Hawker Haunts

$3.50 for a single person set, super worth it. Love that they clean the insides of the pig intestine, and the Kway chap is very smooth.

There are almost as many "orh luak" or fried oyster stalls at this food centre as there are oysters in the sea nearby. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration :) Nevertheless, it doesn't matter how many of them there are, because for me, it has to be Song Kee. Theirs is perfectly fried every single time with just the right balance of egg, starch and oysters. It goes without saying they also happen to have the perfect vinegary chilli sauce.

Let's face it. Every "zhi char" dish is measured by its "wok hei" strength. It shows the chef's cooking skill because acquiring that smokey perfume in food is tricky. Only with the very high heat of open fires, and a deft hand attached to very strong arm muscles, is that achieved. I liken it to something straight out of Harry Potter - the magical art of conjuring fiery fragrance :)
Anyway, this $6.50 plate of "Chun Kee Hor Fun" (essentially broad rice noodles stir-fried with lots of sliced fish, spring onions and beansprouts) packed plenty of "wok hei". I wolfed it down quickly enough as it was delicious. Admittedly though, in terms of aesthetics, I wish the noodles were less white. I know it's weird to say this but somehow to me, brown noodles tend to look more appetising than plain ol' white.

Ran by the 2nd generation of Founder Bak Kut Teh, this place serves equally top notch Bak Kut Teh behind a more comfortable backdrop. There's a/c and al fresco option, with soothing instrumental music helping you bring down that pipping hot peppery soup. The ribs are soft and tender, occasionally marbled with fats. The soup plays a clean note on the peppery side, you don't have to gasp for air after every spoon of it. With ample parking found in the area, I'll definitely come back again!