Meng Kee Char Kway Teow: A Char Kway Teow that's worth the Calories

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

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Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee: Perfect texture

Fried Hokkien Mee $5 (prices from $3)

Hokkien Fried Prawn Mee has become, in most places, more like a Pasta than a true Fried Noodle. What I mean is that in a lot of places, the noodles aren't really fried but simply cooked in the wok and then the gravy is poured over it and allowed to thicken. That's what you do with a Pasta dish. But when it comes to a truly delicious Fried Hokkien Mee, the noodles themselves need to be fried till it becomes slightly burnt so that it has a wonderful "Mamee" (Instant Noodle) sort of flavour and is ready to absorb all the stock when it is added. So if you want a good Hokkien Mee, you got to observe how long the hawker spends actually frying the noodle before adding the gravy. When they get the timing right, the result is magic.

Well, the uncle at this stall is quite an expert at frying the noodles. A good Hokkien Mee man would swirl the noodles around the wok and avoid cutting the noodles unnecessarily unlike a Mee Goreng man. It makes perfect sense that you want the noodles long since you want to slurp it with a pair of chopsticks rather than spooning it like you would a Mee Goreng. His technique produced a Hokkien Mee with excellent texture and the gooeyness of the gravy covering each strand of noodles was almost perfect. It is just too bad that it was just after the Hari Raya period, so the fishermen haven't been going out to sea to catch wild prawns. Otherwise the man would have used "Sua Lor" instead of farmed prawns which I expect would have made the taste of the Hokkien Mee even better. 4.25/5



Conclusion

Gotta go back and try again when the man gets his usual supply of "Sua Lor". I am sure it would be considered one of the best Hokkien Mees around.

Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee
Blk 40 Lower Delta #01-16
Beo Crescent
62730429 Mr Lim
97400653
10am - 8pm
Friday closed

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No Name Hainanese Curry Rice: Maximum Ommph, Minimum Fuss

Crispy Fried Pork

There is really only one word that would adequately describe this meal and that word is SHIOK! Somehow "really tasty", "yummy", "delectable" and all the other adjectives don't really capture the emotional response as well as the word "SHIOK" or even better, "D__n SHIOK!". It just rolls off your tongue and I think it must also cause the release of endorphins when you say it. It really is almost like uttering a vulgar expletive because it does give release to your pent up emotions inside when you taste something that hits the spot. I reckon the Singapore Tourism Board should intentionally market it to tourists so that it has the same level of recognition as "Oishi!" and "Aroy Mak!".

This meal can be found in the most predictable of places, viz in an old run down coffeeshop reminicent of Singapore in the 60's. It is so unassuming that the stall doesn't even have a name, let alone a signboard. They don't even bother to light up the dreary trays of food! It goes to show that for Singaporeans, when it comes to food, it is all about substance over style, Shiokability over show.

The Crispy Fried Pork here is really D__n Shiok! Unlike some other stalls which I have tried, the crispy pork here is like eating Keropok. It is crispy right through and when you add it to the plate of rice covered with the deluge of curry, lor and cabbage gravy, it really is heavenly. Give me just these two things and I am a happy man. 4.75/5


Rice with Curry, Lor and Chap Chye Gravy. 50 cents

Now I always say that the only thing better than really good food is when the really good food is cheap as well. So here is probably the cheapest way for you to fill your tummy, still have change for your dollar AND still be able to say SHIOK! Yes, I have confirmed that they will actually sell you a plate of rice with 3 gravies for 50 cents and it comes with a plate and utensils.


Hainanese Curry Chicken

Now the star of the show is the Crispy Pork. The rest of the dishes like the Curry chicken 4/5, Braised Pork 4.25/5 and Stewed Cabbage with "Lion Head" 4.25/5 are all very good but not as outstanding. However, taken as a whole package, it makes for a very satisfying meal.

Conclusion

Shiok Not Enough! Veeeery Veeery Shiok!

No Name Hainanese Curry Rice
Blk 40 Beo Crescent
6.30am to 3pm
Closed Wed

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