Yi Bao: Still the most Underated White Chicken!

With ieatfamily

Half Chicken $12

This is my 20th post on White Chicken so I think I have some credence to say that after all the dust has settled, there is one White Chicken in Singapore which in my opinion still stands out as the one in which I would travel halfway around the island just to eat. And the funny thing is that a lot of people might not agree with me and I can't understand why.

Thus, I again crown Yi Bao's (Formerly Yee Cheong Yuen) White Chicken as Singapore's most underated White Chicken. Perhaps the trouble is that people don't really come for the chicken rice but for the Ipoh Hor Fun and so the White Chicken suffers from an identity crisis.



Looking at the way Yi Bao has redefined itself, I would surmise that expansion plans might be underway to replicate a few more of this Malaysian food joint across Singapore. Aside from changing to a name that identifies with one of Malaysia's most famous region for good food, they have also begun to print placemats with their menu on it, very much like Crystal Jade's. If this does not herald an Invasion, what does?

Forget the Indians (Mr Tea), HongKongers (Hong Kong Cafes) and the Philippinos (Hotshot Burgers), we are being invaded by our closest neighbours, the Malaysians! You might also know of the White Coffee chain which has just started their first stall at Big Splash, selling Black "White" Kopi and Ipoh style food as well. Make no mistakes, the Malaysians are coming!

And I am actually looking forward to it!

Everyone knows that food in JB and Petaling Jaya are quite shiok. So it is about time some Malaysian entrepreneur start a chain of good Malaysian food eateries in Singapore so that I don't have to travel all the way to Petaling St for a nice plate of KL Hokkien mee or JB for Ayam Ding Ding! Comon' where the heck are you guys and what's holding you back?



I have been eating the Chicken here since Youth Fellowship days at St James Church. I remember at the time that the "Wak Kai Ma Tai Min" (XL Chicken Noodles) was my number one dish which I look forward to eating every Sunday. Thankfully, the chicken today is still as yummy as it was then and I can actually afford to buy half a chicken to enjoy rather than to slowly appreciate my $2.50 portion as a student with limited pocket money.

OK, the purists would cringe to see all that Oyster sauce on the chicken, but I love it. The texture of the chicken here is the best around. The skin is crunchy and they always have that wonderful layer of subcutaneous (under the skin) gelatine what is so wonderfully slurpy. The meat has just the right amount of tenderness and is so savoury the it makes me wonder if they soak the chicken in brine before cooking. Anyway, it is my all time favourite white chicken and I am giving it 4.6/5



Then finally there is the chilli which goes so well with the chicken. This is the only one chilli that I actually enjoy. It's got just the right balance of sour and sweet and it's not overly spicy so it might not appeal to everyone.

Conclusion

Best tasting white chicken in my books, but the chicken rice purists might vehemently disagree. OK lah, taste is subjective and blah blah blah. Still, it remains my number one place for Wak Gai Hor Fun and the kids love it too.

Yi Bao
31 Lorong Liput
Holland Village
6468 7737
Link to previous post here

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Koon Kee: Wok Hei Hor Fun with Paul McCartney!

With ieatfamily

Hor Fun $4

There are some places which I just fall in love with at first sight. Koon Kee is one of them. ChinChyeGuy's dad told me about this place which sells a pretty mean Hor Fun and since I have been searching for a Hor Fun with wok hei, I simply had to pay the place a visit. But it wasn't the food that got me at first. It was ambience of the place. Situated in a row of old shophouses opposite Serangoon Stadium, stepping into Koon Kee is like stepping into a time machine back into the sixties. I am not saying that it feels like a old Cze Char coffee shop. No, it's just that the owner of Koon Kee happens to be an antique collector, so the place is filled with old metal toys, Beetles records, bulky one door fridges and the like. Its just got that old "Hole in the Wall" rustic feel to it that I haven't felt in Singapore since I came back from Bangkok.

Koon Kee has been around for a long time. They started at the Civil Service Club, then moved to Hwa Chong JC for a while before Mr Lim decided to retire. After a restful retirement for 2 years, his younger son decided to resurrect his father's restaurant and they found themselves at this lovely little hole-in-the-wall.

My first plate of Hor Fun was a bit of a letdown as it did not have the wok hei flavour which I was eagerly anticipating. When I complained about it, the chef told me that a lot of people nowadays did not want the charred flavour so they had to cut back. So I had them fry another plate of hor fun for me with wok hei.

The state of Hor Fun in Singapore is pretty lack lustre nowadays and this one stands out as one of the best one I have eaten so far. However, I still felt that it still lacked that special something from the past. Perhaps I need to persuade the "old hand" to come out of retirement to fry one for me?

The Hor Fun here is sold out everyday because they order fresh Hor Fun daily and never keep it overnight. An expertly fried fresh Hor Fun is smokey with chewy charred bits at the edges and soft and slurpy at the same time. The sauce is pretty good and they do have fresh and good quality seafood although they do lack the more traditional pork tripe. 4.25/5



The other item which was recommended to me was the fried chicken. It is supposed to be Har Cheong Kai, but I think it tastes better if you don't call it that. It's a really tasty fried chicken but a mediocre Har Cheong Kai. I felt that day that it had just spend a minute too long in the oil so it was not as juicy as it should be. 4/5

Conclusion

Judging from the standard of the two dishes I had and the fact that dining here is really like eating in someone's home, I have already decided that I will be coming back to try their other dishes. I was told that the red wine chicken is really good as are some of their Thai food since the Lau Ban Niang is Thai. The Hor Fun was very good and one of the few places which I would recommend for Hor Fun, but is this really the best a Hor Fun can get nowadays?

Koon Kee
66 Yio Chu Kang Road
Opp Serangoon Stadium
12 - 2.30pm
6pm to 9.30pm
Closed Thursdays
62881206, 92718875

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Kok Seng Restaurant: Just how do you define Cze Char?

With Damien, iwatch_ueat, smart, liverpool and Tag

Big Prawn Bee Hoon Soup $11.50

What's the difference between a Cze Char and a Restaurant? Is it just because a Restaurant has air-con and a Cze Char does not? Or is it that the dishes are different? Perhaps it is the prices or service that is different? Take Zi Yean Restaurant for instance, which has 2 sections. One with air con and one without. Both sections share the same kitchen and the same dishes. We call one a Cze Char and the other a Restaurant. How about this scenario; let's say a Cze Char Hawker migrates to Australia and opens a restaurant that sells exactly what he sells in Singapore. Surely it would be called a Restaurant and not a Cze Char. So how would define a Cze Char? It's almost like trying to define the colour Red. You can't really describe it but one look and you know it is Red.

Anyway, the Cze Char is something as Singaporean as Bak Kut Teh and when we say Cze Char, immediately you think of Hor Fun, Ee Mee, Sweet and Sour Pork and Hot plate Tofu. More and more Cze Chars are trying to differentiate themselves by offering more unique signature dishes. But the problem in Singapore is that once a new Cze Char dish gets famous, others will start copying it and we are then back to square one.

Anyway, this Cze Char was recommended by Bashful Hunter and it is a place that he regularly brings overseas visitors. We started with the Prawn Noodles which was one of their unique dishes. Their version is quite a bit different from the usual Hawker Fare. The soup was strong on the Belachan and a bit grainy and instead of noodles, they use the Thick Bee Hoon that is usually used for XO Fish Head Bee Hoon. It was interesting for a try but did not quite resonate with our tastebuds. 3.75/5


Sliced Fish Hor Fun $5.50

The Hor Fun saved the day for me and I wouldn't mind coming here just for this dish. However the reviews from around the table was a bit mixed. I felt the Hor Fun had that nice wok hei flavour and the gravy was quite tasty. However Damien, Smart and Liverpool all felt that there are better ones elsewhere. 4/5


Bittergourd Pork Ribs $10

The Pork Ribs were excellent. They were tender but not the sort of tenderness that is derived from marinating the meat in bicarbonate so that it has a fishball type consistency. No the meat still has that natural fibrous texture but is easy on the bite. The sauce was quite good although I was not quite sure if I could taste the contribution from the bittergourd. 4.25/5


Curry Fish Head $12

I realise that many of our readers love Fish Head Curry. Now, I am not big on this dish, but my makankakis are. So I promise that I shall go on the Fish Head Curry trail soon. If you have a good stall to recommend please write in!

The Curry Fish Head here is the Chinese version. It is strong on the curry powder and does not have that sourish taste found in Indian Curry Fish Head. The makankakis all felt that there are better Curry Fish Head elsewhere although they did finish the whole plate. The fish was quite fresh, so no one was willing to let a good fish head go to waste! 3.5/5

Conclusion

Not too bad but not overwhelming either. Perhaps we did not order the right dishes. However, the restaurant is well established and is usually full during lunch time. The sliced fish hor fun and pork ribs were good enough for me to come back again to try some other dishes.

Kok Seng Restaurant
30-32 Keong Saik Road
11.30am to 11.30pm
Chef takes a break from 2.30pm

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Bee Kia Restaurant: Beef Hor Fun Challenge

With smart, iwatch_ueat and introducing fashionfoodie

My last post on Beef Hor Fun drew quite a few comments about how the Geylang Lor 9 Beef Hor Fun's standards have dropped. ahbeR and some others wrote in to suggest this Cze Char Stall which was opposite the Thomson Medical Center. Strangely no one actually remembered the name of the stall.

I am afraid to say that the Hor Fun on that day was not as great as expected. The Hor Fun lacked a good Wok Hei flavour and the sauce lacked the ooomph. Sorry guys, but in my opinion, Geylang still tasted better despite the drop in standards. On the positive side, the beef here is not over marinated in bicarbonate so you can still chew on the fibres of the beef instead of it having the texture of fish cakes and the portion was generous. Still it is a much better Beef Hor Fun than most other Cze Char Stall but I suspect, like many stalls, standards may have been dropping. 3.75/5

I personally found the prawn paste chicken here pretty good, though my makankakis were ambivalent about it. It might have been a little overfried that day, such that the flesh was a bit dry. What I enjoyed about it is the super crispy batter which was thick enough so that you get a nice tingle on your tongue while eating it. The Prawn Paste flavour was a little too subtle. Its good if it were just fried chicken, but not that great if you called it Prawn Paste Chicken. Still, I enjoyed it. 4/5

Conclusion

We were not overwhelmed, but I am sure there are many supporters out there who would differ.

Bee Kia Restaurant
326 Block 1 Balestier Hill Shopping Centre
Thomson Road
62548490
12pm to 11pm

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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

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Sin Hoi Sai Eating House: Aston's favourite Hangout!

With Amagada

San Lou $6

Fans of Aston's might wonder what the man himself actually eats. Well if you come to this Cze Char after 12mn, you might catch him tucking into a plate of San Lou. I actually ended up here because I reached Aston's just when he was about to close and he recommended this San Lou to me. Since then, I have been back three or four times to try other stuff that they have.

Let me tell you why I come back. The food is reasonably good. Not die die must try, but they do have some pretty good stuff. The Lao Ban Niang is always very hospitable, parking is easy, they open till 4am everyday, its very comfortable Al Fresco dining, close to home AND for $1.50 per head you get free flow of hot crysanthemum tea. So that's why this is currently my most frequented supper place.

Most of the fried noodles and hor funs here are pretty good. Most score around 4/5 including the San Lou. I don't know about you but I really have not tasted a 4.5/5 San Lou anywhere else, so maybe this is about as good as San Lou gets? San Lou is quite different from something like Beef Hor Fun. I mean a good Beef Hor Fun has that oooompph whereas a good San Lou only has that ahhhhhh. Do you know what I mean? MM Lee once said, Hong Kong and Bangkok has that buzz, but Singapore only has a hum. (paraphrased). I think that perhaps San Lou can only ever be good enough to have a hum but not a buzz. Or could it be that I have not had the ultimate San Lou yet?



One dish that I would recommend if you really want that buzz is the Marmite Chicken. You either love it or hate it. For me, I love the salty, savoury, tingling taste of Marmite, so this one really hits your umami receptors with a rush! It is not only savoury but sweet as well and the chicken is freshly fried so it is nice and juicy. Ohhh yeah! 4.5/5 (Word of caution, Amagada would not even go near it! She does not like Marmite)

Conclusion

Like I said, it is the kind of place that has all the factors that suits me fine. Not too crowded, not too expensive, convenient and the food is not bad. So if you ever head down there after 10pm and see a guy chilling out with a teapot of crysanthenum tea, do come over to say hi ok?

Sin Hoi Sai Eating House
187, East Coast Road
64406956
5pm to 4am daily

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Lee Tong Kee Ipoh Hor Fun: Smooth and slippery as Ipoh Hor Fun should be

LTK Hor Fun $3.80

This is probably one of the most well established Ipoh Hor Fun in Singapore. Mr Lee Tong Kee started selling his Hor Fun in 1948 in KL and then opened one in Tanjong Pagar in 1969. It is one of the few restaurants around that serves Ipoh Hor Fun as their signature dish. (I am not aware of any others)

I think the key characteristic of a great Ipoh Hor Fun is the texture of the Hor Fun itself and Lee Tong Kee has got a Hor Fun that is really smooth and slippery. It is one of the best I have tasted. The sauce is a closely guarded secret and is made everyday by Mr Lee's daughter. It was tasty and complemented the Hor Fun well though I felt it could have a bit more ooomph. However, being a bit bland does allow you to fully appreciate the quality of the Hor Fun itself. The chicken and prawns were nothing spectacular. They are like people you wouldn't miss if they didn't turn up at your birthday party. 4/5


Beef Hor Fun $5.50

For those of us who prefer our tastebuds to get a bit more excited, I would suggest you go for the Beef Hor Fun instead. The gravy is a classic Ngau Lam (Stewed Beef Brisket) which is spiked with a good dose of Chinese Five Spice powder.



This is one of the best Ngau Lam Hor Fun that I have come across. The only complaint was that I did not get some "melt in your mouth" beef tendons that day. Next time, I will have to specially request for it. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Excellent Hor Fun in an air-con environment. I have to admit that when it comes to Chicken Hor Fun, my tastebuds still yearn for Wing Kee at Changi Village. Please don't give me that "but Ipoh Hor Fun is not supposed to have fried chicken cutlet" look. I just like it. However, this place is where I'd come for Ngau Lum Hor Fun. Mmmmm.... smooth, slippery and shiok!

Lee Tong Kee Ipoh Sar Hor Fun
278 South Bridge Road
62260417
www.ipohhorfun.com
10am to 9pm daily

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Changi Lor 108 Fei Lao Hor Fun: On the trail of the Ultimate Hor Fun

This stall has relocated



This was at one time THE hor fun of the East. Fei Lao (Old Fatty) used to be famous for his charcoal fired wok and incredible Seafood Hor Fun wrapped in Opeh leaf. Unfortunately, Fei Lao passed on after 40 years of delighting Singaporeans, so late-blooming foodies like myself will never get to experience the magic of his wok skills.

On top of that, the NEA is also not helping since they restrict the use of charcoal in enclosed spaces. Arrgh, the cost of development and progress! I guess in the fine balance between tasty food and environmental safety, the authorities have to err on the side of environmental safety. We all want to be safe and enjoy the food rather that have to contend with fire hazards. So, if we want to live in a safe environment BUT still want to eat really shiok food, one of the solutions is of course, to get into your car, bring your passport and take a drive up North.......



But for those of us who are too lazy or too scared to have our spanking new car stolen, driving to Joo Chiat may be a good compromise. Yes, though Fei Lao may be resting in peace, his legacy lives on with his nephew helming the wok. He tries to emulate everything his famous uncle used to do but is limited by the lack of a charcoal fired wok, 40 years of wok skill and the need of modern Singaporeans to cut down on their cholesterol. Just what is the big deal with a charcoal fired wok? Does the charcoal somehow permeate the wok to flavour the kway teow or is it just all in our minds?

The new Fei Lao explained that with a charcoal fire, the whole wok gets really hot, whereas in a gas fired wok, only the bottom of the wok gets hot. It makes a difference when you are trying to sear the kway teow. Searing kway teow to get it just burnt but still soft and slippery is a skill that differentiates the experts and the wok wannabes. It does not even require pork lard. Simply a hot wok, oil, kway teow and skill. Some use soy sauce to darken the kway teow, but that is cheating.

The wok hei flavour on the Hor Fun was good and the sauce was also tasty. Overall, one of the more memorable Hor Funs around though I suspect that it is not as legendary as the original Fei Lao's. But given the standard of Hor Fun's nowadays, I think this would be one of the best ones around. 4.25/5



But Hor Funs aren't the only dishes to try here. The Heh Zhor (Prawn Fritters) is a dish you should order to accompany the Hor Fun. Crisp on the outside and full of crunchy waterchestnuts and savoury minced prawn, pork and liver. It was great with the plum sauce and quite addictive. 4.5/5



The Stir Fried Fish Head with Tau Kwa was a bit of a dissappointment that day. I felt it did not have the "Ooommph" that it was supposed to be legendary for. 3.5/5

Conclusion

There are not many Cze Char restaurants which have Seafood Hor Fun has their signature dish, so this Hor Fun is a little more special then the your friendly neighbourhood version. My son certainly loved it. He said it was "die die must try" and finished 2 whole bowls of it. For me it was good enough to recommend it to others since I have yet to find the ultimate Hor Fun in Singapore.

Changi Lor 108 Fei Lao Seafood
229 Joo Chiat Road
63464116
11am to 2pm
5pm to 10pm





Updated 23 Feb 2009

New Address

Blk 86 Bedok North St.4
#01-165
Singapore 460086
Tel: 63464116
11am-2pm, 5pm-10pm.
Closed on alternate Tuesday.

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Chi Hao Liao: Start of my Ultimate Hor Fun Hunt

With khim, SCSbutter, HappiMummi and amagada


I am starting on my quest to find the ultimate Hor Fun in Singapore! For me, the ultimate Hor Fun must satisfy 2 criteria. First, the Kway Teow has got to be slightly charred and be so tasty that you can eat it on its own, and secondly the gravy must have that "what the heck did they put into the Shang Tang (stock) flavour".

Now the humble Hor Fun is pretty much an uncelebrated staple in the Singaporean diet. Uncelebrated because it never makes it onto the "Recommended" list in your typical Cze Char Menu. It appears to me that the Hor Fun is always on the "In case you don't want to spend more than $3 on your meal" list. As a result, there aren't many "Star" Hor Funs out there. Or so I thought.



When khim wrote in about this $10 Hor Fun which had sea cucumbers, scallops, prawns, mushrooms and other goodies, it seemed too good to pass up. It was like something that I would have suggested to a hawker to do!

The use of the Opeh Leaf and the fact that the Hor Fun was on top of the recommended list was the first indication that this was a going to be a special Hor Fun. Now to the taste test to see if it is just "Ho Toi Bo Hor Jia" (Attractive but lacking substance)

The Hor Fun was nicely charred and had a good Wok Hei flavour! Criteria One checked. The gravy was very tasty and there was a great selection of good stuff like sea cucumbers, pork tripe, scallops, mushrooms and prawns. SCSbutter remarked that the tripe was really tender and it takes skill to be able to cook it that way. I felt it would have been even more impressive if they would use bigger sea prawns or crayfish instead of tiger prawns and if the gravy had a bit more ooomph.

Conclusion

Certainly a good Hor Fun for those who enjoy lots of liao (ingredients). The Hor Fun itself was well fried but somehow I suspect that somewhere out there there still lurks something even better. Let the search begin! 4.25/5

Chi Hao Liao
Blk 94 Toa Payoh Lor 4
5pm-1am Everyday

Recommended by ieater, khim

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Tuck Kee Sah Hor Fun: Crayfish Hor Fun: Hong Lim Food Centre Part 2 of 7

With smart, iwatch_ueat, liverpool and Damien


My father came from a small fishing village in Malaysia and used to tell me that in the old days, they used to consider the lobster and crayfish a second class substitute for prawns. The flesh of the lobster and crayfish were tougher (Teochew: "Char" meaning wooden) and less sweet compared to a nice succulent prawn. Nowadays, lobsters and crayfish come at a premium price. But really, is the flesh that much nicer then a good sized Sea Prawn? My view is that you really pay for the shell more than anything else. I don't think anyone would pay $50 for a dish with just lobster meat sans shell.



Same thing with the Crayfish Hor Fun. Hor Kua Boh Hor Chia (Good to look at, not good to eat). I find crayfish meet less succulent and sweet than prawn. But hey, its impressive and when you say you sell Crayfish Hor Fun, it is bound to get some attention, especially when you get 2 half crayfish and some big prawns for $4 a plate.

The Hor Fun came as one matted mass which was a little dissappointing cos Hor Fun should be nice, soft and silky smooth. Maybe it was because we waiting too long to mix it with the sauce as we took pictures. The sauce was quite ordinary and nothing to rave about. 3.5/5



One thing that was good was the Sui Gao. You can see that they are quite generous with the prawns. $3 for about 8 dumplings. 4/5

Conclusion

It's going to upset some people, (especially those readers who actually love the hor fun enough to queue for it) but I found that apart from the visual excitement elicited by the Crayfish, there is really nothing to draw me back to it again.

Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Ho Fun
Hong Lim Food Centre
Stall 41A
11am to 3pm
Closed on Sunday

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Wing Kee Ipoh Hor Fun: Ipoh is right here in Changi! Changi Village Food Centre Part 1 of 7

With smart, holydrummer and iwatch_ueat


Most people come to Changi Village Hawker Centre to eat the Nasi Lemak. I WAS one of them. But I think I just found a stall which is so Shiok! that I would travel by bus, MRT, bus and bus all the way from Tuas to Changi just to eat it then do the B,B,M&B all the way back and be satisfied. (Actually I live in the East and I have a car, so this is what we call a poetic license OK?)



Now this is a seriously darn enjoyable, tongue tingling, lip smacking experience that is worth the trip to the end of Singapore (Well, when I was young, Changi used to be the uncharted frontier of Singapore). The Hor Fun was really smooth and the chicken cutlet was Crispy on the outside and oh so juicy and savoury on the inside. Combined with that SAUCE, oooohhh that SAUCE... simply shiokadoodledoolicious. Did I mention that this is one special SAUCE? I found out later that, traditional Ipoh hor fun is served with this Chicken Sauce which is made from boiling Old Mother Hens for many many hours! I guess Geriatric Chickens have just got that special Kanna Bee (Special Geriatric Smell)!

Conclusion

This is the real star of Changi Village Hawker Centre and I have been dreaming about when to go back again! 4.6/5

Wing Kee Ipoh Hor Fun
Changi Village Hawker Centre
Blk 2 #01-04
65456425
10.30am to 11pm Mon-Fri
8am to 12mn Sat-Sun

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Hong Kong Street Chun Kee: Is there milk in the soup?

With ieatFamily, skinnyfoodie and chinchyeguy


Everytime I eat this type of fish soup, I have 2 questions. The first is, "How come the soup is white?" The second is, "Why are there so many restaurants named Hong Kong Street, which one is the original one and how come the government allow so many restaurants to have the same name? Isn't there a law against such things?" (Ok, that was 4 questions)

So this is one of those serendipidous blogs which I hope will elicit a "Orrrr! Like THAT one!" (Eureka!)



Would it surprise you if I told you that you don't need milk to make the fish soup white? It certainly surprised me! For many years, "people" have told me that milk was added to the fish soup to make it white, and I always assumed that this was so. Imagine my surprise when the Uncle explained to me that they don't put milk in the fish soup!

The first step in the fish soup receipe is to deep fry the sliced Toman fish. Once it is browned and the oil has absorbed the fishy flavour, most of the oil is decanted, leaving just enough to mix with the soup stock.



I thought it was supposed to be some really thick fish stock but was very surprised that it was a simple ginger stock! (At this point I was in a state of disbelief)



Next, the lid is put on the wok and high heat is applied until white smoke start streaming from the edges. The ginger stock is then poured over the lid slowly. The combination of the high heat, stock and oil enables the oil and water to combined together into an emulsion! It takes almost 5 to 10 minutes to make one bowl of fish soup! And because every bowl is made separately, you can't really ask for more soup without having to wait.

After the soup has turned into a milky white colour, some condiments are added. The last step is the addition of Chinese rice wine just before serving. As you know, some other stalls have substituted Chinese rice wine with XO.

The soup was good and certainly better then the fish soups that you get at the normal hawker centres, but I remembered it to be more shiok in the past. (Might be a case of having high expectations) That day it only scored 4/5.

Now that you know how it is made, you would realise that this type of fish soup is cannot be considered "healthy"! $10 per bowl



The bittergourd pork ribs was another of the signature dish of the restaurant. According to the Uncle, they were the first stall to introduce this dish which has become quite popular in many Cze Char stalls. It was tasty, but I found the pork ribs to be really small and emaciated. $8 4/5



If this had been just called Deep Fried Chicken Wings, I would have given it a high mark! It was really crispy and the chicken was tasty. However, being Prawn Paste Chicken, I have to say that the prawn paste taste did not really come through. The chicken flesh also lacked the red colouring which would indicate that the meat was marinated long enough. Dissppointed that day because it used to be soooo shiok! $10 3.5/5



The Sliced Fish Hor Fun was still good. Both Kway Teow and Sliced Fish were very fresh! $8 4/5



According to this uncle, his mother was the one who originally ran the stall at Hong Kong Street. They then moved to Commonwealth Ave and in 1997, following a newspaper article on their Fish Soup, the business started to boom. This then gave rise to many of his chefs leaving to start their own "Hong Kong Street" restaurants. Now you see them everywhere and "Hong Kong Street" has become synonymous with the milky fish soup.

Conclusion

This restaurant used to be really good. I have eaten there quite a few times and the Fish Soup and Prawn Paste Chicken never failed to satisfy. Though they were still good that day (still better then a lot of other fish soups), it was nowhere near what I remembered. May be a case of a new Chef that day!


Hong Kong Street Chun Kee
Blk 125 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-190
62718484/62728484

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