Michelin star wanton mee for $5 in Toa Payoh

Wanton noodles by a Michelin-starred chef and it’s only $5? Now you can get it in Toa Payoh.

Opened in late 2018, Chef Kang’s Noodle House is run by brothers Moo Yun Kheng and Moo Yun Wah who have worked with Chef Kang in his previous now-defunct cafe for seven years.

Located at Jackson Square, an eating place within an industrial place in Toa Payoh, the eatery has now made it onto the Singapore Michelin Bib Gourmand list for 2019.

I have heard that the waiting time here can go up to two hours long but it wasn’t the case on a weekday morning when I arrived. There were only a few queuing at around 10am but the flow of customers was constant when I was there.

Chef Kang’s Noodle House has three dishes up on their menu:

1. Noodle with Char Siew and Wanton – $5.00

2. Noodle with Shredded Abalone, Char Siew and Wanton – $10.00

3. Char Siew (per plate) – $10.00

My friend and I got basic plate plus the upsized one with shredded abalone.

After mixing up the noodles and with its black sauce, the first thing you notice is that they are very generous with their noodle portions, so it’ll be perfect for big eaters.

Aside from char siew, you can also find a few pieces of raw vegetables, deep-fried crispy pork lard and a bowl of two wantons. The abalone options adds a whole pile of shredded abalone.

Their noodles are springy but fall on the stiffer or “harder” spectrum but it perfectly complements with the sweet, dark sauce.

Their char siew slices are an absolute winner in my book. Not thinly-sliced and dry, Chef Kang’s char siew is sliced thick, moist and soft.

It also has a good ratio of meat to fat with a nice charcoal-burnt aftertaste. However, I had wished there was more black sauce as the noodles can get a little dry.

Their wantons were also like mini-shui gaos — as they were stuffed with prawns, minced pork, black fungus and water chestnuts. The soup is also different as it is opaque, not clear, as it is made from pork bones.

On another point, the shredded abalone. Whether it is worth $5 is up to the individual — you can get another bowl of wanton noodles for that price — but that’s what canned abalone costs. Order it if you’d like more of a sea taste thrown into the mix.

Chef Kang’s Noodle House definitely ranks near the top when it comes to wanton noodles, but my search for “the ultimate best” continues.