Wen Kang Ji 文康记 (Tampines)

Wen Kang Ji 文康记 is probably one of those names that folks following the F&B scene would be quite familiar with — these folks are pretty notable for their Wanton Noodle since their establishment in 2021; their brand has since expanded, though they have also seen a fair share of moves and closures along the way in their journey in the Singapore F&B scene. Originally based in Golden Mile Food Centre, Weng Kang Ji had shifted out of their stall in the food centre to a stall unit within a coffeeshop somewhere in Joo Chiat Road. Since then, they had introduced a now-defunct concept in Jurong named Wen Kang Ji Exclusive that not only offers their signature Wanton Noodles, but also a variety of outlet exclusives not available at other locations. Subsequently, they have also opened a stall within the iconic Tam Chiak Kopitiam in Kovan; this location serving up a totally different menu that focuses on Red Grouper Fish Soup and Big Prawn Noodles. Their Joo Chiat location has since shuttered as well; the outlet having moved to a new location within the Kopitiam foodcourt at Tampines1; situated at Stall 7, it occupies one of the larger stalls located in the centre of the food court. Considering how their Tampines1 location is meant to replace the operations of their Joo Chiat stall, the menu at Tampines1 focuses on their Wanton Noodle offerings — this includes their Regular Wanton Noodle and Regular Char Siew Dumpling Noodle. For those looking for something to share around the table, Wen Kang Ji does offer fried wantons / dumplings, wanton / dumpling soup for sides; those looking for rice offerings can also opt for the Char Siew Rice (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap) as well.

Wanting to go for what they are initially known for, there was no deliberation to go straight ahead with their Regular Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap). One thing worth noting is that Wen Kang Ji does also offer a Jumbo Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap) on its menu as well — we did not enquire with the staff at the counter on exactly what this “Jumbo” meant; that being said, we would think that this is simply an upsized variant of the Regular Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap) of which we have ordered. One thing that had caught our attention about Wen Kang Ji’s Wanton Noodle offerings that stood out amongst the many around the island was how they seem to be the “all-rounder” Wanton Noodle that not only solely focuses on one element of the Wanton Noodle to make their version unique; instead, they seem to be involved in almost every single part of the process and almost all elements here. Wen Kang Ji does not explicitly state the elements which are included in their Regular Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap), though it is observed that it comes with wantons and char siew; the latter using a cut of the pork from the shoulder flap that sometimes is also dubbed the “不见天 “in Chinese — also included will be some stalks of greens, as well as pork lard and both pickled green chili and the usual sambal-like chili. Giving everything a good toss, the sauce of the wanton noodles though plain-looking, does give their Regular Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap) quite a fair bit of flavour — the broth is savoury, yet does taste almost like as though it was tossed in pork lard like the Thai rendition of the Wanton Mee, though with more depth. Mixing in both chillies will add a slight tinge of tanginess and savouriness with a kick of spiciness that should be fine for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness — that being said, the chili is really not required in our opinion to add flavour to the noodles.

The noodles here are slightly thicker than the average noodles used at Wanton Noodle stalls — a little similar to that used by Eng's Wantan Noodle / ENG’s Char Siew Wanton Mee, though the one at Wen Kang Ji comes with a deeper yellow hue. Still, the noodles are done al-dente; one can definitely feel the bite that the noodles carry, while the noodles were tasty from the sauce mix and did not feel too heavy to finish despite its thicker nature. The Char Siew itself that was the highlight is something that we liked, though a little out of our expectations — visually, they looked almost like they were sous-vide and thus, should carry a tender, melt-in-the-mouth sort of texture. Instead, it seems that more conventional preparation methods were used instead; the results being something that carried more bite with a lightly crisp crust on certain parts on the exterior that is suitably sweet from the honey-glaze and the barbecue process — still good, though not quite what we had thought it to be. The wantons came pretty well-packed with meat; definitely better than the paper-thin wantons that some coffeeshops / hawker centre stalls serve up with their wanton noodles. Meanwhile, the crispy pork lard was also fried on-point; these were crisp without being excessively hard, nor came oozing with oil when one chews onto them — the stalks of greens carrying a good crunch that helps to refresh the tastebuds from all else that is going on in the Regular Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap) along with the bowl of soup on the side.

Some may find Weng Kang Ji’s Regular Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap) a little pricey; we paid $6.80 for the dish. That being said, it is one where an attempt to perfect each and every element of the dish can be felt. Sure, we did find the Regular Wanton Noodle (Char Grilled Shoulder Flap) not quite as artisanal as some other variations of Wanton Noodles we had tried previously, but what Wen Kang Ji does well in is in those things that diners usually would overlook upon / take for granted. Considering so, the price tag of $6.80 might well be justifiable given the effort and the quality of their fare; we would think that expectations need to be managed for one to appreciate their wanton noodles especially taking into account the hype generated from social media previously, but this is definitely one that is worth giving a try nonetheless.