Tai Shek Hei House of Traditional Bamboo Noodles
283/285 Joo Chiat Road
Tel 6345-5095

Singapore, Nov 8, 2008 - AFTER dusk, Tai Shek Hei is a rather unusual sight in an area that's flooded with neon-lit bars. Instead of working girls and boozing men, this homey noodle restaurant is filled with families, Caucasian tourists and even the odd monk or two (it also serves vegetarian fare).

Owners and first-time restaurateurs John and Amy See say they picked the double-shophouse space at the junction of Joo Chiat and Koon Seng roads for its reasonable rent, but admit it isn't the best location.

Still, they're trying to make it as family-friendly as possible - in the two months since the shop's opening, they've customised entire spreads for families who've held their grandparents' birthdays in the function room on the second floor, while on the main menu you'll find kiddie-friendly fare such as ham and egg with the restaurant's speciality bamboo noodles.

This type of noodles dates back to the Qing dynasty, when master chefs used thick bamboo poles to beat the dough to a springy consistency.

The couple first tried the noodles three years ago in Guangzhou and were so impressed ('I don't know how to cook, but I know what good food is,' says Mrs See) that they sought help to fine-tune and bring the dying trade back to Singapore.

Mr See - who used to work in the engineering and construction industries but has since retired - also spent a year and a half designing an on-site machine to perform the centuries-old task of dough-beating that would produce noodles of a more consistent quality.

The machine makes use of sturdy bamboo poles specially imported from southern China as 'bamboo here is too thin', and three types of flour to make the dough, explains Mr See.

He and his wife have also developed a method that eliminates the acrid smell and sharp taste of lye water from the noodles, which are made on an ad hoc basis depending on demand: the dough is left to rest for 24 hours in a temperature-controlled room after it's beaten.

It's then vacuum-packed and refrigerated for a further 24 hours to give it more crunch before it's sliced into ribbons and cooked.

The result is delicate noodles (from $6.50 per bowl) with a firm and really springy bite that you can chomp on with a variety of home-made dishes: cereal beancurd ($8), seafood pancake (from $4 for a small portion) or tempura-battered fresh cod fillet (market price), for instance.

Then there are the signature tobiko dumplings. These fat bamboo-beaten-dough dumplings stuffed with minced meat, pork and a pop of flying fish roe are available either fried ($4) or in a clear tasty broth ($8).

If you're interested in watching Mr See's 20th-century take on an ancient tradition, Tai Shek Hei conducts bamboo-beating demonstrations every Saturday at noon in its front window. Explains his wife: 'We thought it would be good for children to see how the noodles are made so they can appreciate them.'

SoShiok.com's review: The noodles were almost similar to noodles that you find in Hong Kong eateries in Singapore. They were springy but not overly too. And the soup was like any good superior stock for Hong Kong Wanton Noodles.

Tai Shek Hei's Wanton Dumplings were meaty on the leaner side, instead of the very unhealthy fatty meat used by many hawker stalls here.

There's only a slight trace of the smell of lye but overall, the noodles were a delight. They were even more delicious fried (Hong Kong Fried Noodles) as the strong cooking flames gave the noodles an appetising aroma.

A retired American tourist, who grew up eating Chinese food in Honolulu, declared after finishing the last strand of his roast duck noodles: "Very delicious!"

Singapore used to have the same bamboo-beaten noodle factories but they vanished when modern machines too took over a few decades ago.

Take your family and children to see the noodles being made every Saturday at Tai Shek Hei. The dough is walloped before it's machine-cut into thin strands of noodles. It's an admirable feat in the local culinary scene.

The restaurant is open from lunch till dinner. It's located at the junction of Joo Chiat Road and Koon Seng Road. Diagonally opposite is the famous Teochew porridge coffeeshop at the junction of Joo Chiat Road and Dunman Road.