✍️ 31 Oct 2023. I had already taken dinner but happened to be in the Telok Blangah Crescent hawker centre area - the territory of Hai Kee fried kway teow. You cannot come to Hai Kee territory, leave without paying homage and still claim yourself a char kway teow fan.
Telok Blangah Crescent hawker centre is not small. There are several rows of food stalls, though most are closed during the night shift.
Anyway, I always look for Hai Kee with my sonic radar i.e. ears lah. You can hear Hai Kee boss Peter beating his wok non stop the whole night (no lah, actually Hai Kee usually sold out before 9pm). I still wonder what his elbow is made of.
Peter told me he is 75 and had been frying kway teow since 1967.
Anyway.
I shouldn't but couldn't resist another go at one of my favourite fried kway teow in Singapore. I've been a fan of Hai Kee since 1983 - I know exactly when I fell in love and where (it was at the now demolished Commonwealth Avenue hawker centre).
Peter was an itinerant street hawker in 1967 and moved into Commonwealth Avenue Food Centre in 1969. He moved to Telok Blangah Crescent in 2011 when this old hawker centre was demolished for redevelopment.
In the queue, there was a great silent struggle going on inside me. My palm flat on my tight and taunt tummy (believe me) which I worked so hard for, for months.
I'll have to sacrifice that. It's one of life's hardest choices.
I couldn't remember how long it was before it was my turn. Definitely more than 30 minutes. Hai Kee fans have long accepted that we have to wait, since Margaret Drive days (it's Commonwealth Avenue but we always called it Margaret Drive).
Peter did try his best to make sure everyone has a chance.
There is only one choice of serving now. $5 per plate. No option for more cockles.
It's alright. Life is about balance anyway.
Savoury and salty in layers, no sweetness. Wok hei was a little shy. I asked for spicy but couldn't detect any spicy heat despite micro specks of chili visible here and there in the kway teow. There was a slight, fleeting aroma of caramelised sauce.
The fried noodles broad and yellow types were very lardy, very greasy. The grease and slick shone like gleaming mirror on top of water.
Hai Kee serves one of the most unrepentantly sinful fried kway teow on this sunny island.
Besides the noodles, egg, dark sauce and token taugeh (beansprout), the little scattering of lard croutons and around 10 small cockles provided the variety in texture and taste.
How small is small?
The cockles were done perfectly i.e. just kissed by the smothering hot lard. The natural subtly chewy crunch was still there but the briny taste of blood replaced by a fleeting teasing kind of umami sweet.
No lup cheong, no fish cake, no chives. That's right, Hai Kee serves one of the most bare bones fried kway teow in Singapore. That's right, char kway teow is a dish where Singaporeans hand over their money for the master's skill, not how much things go into the plate.
I'll be lying if I say not regrets. Tomorrow and for the next seven days, I shall exercise a little harder. It's the most sinful of Singapore dishes - all sugar (carb) saturated with salt and fat.
But, I'll do it again.
Come to think of it, Hai Kee is actually quite similar in texture and taste profile with Outram Park fried kway teow in Hong Lim, another top of the pops fried kway teow in Singapore.
Written by Tony Boey on 31 Oct 2023
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[ Archived ✍ 12 Apr 2015 ] Today, I went to visit Hai Kee 海记, for my old favourite famous char kway teow in Telok Blangah food centre. (Hai Kee was formerly from Margaret Drive before moving here.)
Stall name: Hai Kee Teochew Cha Kuay Teow
Address: 11 Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre, stall #01-102, Singapore 090011
Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Telok Blangah station
Hours: 4:30pm - 9:00pm (Sun off)
To look for Hai Kee in the sprawling Telok Blangah food centre, listen out for the dull constant clanging of the iron wok and spatula. If you listen carefully, you can actually hear the constant clanging even from the adjacent carpark.
Use your nose to smell out the aroma from the wok. As I followed my nose today, I caught a whiff of that sentimental old aroma of caramelised dark soy sauce. Something that I have not smelled for a long, long time. Not many char kway teow hawkers do it the old way any more.
You can't fool the human nose.
As you approach, look out for the long queue. You won't miss it.
There is always a long queue.
Finally, I am back at Hai Kee after over 30 years. We used to eat often at Hai Kee at Margaret Drive food centre (now demolished) during the early 1980s. I was working in Tanglin Camp and living on base.
Since then, work and life separated us until now.
I recognised Peter immediately from a distance.
Still the same smiling friendly face. He still receives his customers' cash with both hands stretched out and with a slight bow. Just the hair has greyed, the face has weathered slightly, the contented smile is still bright.
Peter looked way younger than his 64 years (in 2015). Nearly 50 years of frying kway teow.
I wondered how did Peter's elbow held out all these years?
Amazing.
Still a one man show. Peter does everything himself. Fry, wash and collect money, repeat dozens of times everyday, countless times since the 1980s.
Since then, work and life separated us until now.
I recognised Peter immediately from a distance.
Still the same smiling friendly face. He still receives his customers' cash with both hands stretched out and with a slight bow. Just the hair has greyed, the face has weathered slightly, the contented smile is still bright.
Peter looked way younger than his 64 years (in 2015). Nearly 50 years of frying kway teow.
I wondered how did Peter's elbow held out all these years?
Amazing.
Still a one man show. Peter does everything himself. Fry, wash and collect money, repeat dozens of times everyday, countless times since the 1980s.
Peter's small stall has an "A" for NEA (National Environmental Agency) hygiene rating. Peter is an obsessively professional man. He does everything right. No cutting corners. No short cuts.
I reached the front of the queue after 45 minutes.
As I queued, I wondered if Peter remembers me.
Not likely, I thought to myself.
Too long ago. Too many customers over the years.
Yup, my char kway teow idol didn't 😂
I asked for a big serving and more hum (fresh blood cockles). I heard that Peter doesn't let customers buy more cockles because he has just the necessary amount from his supplier. Fresh cockles are in short supply in Singapore, so suppliers ration it out.
I tried my luck anyway.
Nope said the boss, almost apologetically.
Where do blood cockles come from? If you think that they are dug up from mud, you are in for a surprise 👈 click
My SGD4 (2015 price) plate of piping hot Hai Kee fried kway teow.
The fried noodles were gummy, greasy and moist but not drippy wet.
It's not for the faint hearted.
It tasted savoury sweet with hints of spiciness as I had asked for chili sauce. The flavour and feel of that heavy bodied greasy lard is unabashedly present. Wok hei was slight.
There were some soft but flavourful, oily lard croutons.
Small but very fresh and clean blood cockles cooked just right. I could still taste the cockle blood and in a good way. (Note: This is a 2015 picture. Blood cockles nowadays in 2020 are half this size at most 😥 )
No lup cheong (Cantonese waxed sausages). No choy sum. No fish cake slices.
After the meal, I hesitated to approach Peter as he was frying non stop while the queue was constantly long.
But, Peter was extremely obliging. I managed to get some shots of him busy at work and spoke briefly with Peter while he continued to dish out plate after plate.
Recommended for you 👍 If you want an old school char kway teow still fried by the original hawker in the old way, check out Hai Kee.
Restaurant name: Hai Kee Teochew Cha Kuay Teow 海记潮州炒粿条
Address: 11 Telok Blangah Crescent (Telok Blangah Crescent wet market and food centre)
GPS: 1.277895, 103.819922
Hours: 5:00pm to 10:00pm (closed on Sunday)
Non Halal
I reached the front of the queue after 45 minutes.
As I queued, I wondered if Peter remembers me.
Not likely, I thought to myself.
Too long ago. Too many customers over the years.
Yup, my char kway teow idol didn't 😂
I asked for a big serving and more hum (fresh blood cockles). I heard that Peter doesn't let customers buy more cockles because he has just the necessary amount from his supplier. Fresh cockles are in short supply in Singapore, so suppliers ration it out.
I tried my luck anyway.
Nope said the boss, almost apologetically.
My SGD4 (2015 price) plate of piping hot Hai Kee fried kway teow.
The fried noodles were gummy, greasy and moist but not drippy wet.
It's not for the faint hearted.
It tasted savoury sweet with hints of spiciness as I had asked for chili sauce. The flavour and feel of that heavy bodied greasy lard is unabashedly present. Wok hei was slight.
There were some soft but flavourful, oily lard croutons.
Small but very fresh and clean blood cockles cooked just right. I could still taste the cockle blood and in a good way. (Note: This is a 2015 picture. Blood cockles nowadays in 2020 are half this size at most 😥 )
No lup cheong (Cantonese waxed sausages). No choy sum. No fish cake slices.
After the meal, I hesitated to approach Peter as he was frying non stop while the queue was constantly long.
But, Peter was extremely obliging. I managed to get some shots of him busy at work and spoke briefly with Peter while he continued to dish out plate after plate.
Recommended for you 👍 If you want an old school char kway teow still fried by the original hawker in the old way, check out Hai Kee.
Restaurant name: Hai Kee Teochew Cha Kuay Teow 海记潮州炒粿条
Address: 11 Telok Blangah Crescent (Telok Blangah Crescent wet market and food centre)
GPS: 1.277895, 103.819922
Hours: 5:00pm to 10:00pm (closed on Sunday)
Non Halal
I've tried S'pore style Cha Kuay Teow many times but still don't like it as compared to KL/Penang style. May I know what is it about S'pore Cha Kuay Teow that you like?
ReplyDeleteIt's the old familiar taste that we grew up with. I like it that it has a bit of sweetness for balance. The big and fresh cockles are great too - my dad's generation often referred to it as siham kwai tiew with emphasis on siham.
DeleteThis is Teochew charkwayteow and only pure Teochew really appreciate it. This is my all time favorite.
ReplyDeleteNothing beats the Malaysia version of Char Keow Teow, period
ReplyDeleteNothing beats the Malaysian Char Keow Teow from KL & Penang, period
ReplyDeleteThat's the main reason why i did not move house to Telok Blangah Crescent. My waistline (and arteries) will suffer greatly.
ReplyDeleteBut this has to be my all time favorite stall and will be sad to see it go eventually