Singapore, August 10, 2012

By Chen Jingwen

Xi Xiang Feng
Block 724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, 01-23

If you've been enjoying Yong Tau Foo smothered with the fantastic bean and chilli sauces or the equally excellent soup version at this very popular stall in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, don't miss the Laksa version.

And don't let the long queue and half-hour wait deter you.

This Laksa is worth waiting for.

The gravy is ultra-rich, ultra-hot (that is, if you add a big dollop of sambal) and floods your mouth with a melange of flavours of fried Yong Tau Foo pieces like Ngoh Hiang, crispy beanskins filled with fish paste, fishcakes and blackened crusty meatballs.

Nevermind if the fatty meat in the latter has been fried to death - you'll still be rewarded with probably the best 'Devil" Laksa Yong Tau Foo in Singapore.

Make sure you ask for cockles to add a briny-sweet taste to the curried gravy, which is thick, but thankfully, not overly rich with coconut cream.

If you don't like watery Laksa, ask for the beansprouts to be omitted and don't add veggies. Instead, choose deep-fried items and cooked items like fishball and fishcake, especially those that can absorb the delicious gravy better.

The Laksa gravy already comes with the deep-fried taupok, so you might want to avoid picking any similar item.

I had a great version - when trying some from a friend's bowl while working on my 'dry' Yong Tau Foo.

The next day, I decided to have a whole bowl of Laksa to myself - it was very good, but not as robust as the one the day before. I blamed it on the beansprouts, or maybe the thick noodles were still wet when the cook ladled the gravy over it. Or the fat piece stuffed bittergourd that I had picked.

Apart from the wider array of Yong Tau Foo items (mostly decently fresh), everything at this stall is extra, extra, extra - in flavour and quantity.

So expect the sauces and sprinking of sesame seeds to be generous and slap-dash.

If you're a purist, stick to the soup version, which is very good too. The stall uses a copious amount of soybeans and ikan bilis in the flavourful stock.

It's so good, you might want to run home to tell mum about it.

You don't really have to join the queue. Pick the items you want and place your order. Ask the stallholder what time you should return, and when you come back, just hang around the stall.

It has a system of numbering your bowl of Yong Tau Food items, and the stall assistant seems to have a knack for remembering orders and faces.

If you're the kiasu-type, then join the queue and get your fingers busy with a mobile game.

Wait a minute, I thought I spotted a century egg among the dizzy variety of items. Maybe that should add an edgy stink to the Laksa if the miniscule cockles are overwhelmed by the vibrant flavours.

Tell mum about the century egg too!

Rating for Laksa: 8.5/10
Rating for Dry Yong Tau Foo: 8/10

Xi Xiang Feng
Block 724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, 01-23
Ang Mo Kio Town Centre
Open: 7am - around 7pm. Closed on Sunday

Read also:

- Recommendations of good Yong Tau Foo

- Yong Tau Foo recipe by Hedy Khoo

Click on the thumbnails below to see the types of Yong Tau Foo choices at Xi Xiang Feng: