Jayden

Wonton behaviour
There are so few commendable wonton mee stalls in Singapore that it's sad
By Teo Pau Lin, FOOD CORRESPONDENT

FOLLOWERS of this monthly column would notice that a few things are different about today's instalment. Instead of the usual Top 10, I'm listing only the Top 5 wonton mee outlets. Why? Because I couldn't find 10 good stalls to recommend.

The wonton mee scene in Singapore is dire.

It's a common dish that can be found in any hawker centre or foodcourt. But quality is often lacking, even among established stalls trumpeted by food guides and TV shows.

Too many stalls overcook their noodles to a soggy mess and serve wontons that look like crumpled tissue paper dunked in salt water.

Often, their char siew looks - and tastes - like boiled pork dipped in red ink.

One wonders why there is always a queue at the famous Kok Kee in Lavender Food Square, when its dish is overly salty and costs $3 for a paltry portion of five mouthfuls.

Also, try figuring out why, at the revered Eng's in Dunman Food Centre, there is always a 30-minute wait when the chilli sauce is so hot that it offers no other flavour.

Over the past week, I've sampled 14 of the most highly rated wonton mee stalls across the island, and found that only five are really worth recommending.

In fact, even among these five, the standards are so discernible that - for the first time in this column - I'm able to rank them in order of merit.

So let your tastebuds go wonton over these rare gems.

tpaulin@sph.com.sg

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The winners

LIFESTYLE'S Top 5 wonton mee stalls (in order of merit).

1 Foong Kee
6 Keong Saik Road
Opens: 11.30am to 8pm, closed on Sundays
This roast meat stall is an amazing, pulse-quickening discovery.

It's been in business for only three years and has not been picked up by any food guide or TV show. But its wonton mee beats most of the established names hands down.

Roasted in-house by self-taught chef Wong Wai Chiew, 43, its char siew was brown, not red - a sure sign that the meat was well-marinated in seasoning, not colouring.

Slightly lined with fat, it was served in thick chunks and tasted sweet, flavoursome and juicy.

The noodles boasted an addictively firm bite, done in the style of Hong Kong dry noodles.

It was tossed in a delicious sauce, carefully concocted by Mr Wong, using soya sauce, oyster sauce, lard oil and belachan chilli.

A former shoe salesman, he worked as a kitchen hand for several years, then honed his meat-roasting craft through trial and error. Now, a star is born. Price: $2.50.

[I attach a picture below.]

2 Sin Hoi Hin Wantan Mee
12 Rowell Road
Opens: 7.30am to 1.30pm, closed on Tuesdays
This dish will put a big smile on your face when it arrives, as it did on mine. With a portion so hearty and ingredients put together with such care, it could've been made by your grandma.

The char siew came in big, thick slices and tasted tender and flavoursome. The noodles, tossed in a delicious gravy of soya sauce, oyster sauce, lard bits and home-made chilli sauce, was laced with crunchy watercress.

Along with a fried wonton, there were big shui jiao (dumplings) stuffed with minced pork and - this is too good to be true - prawns and black fungus.

Taiwan-born stallowner Wu Yu Chin, 51, who has perfected her dish over seven years in business, said even high-flyers in Ferraris drop by for a plate.

This stall comes in second behind Foong Kee only because its char siew is not made in-house. Price: $2.50.

3 Koung's Wan Tan Mee
1 Lorong 13 Geylang Road
Opens: 7.30am to 8.30pm, closed on Mondays
I received a tip-off from a reader that if I failed to include this stall in my rankings, I 'would not go to heaven'. Sure enough, this wonton mee did not disappoint.

It could do with more vegetables (I was given four measly strips of chye sim). But the char siew, roasted in-house, came slightly charred in thick, juicy pieces.

The big portion of noodles was also done just right - firm and drenched in a delicious, lard bits-laden dark sauce. Price: $3.

4 Fei Fei Yan Kee Noodle House
62/64 Joo Chiat Place
Opens: 8am to 10.30pm daily
Paper-thin and coated in an odd hue of bright orange, the char siew here leaves much to be desired.

But the star of this show is its noodles. Springy and firm to the bite, it offers a texture that is not found anywhere else in town. The chilli sauce, which comes in a soup spoon, is robust and boasts a deep, satisfying taste.

The stall started in 1949 and is now run by the founder's grandson, Vincent Lim, 42.

There are a few copycat Fei Feis around. But make no mistake, this stall in Joo Chiat Place is the real McCoy. Price: $2.50.

5 Parklane Zha Yun Tun Mee House
#01-53/85 Sunshine Plaza
Bencoolen Street
Opens: 8.30am to 9pm daily
Famous for their fried wontons, this noodle chain offers hearty portions of noodles and vegetables, although it could be more generous with char siew.

A plate came with four fried wontons, each with a 20 cent-sized filling and wonton skin deep-fried to a wonderfully light crisp. The noodles boasted a rich, eggy flavour. In addition, there were two regular wontons in a bowl of soup.

There are two other outlets at 21 Boon Tat Street and #01-03 North Bridge Commercial Complex. Price: $3.

Attached Images

wonton_mee.jpg (8.8 KB, 4 views)

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funnysnow

wondering where is Keong Saik Road ? I love char siew.. =D

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Jayden

not sure wor.. think can search it off streetdirectory.com..

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violette

have tried Eng's @ Dunman Food Centre.. totally fed up of waiting... the worst waiting time i ever encountered is 1 hour... haiz.. prefer to call to take-away but the mee sucks..

Pls check ur taobao orders here => (
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Dear all,
Pls contact me at
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with regards to spree matters as I will be seldom online in SGC. Thanks.

11 ongoing sprees & counting...

[China] -
[Hong Kong] -
[Taiwan] -
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Vogue Shop l Your Fashion Shop l Wonderland l Beauty Secret l Kana
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[USA]
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Forever 21 l Urban Outfitters l Charlotte Russe l Smackers l ELF l Victoria's Secret
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tracia21

keong saik road is near to Chinatown, Oriental Plaza... it's ard the "small red light destrict" of chinatown... erm u noe where is AIA??? somewhere there...

:shifty3: **//ThanieL...n...TraCia //** :freakedout:
BabY i LovE u.. n i nEveR waNNa Let u gO.. u ArE mY LifE..

BabY.. Let's
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for our :love4:

shin-kyo

wah piang.. is either so far or close so early... cannot eat supper... =(

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tracia21

haha wanton mee as supper??? hmmmm interesting,,, hehe

:shifty3: **//ThanieL...n...TraCia //** :freakedout:
BabY i LovE u.. n i nEveR waNNa Let u gO.. u ArE mY LifE..

BabY.. Let's
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for our :love4:

teriyaki

i eat de fei fei wanton mee b4.. quite nice de... got small bowl n big bowl de....
u can eat tomato or chilli.. but both equally nice~!

B I G B A N G fanclub-
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Vote for big bang at MAA


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xiiaojjace

ii owaes go Bugis de parklane wan ton mee. VIP there le. uncle owaes gib big bowl of soup. their wan ton mee realli nice!! but eat long osho siianz. =X

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棒棒堂 Lollipop Fanclub

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fuyumi

I find that Fei fei may not have consistency in their quality.

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teriyaki

bugis de whr..?! i nw work at bugis sia.... noe more eating places den wun hav ti eat everyday same fooooood~

muz c hu cook one.. cuz dey r teaching de new generation to cook de mee nw..=D

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xiiaojjace