October 2024 Wrap-Up – Tampines 1’s Hawkers’ Street Noodle Feature

Note: I am not sponsored by Hawkers’ Street on any circumstances. Just happened to find a number of stalls selling appetizing noodle dishes there.

For unknown reasons, the forces beyond my comprehension kept dragging me back to the east, this time to the heartlands of the ever ~~crowded~~ lively Tampines. Specifically, we’ll be visiting Tampines 1, where Hawkers’ Street filled in Kapitans by Kopitiam’s spot this July with a variety of exciting and delectable food from stalls such as King of Fried Rice, Tai Wah Pork Noodles and more.

This month’s wrap-up will focus on these four stalls (in this order):

Tai Wah Pork Noodles
Garden Street Kway Chap
Pang’s Hakka Noodles, and
Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway

Taste Test #1: Tai Wah Pork Noodles (Pork Noodle Soup, Mee Kia, $5.90)

This was my second time at Tai Wah within two months. I tried the kway teow soup previously, and it was actually decent to say the least. That said, the mee kia I ordered for this review tasted great, albeit it was a bit soft the more I let the noodles stayed in the hot soup. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of pork liver, but Tai Wah’s pork liver were tender and juicy, its texture not too dry and rubbery. The minced meat was fluffy as always, and the dumplings tasted refreshing even if one of the fillings fell out of the dumpling skin.

The only downside to the dish was the fried sole fish, which tasted way too bitter than it’s supposed to be. Tough luck, I guess.

Taste Test #2: Garden Street Kway Chap (Kway Chap Set For 1 + Large Kway: $8)

Since Guang Liang Cooked Food’s kway chap, I have yet to come across other kway chap stalls that can beat theirs. Which sets a very high bar for Garden Street Kway Chap, as I wait in anticipation whether if the kwap chap can served can stand on its two feet or not, more so with the fact that they offer a vegetarian option.

Alas, I tried their Kway Chap Set For 1 with a large bowl of kway, which are sold separate for whatever reason. But I came off a little disappointed with the meal, as the pig skin was on the tougher side, and some of the kway was a little undercooked with some clinging onto one another. The broth wasn’t strong enough, but maybe this suits more for people who want a milder kway chap. The pork belly and tau pok certainly hits the spot, and the fish cake certainly was able to soak up the broth from the ingredient platter.

Taste Test #3: Pang’s Hakka Noodles (Traditional Hakka Noodles, Dry & Non-Spicy + Extra Noodles, $9.10)

Until this month, I haven’t heard much of or tried Hakka-style noodles. At least not to the extent of fishball noodles, bak chor mee and wanton noodles growing up. So when I saw some customers enjoying their bowl of noodles from Pang’s Hakka Noodle stall, it gave me an incentive to check it out and venture into something new.

I tried their traditional hakka noodles (dry and non-spicy) twice for quality assurance, and on my first slurp, I was hooked. The noodles looks interesting with their slightly thicker texture, but doesn’t distract from their deliciousness, even more when coated with their savory meat sauce containing light soy sauce and a copious amount of oil. Best of all, it also comes with huge chunks of lard, which I appreciate.

In contrast, the soup has a permeating radish taste, making a much lighter and sweeter soup compared to most handmade noodle stalls. Still, this stall’s soup’s taste profile is quite distinct, which reminds me of the homemade soup I have at home (not Hakka, btw) as a ‘cooling’ measure to balance the ‘heatiness’ (as the older folks would say) of living in a tropical country like Singapore.

The portions of minced meat provided may be minuscule, but they make up for lack of quantity for quality with the right amount of mush that doesn’t taste overly dry and is neatly coated with the sauce. Ingredients from the soup were pretty standard, and the only fishball in my bowl was cooked just right and fit neatly into the dish without overstaying its welcome.

Taste Test #4: Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway (Signature Mee Hon Kway with Minced Pork, Pork Slices, Pork Ball and Shrimp Ball, Youmian, $6.30)

Situated right next to Garden Street Kway Chap, Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway is hard to miss, serving mainly their signature mee hoon kway, banmian and youmian. Like 456 Mian Fen Guo, they utilize a pasta making machine for their noodle strands, and while it may take a while for your bowl to be served, it’s totally worth the wait. Pork slices, minced pork, one pork ball and one shrimp ball, it all meshes together to serve one great bowl of handmade noodle soup.

While finishing my youmian soup, my mind drifted towards the ingredients used got me reminiscent of the porridge at Chai Chee Pork Porridge ^{(yes, I do eat other dishes aside from noodle-based ones)}. Replace the noodles with porridge, and it would taste more or less identical. Perhaps what gave me this impression most strongly was the soup, with its slightly charred and smokey profile that felt like it was prepared on a wok or something.

That said, the use of spinach as the main vegetables made the eating experience rather comforting. Soft and moist, it doesn’t distract the rest of the bowl too much and for once, I was able to finish eating all my vegetables from a bowl of youmian. The egg, which is only dumped into the pot right before serving the noodles, was soft and rich, serving as an excellent supporting role in making the noodles even more delicate and savory. Not to mention giving the soup an even cloudier sight and the tiny oil globs more visibility.

Final Thoughts

Having tried two of Hawkers’ Street’s three outlets across Singapore, it’s a privilege they’re bringing the best of Singapore hawker food closer to our doorsteps.

Sure, the items in their stalls are charged slightly higher than the stalls at standard food courts and hawker stalls, but they were able to maintain a high level of standards and quality from the stalls they brought in, achieving a common goal which is to serve delicious food. That said, I look forward to what Hawkers’ Street has in store in the near future.

Address & Opening Hours:

Address:
Hawkers’ Street @ Tampines 1
10 Tampines Central 1, #05-05/06/07, Singapore 529536

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun, 9am to 9pm