Chun Noodle Bar 椿风满面 (Amoy Street Food Centre)

A bowl of char siu noodle for a much higher fare, you would wonder whether it worth the spending?

Besides serving the normal kind of char siu noodle, Chun Noodle Bar also has this special version that comes with truffle.

Indeed you would really enjoy much of the fragrance that comes from the truffle that has added to the bowl, and infused the noodle with the sauce.

The iberico pork is enjoyable juicy and chewy. Accompanied by wanton, veggie and a bowl of soup.

I do have to say that the portion wasn’t big as you would expected, and I could easily finish it within few minutes.

I tried the Truffle Char Siu Noodle ($9) and it did not disappoint. The springy noodle is tossed in a truffle-infused sauce and the fragrance of the truffle really comes through. The Iberico char siu is smoked with Oolong tea leaves and it has a fine balance of fats and meat, and sweet and savoury. The wantons are plump, tasty and wrapped in thin skin, and the fried wantons provided a nice crunch. Couldn’t get enough of this!

The second level of Amoy Street Food Centre seems to have seen quite a bit of movement in the tenancy of the late; there have been quite a number of empty stalls recently since the new year has started — this also probably means that there may be new entrants into the F&B scene taking up the stalls in due time. Case-in-point, 椿风满面 Chun Feng Man Mian is one of the new stalls that had recently moved in to the second level of Amoy Street Food Centre. Previously occupied by the now-defunct Spinach Soup stall, the stall is located just beside Craft’B — a modern hawker stall that serves up customisable Donburi, soba and salads. As the name of the stall suggests (especially for those who can read and understand Chinese), Chun Feng Man Mian is a stall that specialises in noodles — wanton noodles, in particular. The stall’s menu is pretty streamlined; the stall’s social media bio mentions “Wanton Noodles, but elevated” — serving up only two main dishes, patrons can opt between the Signature Char Siu Noodle or the Truffle Char Siu Noodle, whilst they do also offer sharing plates such as that of the Wanton Tonkotsu Soup, Braised Cabbage and Fried Wanton with Truffle Mayo.

It was pretty difficult to make a choice between the Signature Char Siu Noodle and the Truffle Char Siu Noodle, but we eventually found ourselves going for the Signature Char Siu Noodle. The Signature Char Siu Noodle does come with Char Siu, Fried Wantons, Soup Wantons in Tonkotsu Soup, as well as other toppings such as Ikura, Fried Shallots, Spring Onions, and Braised Cabbage — chilli comes as an optional add-on. Priced at $5.90, the Signature Char Siu Noodle can be said as an elevated experience of the local wanton noodles that we have become quite familiar with, although the “elevation” could more perhaps be felt in its execution more than the composition of it. Tossing the noodles and giving it a good mix with everything else that is within the bowl, the noodles were pretty well-executed; they were pretty much springy and provided a good bite — all of which being coated with all of that chili that not only gave a savoury kick of spiciness that tickles the taste buds like how one would expect it to be, but also gave a hint of flavour similar to the chili oil for Lao Gan Ma chili that was actually pretty intriguing. The chili oil also provided a slurpy texture to the noodles especially when one mixes the noodles well with whatever else that is within the bowl. For those whom are into the Malaysian-style Char Siu; perhaps you might want to manage your expectations a little — the Char Siu is actually sliced just to the right size so that one can get to experience the texture and flavours even when paired with the other elements. The Char Siu here comes with a good portion of fat and lean parts; nothing too gelatinous whilst bein sufficiently tender and carrying a good bite. Between the fried wanton and the soup wantons, our preferences would lean closer toward the latter — the fried wanton was undoubtedly well-filled with meat within and carried a juicy bite with a crisp exterior that was not too greasy; the soup wantons did manage to impress with a crispy element within its meat fillings, whilst coming with a silky smooth skin on the outside. Meanwhile, all the other elements such as the braised cabbage, fried shallots and Ikura added to the textural aspect of the dish; the braised cabbage providing a more neutral flavour with something to crunch on — a good alternative to the leafy greens that typically come with the usual bowl of wanton noodles, while the fried shallots provided a crispness to the dish. The Ikura contributes to the noodles with it carrying that popping sensation that gives an umami burst as one chews on it.

Given how we have only tried the Signature Char Siu Noodle during our visit to Chun Feng Man Mian, we would say that Chun Feng Man Mian does serve up quite a well-executed rendition of a spruced-up wanton noodle in our opinion. While the “elevation” of the elements are pretty much restricted to the addition of some toppings which one would not typically find in a standard bowl
of wanton noodles that are served at the usual stall serving up such fare, we would say that the overall composition is pretty well-designed with the elements working well with one another. Our favourite elements of the Signature Char Siu Noodle at Chun Feng Man Mian would be both the noodles and the chili — we could also see how some would appreciate the the Char Siu that they serve up here along with their Char Siu noodle dishes as well especially for those who do not necessarily prefer fatty and gelatinous Char Siu. The price point of the Signature Char Siu Noodle at Chun Feng Man Mian is also fairly reasonable; pretty wallet-friendly for somewhat of an everyday eat, though the Truffle Char Siu Noodle would be a more pricey dish at $8.90. That being said, having tried their Signature Char Siu Noodle, we are inclined to give their Truffle Char Siu Noodle a go the next time we decide to have Chun Feng Man Mian again at Amoy Street Food Centre; sounds like an item that would come with an elevated experience to the usual wanton noodle that is worth giving a go if the queues are not too crazy as it gets uncovered by others in due time.