Char Kway Teow is almost a bad word in Singapore. Ask anyone to name you the most unhealthy hawker food and Char Kway Teow will probably be one of the dishes mentioned. It is afterall, nothing more than starch fried in lard and flavoured with fish sauce and sweet black sauce. And then there is the fear of contracting Hepatitis A from eating partially cooked cockles which really puts another nail in the coffin. Not only is it unhealthy, you can potentially get Hep A from eating it as well! (You should get vaccinated against Hep A if you really love your cockles)
Because of this, the popularity of Char Kway Teow has waned over the years and now you can hardly name ten good Char Kway Teow stalls in Singapore. That is a real shame because a well fried plate of Char Kway Teow is one of those things that really hit the spot when you've just come back from a 3 month holiday in Europe.
So the thing with Char Kway Teow is never to waste those precious calories on a plate of mediocre Char Kway Teow. When you have that Char Kway Teow craving, make sure you Hantam (Whack) one that has the most Satisfaction per Calorie (S/C). And if you happen to be around Beo Crescent, this is certainly one stall that has a high S/C rating.
For me, the test of a good Char Kway Teow is the fact that I actually finish the dish. I hardly ever eat a whole dish of Char Kway Teow by myself nowadays (for health reasons), but I find myself finishing off this one. I guess the most important aspect about a good Char Kway Teow, apart from the taste, is the texture and fluidity of the Kway Teow. By fluidity, I mean, that it has got to be lively and smooth when you slurp it rather than just being limp. 4.5/5
This stall is manned by a father and daughter team. I was there in the afternoon when the daughter was frying. You'd be surprised to know that she is already married with young kid cos she looked quite young. From what I hear, unlike a lot of other stalls where the "old hand" is still champion, the father has been quite successful in imparting his skills to his daughter. I haven't eaten the father's version, but I am told that the father's version is more oily while the daughter's version has more water. Perhaps one of their regulars can confirm if this is true?
Conclusion
Good Char Kway Teow is getting hard to find. Here is another one that is worth some of your calories.
Meng Kee Char Kway Teow Blk 22, Havelock Road
Beo Crescent
Mon to Sat 10.30am to 7pm
Sundays 10.30am to 4pm
interesting Fact: The daughter is married to the guy who sells the eggs behind at the wet market.
ReplyDeleteWhen my Mum used to go to the market every Saturday, she would always get the char kway teow and chai tao kuay. I've eaten either version of the char kuay teow and it is true that the daughter's version is less oily but I do not agree that hers is more watery. Just less oil.
weird tat "meng kee" stalls give good food. 1st was the KL char-siew, then this! sorry, nothing else in relevance to this post! *runs away*
ReplyDeleteI love Char Kway Teow and it must come with hum else something is missing, just like Laksa (yes, I had my Hep A booster jab recently). This Meng Kee Char Kway Teow looks yummy. Will try it soon. Thanks for the heads-up, Les!
ReplyDeleteLes, I posted a picture of the CKT in the Beo Crescent forum thread before. That plate was fried by the father. You can do a comparison. It certainly looks more oily. :)
ReplyDeletehum is definitely the booster. without it, a bit un-complete like laksa
ReplyDeletei have tried the father's version on recommendation of ice....it was a good plate of char kway teow with the wok hei...but still....bedok's is the best for me..
ReplyDeletehaven't tried hillstreet yet...but just added Meng Kee to my fav list and Margaret Drive's :)
ReplyDeleteI've been eating at this stall for over 20 years.. the father does it better than the daughter. I dun see it as more oily, but more sauce to it, which i love.:)
ReplyDeletethat looks yummy. i wish i could try it too.
ReplyDeleteyeah i love char kuay teow. had been eating at least once a week, one time two plates, for at least the past month. so getting a bit sick of it now. haha
ReplyDeleteTwo plates? Which CKT is this?
ReplyDeleteI have been to this one, it's quite good, and very good price too .
ReplyDeleteYou all are obviously no connoisseur of charkuayteow ! For me Hong Lim and Zion Rd 18 are some of the best.
ReplyDeleteHai Kee by far the best..and the guy never puts in crap like chinese sausages, fishcakes etc. Just hum and tow gay.
The hum is the freshest I have ever eaten anywhere..never had a bad one yet. And if you are a crispy lard (bak pok) fan, Hai kee will generously give you a big helping.
The long queues you have to suffer from opening to closing time is the only drawback....but 2 stalls away is a delightful coffeee stall which makes terific latte, cappucino and other concoctions at a fraction of the price you pay at Starbucks or Coffee Bean.
The worst food in Singapore is the Char Kway Teow
ReplyDeleteThe unhealthy ingredients can make us si keow keow
But if you say don't eat it, I will say you seow
Nothing much to enjoy in Singapore except Jiak Ho Leow
Merely some starch fried in lard with some sweet black sauce
And a generous dose of oil to make it look very gloss
Raw cockles thrown into wok for few seconds to toss
Such a health hazard and you still have to pay the boss !
Hepatitis A from raw cockles - one may contract
The need to get vaccinated against it is one true fact
So make sure you go to your doctor and have a good check
To prevent the virus on your life it may try to hijack !
Therefore I'd say never waste your precious calories
On a mediocre plate that is cooked by some rookies
Make sure you whack and hamtum the best you can see
A long queue usually is a replica of a winner's trophy
Wah, Samuraisama, you are a food poet? Good one! :P
ReplyDeleteHaha Samuraisama. Did you just pen all that in one go? Look forward to your poetry on all out other Singapore eats
ReplyDeleteA food poet of course I am not
ReplyDeleteJust like to rhyme for fun on the spot
And create few lines of funny plot
To entertain audiences - the entire lot
Yes I penned all that at one go
Like in a boat - I will try to row
When my feelings come - can't say no
So I throw it out like play yo yo
Poetry on other Singapore eats - I'll try to make
If that can help keep your audiences stay wide awake
Like a chef given ingredients - I'll give it a wok hei shake
And rhyme it out with my poetic might for IeatIshootIpost's sake
Hahaha, I hope when we meet during a makan session that you not speak in rhyme too!
ReplyDeleteYeah right, I'll even eat in rhyme
ReplyDeleteShow you where my poetic talent can climb
wow Samuraisama, i like ur rhymes! =) very entertaining! i hope to meet u at our makan session too! ;)
ReplyDeleteNot exactly poetry, it's a funny impromptu rap though, I can imagine a little ah beng with lots of hand gestures rapping it out on the table of a coffeestop.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, I had a good plate of CKT today at West Coast Market. This stall didn't have any of the newspaper article cut outs or faux certificates so popular these days, but still had a long line. There's like 6 different CKT stalls at West Coast Market, but it's the one which also does carrot cake. One guy does the c.cake, the other CKT.
hey doc! My fitness freak husband says that 1 plate of ckt begets a 16-km run to work it all off! is that true? Roughly how many calories is a plate of CKT? I never dare to eat a plate by myself. :P
ReplyDeletetjhan, which stall at west coast market did you try the ckt? I live near there so I might check it out :)
ihave tried both,prove tat the daughter cook nicely than than her dad...yummy stuff in singapore tat u simply cant miss.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, is this the killer CKT as compared to Ah Leng's CKT?
ReplyDeleteHaha, CK, it is quite different type of CKT. Ah Leng's CKT in Penang is quite power. Wait for the blog post!
ReplyDeleteyou should also try their carrot cake in the morning. the white one.. oh my gawd. heavenly.
ReplyDeleteCrap.
ReplyDeleteYou let the secret out.
This is actually my favourite Char kway teow place
The char kway teow at Margaret Drive food centre (opposite the Queenstown library) also very very good - when you next need to get a high S/C CKT fix.
ReplyDelete