that i used to share with my Grandpa when i was much younger. You do not quite find the similar taste elsewhere these days as most of the older generation hawkers are already retired and left with just a couple good standard younger hawkers around.

This is definitely one of the above average Fried Kway Teow so far and i am sure i would be back soon and this time, i might just order the $4 portion. 

The main branch is at Block 303 Anchorvale Link Coffee Shop Singapore 540303 and another outlet at Block 137A Tampines Street 11 #01-40 Tampines Round Market Singapore 570024. 

ARMENIAN STREET FRIED KWAY TEOW

Block 24 Sin Ming Road #01-51 SINGAPORE 570023