Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wan Ton Mee: The best wanton mee in the East of Singapore?
What we liked:
— The sauce is very compelling at this stall
— Fried lard bits and fried onions are a nice addition to the dish
What we didn’t:
— The quality could be more consistent
Established in the 1930s, Hua Kee was previously from the Hougang area and is now run by the third generation. It shifted to Old Airport Food Centre more than a decade ago and the wanton mee here is generally regarded as one of the best wanton noodles in Singapore’s east side.
The main attraction is the stall’s dry noodles and sauce dressing. Its egg noodles used to be handmade but are now factory made to their own specifications, costing four times that of factory noodles, likely because of a higher egg content. The result are the best egg noodles of any wanton noodle stall — springy with a soft but resilient texture, plus they don’t clump up even if you leave them for some time.
There is also an eggy bite of sorts which is hard to describe but is very satisfying to eat.
The sauce is a nice mix of a big, slightly sweet spiciness, soy stock flavour and oil richness. The noodles are always well dressed no matter how big the portion you order.
The problem with this stall is that the dressing is not always consistent. When the third generation owner does it, the mix is always right but not when his other helpers do it. Sometimes they add too much or not enough oil and the chilli levels also vary quite a bit.
They are also inconsistent when it comes to the fried lard bits and fried onion mixture and green chilli. It’s nice when its added as it adds a nice crunch into the mix but it doesn’t get added all the time. Also missing half the time are the pickled sliced green chillies.
The other main highlight are the wantons, which are consistently made and are filled with fatty minced meat and well-seasoned with tee po (dried sole fish).
The same can’t be said of char siu (barbecued pork) but at least it is a few steps better than factory made — its not dry and not cut to cardboard thinness. The soup is unfortunately nothing to shout about.
Also note that the stall is not exactly the most polite of stalls. The stallholders can be quite gruff and short but it shouldn’t be any issue if you’re straightforward in your ordering.
