WHICH WANTAN MEE DO YOU PREFER?

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Hello Makan Kakis! If you love Wantan Noodles as much as our Foodie Friend Xin Hui Helder-Eng, then you might already  be familiar with Eng’s Noodles House, of amazing springy noodles, crispy lard & fiery chilli fame. In particular, everybody talks about the extra-spicy chilli sauce that can make you cry and bring you to your knees! Of late though, there’s been some debate over the appearance of TWO Eng’s wantan mee restaurants along the same stretch of Tanjong Katong Road. Are they the same as the original noodles the late chef-owner Mr Ng Ba Eng gave us? Why are there two shops with almost the same name opposite each other? And which one is better?  Xin Hui did a little digging to find out…

Eng’s Wantan Noodle (original location)

In a nutshell, the original stall at number 287 started by the late Mr Ng was handed down to his children to continue the family’s culinary legacy, but there was also an investment with a larger commercial food company. The partnership didn’t work out and the food company retained the original chef and many of the staff, whilst the children left to start their own shop just across the road, using their father’s recipe.

ENG’S Char Siew Wantan Mee (opened by children)

And as foodies, it’s our job to keep up a lively discussion – which one do you support? The bloodline or the original chef? Which one do we prefer? Obviously, opinions are pretty much divided as to which version of Eng’s wantan mee is better, because our taste is so subjective.

Xin Hui knows which she prefers but very diplomatically says that while she orders more from the original at number 287 (now renamed Eng’s Wantan Noodle), she does think they’ve nailed it with the noodles across the road (named ENG’S Char Siew Wantan Mee). They’ve also their menu to included many other dishes and the space is air-conditioned, with nicer tables and chairs, all of which do play a part in your decision. However, both shops serve up the signature chilli sauce that remains as tongue-searingly spectacular as ever.

People also now identify the restaurants by the colour of their plates – Green for the original and white for the new. So which to choose? Green or white? Weighing the pros and cons, there’s really only one answer – TRY BOTH! After all, they’re both so closely located. Taste both and let us know what you think!

TASTE:
ENG’s Wantan Noodle (original location/ Green plates)
287 Tanjong Katong Road, S(437036 )
Open Daily: 11 am – 9 pm
Tel: +65 86882727

ENG’s Char Siew Wantan Mee (new, operated by next gen/ White plates)
248 Tanjong Katong Road, S(437036 )
Open Daily: 10.30 am – 8.45 pm
Tel: +65 87986088

 

Flawless, Flying Wanton Mee

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Greetings Greedies! If you’re anything like our Makan Kaki, Chef Shen Tan of Ownself Make Chef, then you’re always on a quest for the perfect plate of Wanton Noodles. This week, Chef Shen recommends a find in Commonwealth Crescent that is run by an affable husband and wife team. He turns out perfectly cooked noodles that are firm to the bite, springy and never too alkaline in taste. And as a bonus, he’s fun to watch too – he puts on a veritable aeronautical display, flicking the noodles up high into the air before catching them in his ladle – highly theatrical and entertaining!

Chef Shen always goes for the dry version and the noodles come perfectly sauced, as does the char siew, along with some green veggies and a small bowl of billowing wantons on the side. A liberal helping of pickled green chilli completes a her Wanton Noodle meal, which she says is impossible to find fault with. All that for just $3! If you prefer, they do decent chicken feet noodles too.

However, for Chef Shen, their Wanton Noodles have never disappointed her. Across the region, you get different versions of Wanton Mee – there’s Hong Kong style, Malaysian style, but here, theirs is quintessentially Singaporean. You get great value, Wanton Noodles that taste fantastic AND a show too! Plus, parking is not difficult at the location and makes an excellent lunch treat.

So for flawless Wanton Noodles, this place definitely lives up to its name – Hao Hao, which mean very good in Mandarin!

TASTE:
Hao Hao Noodle House (好好麺食之家)
#02-83 Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre
31 Commonwealth Crescent S(149644)

Makan Kakis Best of 2018 – Part 3

It’s time once again for Season’s Eatings and as we celebrate the end of another delicious year, enjoy this Makan Kakis special –  we’re looking back at 2018’s most popular makan recommendations!

We continue the festive feasting with these next contenders:

• Ownself Make Chef Shen Tan’s Wanton Char Siew Noodles recommendation.
• Gurmit Singh’s all-time favourite Char Kway Teow.
• Home-cook, Fashion Designer and Theatre Practitioner Oniatta Effendi’s go-to Nasi Jenganan & Rawon.

Wanton Mee – Wan of Singapore’s Most Wanted!

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Hello Foodies! We see the return of last week’s Makan Kaki, Head Chef of Burnt Ends, Jake Kellie, who’s off to Western Australia this weekend to headline the Feast in the Forest at the Margaret River Gourmet Escape. We caught him just before his departure to recommend more makan and he offered up his favourite Wanton Mee stall at Hong Lim Food Centre, which sees relentlessly long lines at lunchtime. Of course, Singaporeans know that a long queue means good things at the end of the wait and Chef Jake is no exception – he’s willing to wait in line because their noodles are just that good! A typical visit to Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist sees Chef Jake start off with some crispy, tasty, deep-fried Wantons that are packed full of minced pork and shrimp.

To follow-up, he gets a bowl of dry Wanton Mee with Char Siew. He loves the fat, juicy parcels of boiled dumplings floating in soup, which he scoops into his noodles and mixes in with the sauce. This way, the soft, pillowy, boiled Wantons take on lots of flavour from the sauce mixture.

Wonderful Wanton Noodles

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Today, our intrepid Makan Kaki Chef Shen Tan wants to take us for a delicious Wanton Mee lunch at Tekka Market. This food centre is famous for lots of delicious dishes, but it’s puzzling to Chef Shen why not many people know just how good this particular stall’s Wanton Noodles are! This couple there have been serving up Singapore-style Wanton Mee for about 20 years now, and it was Chef Shen’s mother who first brought her there to enjoy Chin Seng Cooked Food’s signature noodle dish.

Best of Boon Lay!

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This week, co-author of local food guide Eat. Muse. Love. Toh Mu Qin wants us to check out the many delicious things on offer at Boon Lay Food Village. There, you get all-day dining at its very best. You’ll be spoilt for choice from breakfast, to lunch, to dinner, to every other meal in between! Here are a few highlights of Mu Qin’s favourite things to eat there:

First of all, no Westie worth their salt wouldn’t be aware of Power Nasi Lemak (some say the best in all of Singapore), so let’s start here. This is one stall that takes pride in the quality of their food – freshly prepared ingredients, yummy flavours and everything kept piping hot. The deep-fried chicken is particularly good here – well-marinated, juicy and tender on the inside, shatteringly crisp and golden on the outside. The otak-otak (fish paste) is also a must-try, since it comes with a separate coconut milk sauce to drizzle over, cutting through the spice & adding to the creamy richness of the fish. The fried ikan billis & roasted peanuts are also worth mentioning, as is the sensational sambal chilli, which balances a mild sweetness with the heat of the chilli. Power Nasi Lemak is open till late, making it a perfect stop for dinner/ supper. In fact it’s usually open from 6.30am – 3.30am!!! Find it at #01-106.

And if you’re looking for something else to satisfy those dinner cravings, you might also want to try the stall serving up sizzling seafood on hotplates! Be warned – spicy to the max, but oh-so-good! Try the BBQ sting ray, sotong, lala and chilli kang kong at Sin Chew Huat Mei Xiang Hotplate Stingray #01-117.

If you happen to be at Boon Lay Food Village earlier in the day, Mu Qin also recommends the carrot cake or Wanton Mee for breakfast. The latter also comes with the option of stewed chicken feet and shitake mushrooms – yum! Check out Lian Yi Wanton Noodle at #01-161.

Final recommendation: Bak Kut Teh Bee Hoon in a claypot – simple, flavourful and comforting! Kam Hiang Food Stall is at #01-118.

TASTE:
BOON LAY PLACE FOOD VILLAGE
221A/B Boon Lay Place
S641221

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Local Delights and Buffet Tucked Away in Little India

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Going to the market is a fave pastime of Violet Oon‘s, but wet-marketing at Tekka can be quite a marathon endeavour and at the end of a hot, sweaty shopping trip, she is always on the look out for nearby places to cool-off and relax at. This week, Violet recommends an unexpected oasis in Little India that hasn’t been discovered by many as yet. A hidden gem of an urban hotel perched atop the Farrer Park MRT Station, called One Farrer Hotel & Spa.
This the perfect foil to the earthy hustle & bustle of Little India, a cool respite from the heat and a great place for round-the-clock dining at its restaurant, the aptly-named Escape. What’s wonderful is that Escape offers up truly 24-hour dining – breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between – from its extensive ala carte menu, featuring local delights like fried Hokkien Mee, chicken rice, wanton mee soup and beef hor fun, to its ‘Interactive Kitchen’ buffet at lunch and dinner times. Nine live cooking stations serve up a mouth-watering international array of Chinese, North Indian, Japanese, Western and local cuisines.

Check out the fresh seafood spread – sushi, sashimi, lobster, oysters and more! Other highly recommended dishes include the One Farrer Lobster Laksa (thick, rich, made with Maine Lobster & served with Homemade Otah) and the Durian Symphony (a durian mille feuille, kind of like a crepe rolled with gula melaka).
The cherry on top for Violet was really to discover that the executive chef, KK Kong, is none other than the young man who used to work for her in Takashimaya when he was 18 years old. Fast forward 20 years, Violet is delighted to see how far Chef Kong has come, planning these menus and creating wonderful meals for hotel guests and customers alike.
At Escape, you’ll find the food delicious and the ambiance quiet and relaxed. Add the attentive staff and you have a great place for the whole family to eat, anytime of the day.

TASTE:
Escape Restaurant And Lounge
One Farrer Hotel & Spa
1 Farrer Park Station Road
Open Daily 24 hours
Interactive Kitchen Buffet – Lunch 12 – 2.30pm
Interactive Kitchen Buffet – Dinner 6 – 10pm
Supper 10pm – 5am
All Day A La Carte Dining
Reservations: (+65) 6705 7828

Accept DeFeet – Chicken Feet, that is!

For those who aren’t squeamish (Denise is), CHICKEN FEET can bring such a simple, joyous pleasure out of eating. With today’s affluence and chichi dining options, Seetoh reckons the enjoyment of chicken feet is a lost art, that’s why this week, we highlight the slippery, gelatinous, addictiveness of what aficionados call  Phoenix Claws or fung chao.

There is a, quite literally, FAMOUS wanton mee stall that serves up plate after plate of tasty QQ noodles with char siew, boiled and fried wantons in a silky umami sauce, but truly, the highlight  there is the deep-fried, then stewed chicken feet – it comes thick, juicy, softly textured yet firm.

You have to meet lady boss Linda, who boils the chicken feet first, so that they absorb the stock and puff up a little, then deep-fries the feet so that they tighten back up and lock in the texture and flavour! Next, she stews the feet very gently, without stirring or moving the pot, so that the feet stay gloriously intact – no skin breakage, no loose digits! You can take your time to chew – the skin slides right off as you work on it with your mouth – part of the fun is spitting out the knobbly little digits one by one, like bullets!

Add a thick, salty-sweet earthy sauce with whole shiitake mushrooms to the soft, gooey, gorgeous feet and your eyes will soon be rolling backwards in your sockets from the taste & texture explosion. It’s enough to convince Denise to try some chicken feet!

Don’t wait already! Hurry, go and indulge at:
Da Jie Famous Wanton Mee
209 Jalan Besar (Sam Leong Road)
Open 7am-2.30pm daily (Closed on Sundays & PHs)

LISTEN again to this week’s episode!