Wanton mee ($5)!
Tuesday hawker wanton mee $5 — dry mee pok with char siew slices, wantons, sweet-soy chilli sauce. The reliable hawker lunch standby.
Tuesday hawker lunch — wanton mee at $5. The reliable Singapore-Cantonese hawker classic that we keep coming back to.
We ordered:
- Wanton mee (dry) — $5
Wanton mee at $5 is the standard hawker pricing for a proper plate. Mee pok noodles tossed in the classic sauce mix — dark sweet-soy, chilli paste, a touch of vinegar, pork lard oil — topped with sliced char siew, blanched leafy greens, and a side bowl of soup wantons.
The mee pok noodles were the test. The good stalls cook them to that proper QQ chew — slight bite, not over-soft, not chalky undercooked. This batch was cooked just right. The sauce coated each strand without pooling at the bottom of the plate; the chilli paste added the proper kick without overpowering.
Char siew slices were thinner today (you get what’s been cut from the day’s batch) but still had the proper caramelised edges and the lean-fatty balance. The sweet-soy lacquered roast pork is one of the small joys of Cantonese cooking.
A handful of choy sum on top for green. The blanched greens are the small fresh component against the heavy sauce.
The side bowl of clear soup with three plump wantons (prawn-and-pork filling, thin skin) is the proper accompaniment. Light savoury broth, palate-cleansing between bites of the heavy dry mee pok.
A small dish of pickled green chillies on the side for the optional sour-spicy lift. Some bites I dip the noodles in the chilli sauce on the plate, some bites I take a slice of pickled chilli with the mouthful.
At $5 this is honest hawker pricing for a proper wanton mee. Most chains charge $7-8 for the same dish with less skill.
Wanton mee is one of those dishes where the hawker stall execution beats the chain restaurant execution every time.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Strong wanton mee — would re-order.
