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CEO'S HAWKER GUIDE JUST as pasta is a dish that many Italians cannot go without, so our local version - fishball noodles and minced meat noodles, served 'dry' or in soup - is a Singaporean staple. But that's not to say recipes haven't changed. Back in the days when a bowl of each cost just 20 cents, hawkers used to make their own noodles and throw in ingredients that wouldn't earn your doctor's approval, such as pigs' kidneys. Subsequently, as technology and palates morphed with the times, so too did production methods and recipes. Still, tucking into a bowl or two at one of the top-rated hawker stalls listed below is bound to evoke some memories - many of them continue to hand-make at least a few of their own ingredients, and most still use good old-fashioned lard in their cooking. Dig in! Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle TO paraphrase the proverb: good things come to those who wait ... and wait ... and wait, at Tai Hwa. The bak chor mee stall at Lavender is notorious for its long queues (dining companions who order from other stalls are likely to finish their food before their friends have reached the head of the line), but it's also well-known for its delicious fare. Here, the springy mee kia (thin noodles) and mee pok (broad noodles) are served with lots of fresh pork slices, bouncy pork balls and pork liver, with all the goodies bound together by a potent tangy, spicy dressing made with vinegar and chilli. Prices start from $4 a bowl. Owner Tang Chay Seng, who took over the original Hill Street stall (established in 1932) from his father more than 40 years ago, says the secret is in Tai Hwa's vinegar, which his team produces once a week in an hours-long process. The noodles are custom-made to a special recipe, and each order is cooked individually to ensure quality, which accounts for the long queues. Many confuse Mr Tang's stall with others bearing similar names - there's a Tai Wah at Bestway Building and a Dai Hua at VivoCity, which are in fact run by his brother and nephew, respectively. But they don't share the same recipes, he says. And, judging by the food, not quite the same level of quality either. Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian Seng Hiang Food Stall Ah Poh Meat Noodles Block 85 Bedok North St 4 MOST versions of the bak chor mee at this market are in hot soup, and we mean that literally. Fengshan Market is Singapore's 'headquarters' for Hokkien-style soupy bak chor mee (all starting from $2 a bowl), which is turned out by three stalls in the food centre - Xing Ji, its neighbour Seng Hiang, and Ah Poh Meat Noodles a couple of rows away. Those who want a taste of the original recipe should head to Xing Ji, whose owner, Sim Chee Huat, was the first on the Fengshan Market scene. He took over the business from his father more than 20 years ago. Ah Poh, on the other hand, is operated by Mr Sim's younger sister, while Seng Hiang is not related to either. Both Xing Ji and Seng Hiang serve their nearly indistinguishable minced-meat-laced soup with a generous amount of pork balls, cut chilli and thin, wavy noodles, while Ah Poh's noodles have less curl but more bite as well as a less chemical taste - which makes it the best bak chor mee here, in our opinion. Note that the market is closed for renovations until Oct 19 though, so you'll have to wait till then to get your fix. Chia Keng Kway Teow Mee OWNER Lee Ti Ti's fishball mee stall is closed two days a week, but the 71-year-old and his team have actually only got one day off: Monday. 'We spend Fridays making all the ingredients we need for the week ahead,' says his wife, Lim Siew Hoong. The bulk of the effort, she adds, goes into making the stall's signature chilli sauce, which costs 'more than $100 for five days' worth'. In it go kilos of prawns, chillies and shallots, among other items, and the ingredients are then painstakingly cooked together for 'a few hours'. That results in a light spicy-sour chilli that really perks up the noodles, which start from $3 for a bowl of kway teow or mee pok served with tasty soup, juicy pork slices, mushrooms, fishballs and fish cakes. It's worth ordering an extra portion of the latter for $2 too, if you appreciate a good fish cake, because the one here is hand-made with quality fish and freshly fried by Madam Lim daily. While Chia Keng's been around for so long that Madam Lim cannot recall when it started ('it was 50-over years ago; we were originally at a small market near Lim Tua Tow Road'), what she remembers is that the stall moved to Chong Boon Market in 1983. With that far-reaching history, it's no wonder she and her husband turn out fishball mee as rich in flavour as the business is in experience. Ah Lim Mee Pok You Mian Kway Teow Mee THIS is one of several stalls embroiled in a mee pok war in the East Coast/Bedok area, which is perhaps why the owner declined to be interviewed. But on to the food. There's some old-fashioned charm in a name like Ah Lim, and the stall does do traditional mee pok fired up with an explosive chilli sauce that has chilli seeds in it. For $3, you get a generous bowlful of soft-cooked noodles tossed with minced meat, fishballs, slices of fish cake and crunchy lard. There are also fresh prawns and a light, fairly tasty soup, which make this one of the more value-for-money versions of fishball mee around. Soon Wah Fish Ball Kway Teow Mee IT'S not just a good main ingredient that goes into Soon Wah's flavourful and sweet fishballs, but a whole lot of effort too. Each bouncy sphere has its beginnings in an early-morning trip to the market, where owner Eio Ah Seng and his younger brother Eio Soon Teck personally pick fresh yellowtail fish. It's a punishing routine, but the elder Eio says he's used to it. 'I've been doing this since I took over the stall from my father when I was 16,' explains the affable man, who's now 58. 'We were located in the old Orchard Road carpark before, but moved to Newton in 1977 when that closed.' With so many years of experience under its belt, it's no wonder Soon Wah offers one of the more refined versions of fishball mee around - it's cooked with a light hand and isn't too oily, plus portions are daintily presented in petite bowls. Prices start from $4 for a small serving. Tell us about your favourite Bak Chor Mee -> HERE
And judging by CEOs' votes, the best places to get these dishes are run mostly by hawkers who have been boiling and blanching for decades.
Block 466 Crawford Lane
#01-12 Tai Hwa Eating House
Tel 6292-7477
Open from 9.30am to 9pm; closed on the first and third Monday of each month
Block 85 Bedok North Street 4
#01-07 Fengshan Market & Food Centre
Open daily from 5.30pm to 3am
Block 85 Bedok North Street 4
#01-08 Fengshan Market & Food Centre
Open daily from 6pm to 3am
#01-245 Fengshan Market & Food Centre
Open daily from 6pm to 11.30pm
Block 453A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10
#01-11 Chong Boon Market & Food Centre
Tel 9644-6338
Open from 5.30am to 2pm; closed Mondays and Fridays
15 Upper East Coast Road
Soy Eu Tua Coffee Shop
Open from 7am to 5pm; closed alternate Mondays
What his helpers would say, however, is that their five-year-old business is related to a stall of the same name at Simpang Bedok but that it has no dealings with Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok Kway Teow Mee, located at Simpang Bedok as well. The latter is apparently owned by someone who used to work for the owner of Ah Lim.
#01-69 Newton Food Centre Newton Circus
Open from 5.30pm to 11.30pm; closed Wednesdays and Sundays
They spend late morning till early afternoon hand-forming the fish into fishballs and dumplings, then take a short break. Come 3.30pm, they're at their stall preparing the light, clear soup that accompanies their noodles, along with a few other things, before opening at 5.30pm.
