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Wanton Noodle (Jumbo)
Joo Chiat has a bizarrely high number of wanton mee merchants. I count at least five different wanton mee hawkers off the top of my head, and now we’ve got @wenkangji.co joining the fray. Wen Kang Ji has established a new outpost in the same coffeeshop as the famous Da Dong Prawn Noodles, and these new age hawkers are looking to cut in on some of that wanton mee action.⠀
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Wen Kang Ji are part of the new generation of wanton mee merchants, which means that every element of the wanton mee is paid due attention & care. The delightfully springy noodles are sauced up with more than enough soy sauce, chicken broth & chili sauce mix, which is feisty due to the chili within. Protip: ask for tomato ketchup in your noodles, it will heighten the salty & spicy notes from the sauce while injecting a moreish sweet & sour flavour profile.⠀
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The wantons are larger than average, due to a shrimp being stuffed whole into the dumpling. The minced meat is ground up quite finely, resulting in a smooth & nearly paste-like texture, and is wrapped up in a delicately thin wanton skin. The wanton is almost flawless, it’s tasty, poached perfectly, and has an enjoyable snap from the fresh shrimp. The only thing missing is a crunchy element that only diced water chestnuts can supply.⠀
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The char siew is definitely what makes Wen Kang Ji’s wanton mee incredible. The felicitously fatty cut of pork from the ‘armpit’ of the pig is roasted until a barely burnt crust forms around the fatty char siew. The meat itself is appetisingly salty & subtly sweet from the char siew marinade, which just heightens the pleasure the fatty pork provides your palate. The char siew is supremely stellar, and it will easily go toe to toe with the best char siews in Singapore.⠀
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At just $8 for this jumbo bowl of orgasmic noods, Wen Kang Ji is a must have for all nood connoisseurs.
I must profess I’ve not heard of popular wanton mee stall Wen Kang Ji before, but I’m more than happy to be acquainted with their second outlet at Joo Chiat now, in the same coffeeshop as Da Dong Prawn Noodles.
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The version here is standout in every way. Fatty, caramelised char siew made from the underarm of the pig roasted in-house, “QQ” noodles in a savoury brown sauce and plump, meaty pork wantons with a hint of dried sole fish, came together in symphony of umami and textural delight.
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To have to decide between my favourite prawn noodles or killer wanton mee the next time I’m there and confronted with the inevitable queue at both stalls is a #firstworldproblem I’d gladly face.
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Taste: 3.5/5
