Yong tau foo ($8)!
Bugis yong tau foo (YTF) dry bowl with fried items, broccoli, spinach, tofu, and side fish balls. $8.
Lunch around Bugis area. Yong tau foo (YTF), $8. 😋👍🏼
What was in the bowl:
- Mixed YTF picks: fried fish tofu, fish-paste-stuffed beancurd skin, hard-boiled egg, broccoli florets, kai lan / chinese spinach leaves
- Soft white tofu cubes in the bowl, soaking up the savoury dressing
- Side dish of fried fish balls: deep-fried golden, eaten standalone with chilli
- A small bowl of clear soup with scallion, the broth that ties everything together
The dry-style YTF format means the picks are dressed with sweet sauce + chilli sauce on the rice or noodles instead of swimming in broth. The soup comes on the side. Different from the soup-bowl YTF format that dominates the older hawker generation.
The pick philosophy for a balanced YTF order:
- One starch: tofu cubes, sliced beancurd skin, or fried tofu puffs
- One green: broccoli, kai lan, or chinese spinach
- One stuffed item: stuffed brinjal, chilli, beancurd skin, or fish-paste rolls
- One fried item: fish tofu, fried wonton skin, fried fish ball, or crispy beancurd skin
- Optional egg: hard-boiled cuts a balanced 4-5 picks
At $8 in the Bugis area, this is a mid-tier shopping-mall food court price. The traditional kopitiam YTF stalls run cheaper ($5 to $7 for a full set), and the cafe-style YTF chains run higher ($10 to $14). The trade is convenience and consistent quality versus the irregular gems you find at older hawker stalls.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid lunchtime YTF bowl. Would re-order for a quick mall-stop meal.
