Wanton mee ($4) + dumplings ($1.20)!
Tuesday hawker — wanton mee $4 + dumplings $1.20. The classic Cantonese hawker spread with the extra dumpling side.
Tuesday hawker lunch — wanton mee + extra dumplings at $4 + $1.20. The standard hawker order with the additional dumpling upgrade.
We ordered:
- Wanton mee — $4
- Extra dumplings — $1.20
Total: $5.20 for the spread.
The wanton mee was the standard plate. Mee pok noodles tossed in the classic sauce mix — dark sweet-soy, chilli paste, a touch of vinegar, pork lard oil for body. Each strand coated thoroughly. Sliced char siew on top, blanched leafy greens, with a side bowl of clear soup wontons.
The $4 wanton mee tier is the standard 2020 hawker pricing. The plate had the proper toppings spread (char siew, greens, soup wantons), the noodles had the proper QQ chew, the sauce had the proper sweet-soy-chilli-lard balance.
The extra dumplings at $1.20 were the side upgrade. The standard wanton mee bowl comes with 3 wantons in the side soup; the extra dumplings doubles that to 6 or 7 wantons. Same prawn-and-pork filling, same thin skin, same clear chicken broth — just more of them.
The dumpling upgrade is the right call when you want more substantial protein in the bowl without committing to the full premium wanton mee variant. At $1.20 for the extra dumplings, the small upgrade adds real value.
The side bowl of clear soup with the extra dumplings now had the full complement of wantons — 6-7 plump prawn-and-pork bundles in light savoury broth with a piece of choy sum. The dumpling-heavy side bowl becomes its own small course alongside the dry noodles.
At $5.20 total for the wanton mee + extra dumplings combo, this is honest hawker pricing. The base wanton mee at $4 is the steady tier; the extra dumplings at $1.20 is the proper add-on pricing.
Phase 2 had restored the hawker centres to full operation. The wanton mee stalls have been steady through the year, and the extra-dumpling upgrade had become one of our regular customisations.
The pattern through late December had stabilised. Home weekday cooking + hawker stops + occasional restaurant breaks + festival-marker meals (Winter Solstice tang yuan, birthday dinner, anniversary). The hawker stops remained the steady value-driver across the rotation.
Year-end approaching, 2020 closing out. The standard wanton mee + extra dumplings lunch was the small unremarkable steady meal that anchored the work week.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid wanton mee with extra dumplings — would re-order.
