Geylang Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow: Still hits the spot!
With iwatch_ueat and carnineviand
$5 - smallest portion you can get
This Hor Fun has a special place in my heart. I first laid tongue (and eyes) on it over 10 years ago when I was still a Medical Officer working in the General Surgery unit at Changi General Hospital. I remember it was one of those nights that I had to be on duty and my Registrar and I have just finished our operating list. We've been without food since lunchtime and it was past 12 midnight and we have been working hard removing haemorrhoids, stitching up wounds, fixing perforated stomach ulcers, appendectomies, fixing up holes in people's colons...... the sort of work that really builds up a good appetite.
So it was past 12 midnight and we were raving hungry. What to eat? The hospital always has the standard 1 meat, 2 veg and rice meal set aside for those on duty. I guess we just have to settle with that since there was no other stuff available. (Yucks!)
Then our savior arrived at the Doctor's room with a few packs of Hor Fun. Our saviour was none other than a very hard working Drug Rep who really went the extra mile to build rapport with the Doctors. Imagine going all the way to Lor 9 Geylang and Tar Pauing packs of Hor Fun to give to your clients at 12 midnight! Such dedication, I think the guy must a director or CEO by now!
Anyway, words cannot describe how I felt when I took the first mouthful of the Beef Hor Fun. It was my first time and it is the kind of event one never forgets. That smooth, wok hei flavoured Hor Fun combined with the super tender beef in black bean and chilli sauce was so shiok, I gobbled up the whole pack before I could take a long and lingering breath. I slumped back into my chair and phased back into reality. Oh Man! I was still "On Call" for the next 8 hours!
Ten years on, it still remains my favourite Beef Kway Teow. Although people tell me that the standards have dropped a bit, I still find the sauce irresistably tasty. I think that the Kway Teow nowadays is not fired till it is charred like last time, but it still is one shiok shiok plate of Beef Hor Fun especially for supper! 4.5/5
Conclusion
There have been claims of other Beef Hor Fun being better than this one, but you know, for me, this one has that extra bit of nostalgia that is really hard to beat.
Lor 9 Beef Kway Teow
Geylang Lor 9
4.30pm to 2.30am daily
23 comments:
... removing haemorrhoids, stitching up wounds, fixing perforated stomach ulcers, appendectomies, fixing up holes in people's colons...... the sort of work that really builds up a good appetite
Walau! Lidat still got appetite to eat! I pay my respect.
*pengsan*
LOL, I love the beef hor fun but it is getting very expensive. The amount in the plate is also getting lesser!!
Ok .. I also have been eating this for the longest time .. dunno how long liao, at least 10 years and beyond. Then they had a bloody long Q if you were tar pauing, 45-60 mins was very common, while waiting you could see the lady cook painstakingly preparing the hor fun, making sure every strand of hor fun had that bit of "wok hei" and just a tinge of "chow tar" flavour to it. Once the hor fun was done, she would go on preparing the beef sauce, turn on the wok on high heat and throw in the beef, I was wondering how she kept her facial hair as every time she throws in the beef to the wok, the Flambe effect wud make any french restaurant flambe effect look like lighting a match stick. Even the customers cud feel the effect of "Great balls of fire", but the sauce was done in double quick time so as not to overcook the beef, if you were having it there, likely the beef slices wud come to you medium well, when tucked into you mouth, you cud feel the wok hei of the beef and hor fun .. heavenly.
Nowadays, there is still crowds of people but not the long Q of yesteryear, but gone were the good old days, you peep thru the kitchen now. Its all assembly line style. One would prepare the hor fun, the other would cook the sauce and also cook the other dishes on their al carte menu. Standard sure to drop when they hand over to employees, ingredients maybe the same, wad lacking is the passion, that is always the x-factor when it comes to good food.
TAG
Taste wise it's fine, but I feel as if the meat has been heavily tenderized though...
I'm really surprised you rated this 4.5/5. Like you, I discovered this beef horfun stall more than 10 years ago. Talk about nostalgia, my parents used to bring me straight to Geylang for beef horfun supper the moment I touch down in Singapore.
Anyway, I'd rate it 3/5 now.
And (I could be wrong) I think there's a difference between beef horfun and kway teow. As my mum puts it, horfun is the thick rice noodles they use in zhi char, such as the Geylang beef horfun. Kway teow are the thinner ones like what they use in the soupy beef kway teow.
Think its interchangeable. kway teow is hokkien, while cantonese call it horfun. In cantonese they call it Ngow Hor....
i agree with Hilary. The portions are getting smaller, while the price becomes more ex... the $10 and the $5 portions also not so much difference. If u want to order for pple to share, my trick is always to order 2 * $5 plates, psychologically, i think i m getting more than for a $10 plate.
i think the auntie frying it has made so much money, that she puts in less effort these days. sometimes u can see her mercedes parked in the alley next to her kitchen.
3.5/5 now.
Like u, this is also nostalgic for me.. after it became more popular and std dropped, i stopped patronising it.. but i went back recently (cos a friend returned from overseas) and its taste brought back memories of yesteryears
Speaking of hor fun, go try the venison hor fun at Lai Wah restaurant at Blk 44 Bendemeer Road #01-1436. It's cooked with venison meat with chopped chilli and a black bean based sauce (i think). I'm not much of a hor fun fan, but this is one of the few I would eat.
Agree with you guys. Have not been there for more than 10years.Quality down and very X.
They got a rival family dispute some years who operate a similiar stall opposite the road.
I am not as old as some of you here but this hor fun is probably one of the WORST i have eaten. Dont even talk about wok hei, the kway teow was cold, and not cooked properly such that it was lumped together. I took a peek into the kitchen and noticed that they prepared the sauce and the kway teow all at one go and put into separate pots. So when you take your order all they have to do is to just scoop a serving of horfun and pour the sauce over it. I figured this must be why i waited only 5mins for my hor fun when it was during weekends and quite crowded.
This stall is overrated and expensive. It is understatement to say I wouldn't eat his hor fun again, i think now you gime free also i wont eat!
Went to have this for supper last night.
After not savouring it for a couple of years, I thought I'd give it a try again eventhough Im not a big fan of these black bean paste sauce and black pepper.
Ordered a $5 plate and the staff asked if I could self collect. OK I said.
While I stood there, I saw another kitchen helper inside scooping the cooked horfun from a big metal container into a plate. She came out, and handed it to me.
There you go, a $5 horfun that was precooked and simply scooped and served to customers like that.
I didnt know that their beef horfun are not 'cooked' or stir fried or heated after taking an order. But one cant really blame them for operatating a high volume horfun stall. Usually, the horfun noodles are already cooked and set aside. The sauce is already prepared/cooked too. Any the ingredients are also cooked and placed in a nearby pot. When someone orders one, the cook will throw all together and stir fry them all.
Sure, a $5 beef horfun is exp considering the amount they serve which you could get more for $4 at other tze char stalls.
But I guess the extra $1 goes into their taste or reputation?
While eating, I saw this big fat lady with curly hair standing near their window and in front of their fan. Clearly she looks hot and perspired. Wiping away her perspiration with her towel off her face with a distinctively pinkish hue. Quite a funny sight.
A fokelore which I heard more than 10 years ago is that this Lao Ban Niang is the wife of a famous loan shark who has ANOTHER wife whom also operates The Other beef horfun across the street. Hence, the rivalry.
Anyone can verify?
As for the horfun, I'd stick to my seafood horfun. Cheaper and Yummier!
It was reported in the newspapers years ago so it's not a rumour. The beef horfun shops at Lorong 8 and 9 were both owned by the same man, who had two wives. The Lorong 9 shop was operated by his (2nd?) wife, and the Lorong 8 shop was operated by his mistress. He did not provide for his other wife. He died intestate - without a will so his estate passed to his legal family - leaving his mistress with nothing. The wife who had been neglected his whole life (and her part of the family)'got' the Lorong 8 shop and decided to close it down / lease it out as they felt it too painful to continue, hence only the Lorong 9 one sells Beef Horfun
btw,
1. I think the term Hor Fun is used when the dish is cantonese, and the term Kway Teow is used when it is Hokkien? (I could be wrong). not sure if Teochew ppl have many HF/KT dishes, although sometimes when you read ieatishootipost it seems like they invented *everything* =)
2. I used to prefer the Lorong 8 horfun to the lorong 9 one - that was many years ago.
ahber, where is this seafood horfun pray tell?
dszi, what to do I am Teochew Ah Hia! But when I started doing this blog, I realised that there are quite a lot of Teochews selling hawker food! Maybe the Hokkiens and the Cantonese are busy making lots of money in finance and trading huh? OK all the other dialects too!
ieat & itreat,
Sorry, I was referring to those average kopitiam tze char stalls selling seafood horfun as one of their dishes. No particular tze char stalls.
Tho I had a nice plate a few days back which was alongside the Bedok South's Hill Street Char Kuey Teow, after realizing the CKT was closed :( (typing abt it gives me a craving now, damn!)
Also one from a coffeeshop right across Thomson Medical Centre at Thomson Rd from a Cantonese Tze Char stall. Generous $3 portions.
Ah thanks for reminding me about the one opp Thomson Medical Centre. Had it years ago! Will go again to check it out!
The one opposite thomson medical sells one of the best seafood hor funs i have ever tasted. The stock is rich and savoury. I suspect they use chicken stock to brew the sauce. Definite must try.
just tried last night...
sigh.... really a far cry from 10 yrs back...
I used to love the Geylang beef kway teow, being eating for over 10 yrs. However, I noticed they are using more and more MSG and they also used soda to tenderise the beef making it too soft for my liking now.
Now, my default choice is the one oppsite Thomson Medical Centre. No Q, friendly service and no problem finding a parking lot at night. Can even park in the shell station, the indian boy is very nice.
Hahha! someone mentioned abt the beef horfun opposite Thomson Medical Centre? Nostalgic! I grew up eating the horfun there! The main chef is a fat Cantonese auntie (wonders if she is still there.) I think I grew so accustomed to the food there to the extend i find it as ordinary hehehehe. They own the coffeeshop so just take note that this place closes on alternate Sundays.
Not to mention, the last time i ate there was the night i quarreled with my ex-gf (sigh). Stopped going there since i bring back bad memories.
The beef hor-fun here is really good and my family especially my dad is a big fan of it. Their "pai kuat wong" is also very authentic and flavourful... worth trying
tried their fried bee hoon? its really nice too. The secret good good there. U got to personally request the female boss to make it for you. Its v nice! But of coz, depending on the customer asking... ha
Anyway, different people have different taste. so yeah, i dont really find thomson medical hor fan nice.
had lunch there yesterday, they're open for lunch nowadays except for monday .... bunhiong@magix.com.sg
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