In the 1980s/ 90s, when I wanted to eat Hong Kong style wanton mee, I go to the noodle place in Centrepoint at Orchard Road - that's the only place I know serving authentic HK style noodles at that time. Then in the early 2000s, my favourite HK noodle place in Singapore closed. I actually didn't know the name of the noodle place except that it was in Centrepoint.
One year ago, buddy YJ introduced me to Noodle Place 華苑面粥小廚 at Orchard Gateway (right beside 313 @ Somerset MRT station).
When I reminisced about my favourite noodle place at Centrepoint with Chef Chui, Noodle Place's consultant chef, he told me he was actually the Executive Chef of that restaurant in Centrepoint. 真的是有眼不识泰山 I was so pleased to meet the chef behind my old favourite wanton noodle place 😮
Chef Chui showed me his precious personal copy of the menu from the Noodle Place at Centrepoint 😱 Noodle Place @ Centrepoint was one of the first restaurants in Singapore to specialise in authentic Hong Kong noodles and congee in 1983. Thirty five years on, Noodle Place @ Orchard Gateway is still right up there among the best places in Singapore for authentic HK wanton noodles and congee.
Chef Chui came to Singapore to head the kitchen at Noodle Place @ Centrepoint in 1983. He came with impeccable credentials being the Executive Chef of Hong Kong's legendary Mak Noodles. Chef Chui left for the USA in the early 2000s before going back to Mak Noodles. He then returned to Singapore to reopen Noodle Place at Orchard Gateway.
I got to know Chef Chui (seen here with Batamliciouz on the left) better after meeting him in Jun last year. Chef Chui counts many Hong Kong super stars among his fans. He mentioned many of my favourites like Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Stephen Chow etc. Chef Chui said that they were all down-to-earth friendly folks who kept a low profile when they visited his restaurant in Hong Kong. Stephen Chow, in particular, would arrange to come just after the restaurant closed for the day and entered by the back door.
If you were a fan of Noodle Place @ Centrepoint in the 1980s, Noodle Place @ Orchard Gateway today serves almost exactly the same tastes and flavours, thanks to Chef Chui.
First things first, Noodle Place's authentic classic Hong Kong wanton noodle 鮮蝦雲吞麵.
Chef Chui serves his slender wanton noodles with a rather firm al dente mouthfeel. The noodles are made to Chef Chui's specifications using top quality flour from Prima Flour, Noodle Place's parent company. There is no taste, smell or any trace of lye water (potassium carbonate) at all (a common bane of HK egg noodles).
The noodles were set in a golden brown stock with a medium body and well balanced savoury sweetness. The taste and aroma of dried sole fish 大地鱼 was pronounced - I love it. Chef Chui brings in his 大地鱼 from Hong Kong as only HK dried sole fish can give the broth the authentic flavour. Chef Chui brews his soup with whole dried fish and never resorts to shortcuts like dried sole fish powder. You will be able to taste the difference.
Noodle Place also serves HK style dry version of wanton noodles dressed simply with oyster sauce. I much prefer the soup version as the sauce was a little flat for my Southeast Asian taste buds and the dry noodles were a little on the wiry side.
鲜虾云吞 A good size crunchy sweet fresh shrimp wrapped in smooth wanton skin - simple and perfect - simply perfect.
Besides the HK style wanton noodles, Noodle Place's congee is a must have for me. The congee comes simply garnished with julienned spring onion and a dash of sesame oil.
There's pork balls, fresh shrimps and mushroom in the congee but it is the flavours that they yielded to the congee that I appreciate most. The sweetness from the rice slow boiled to a grainy paste was layered with savoury sweetness from the pork, shrimps and mushroom. The congee has a slight soft graininess which I prefer over those that are overly smooth like a puree. Noodle Place's congee tastes wonderfully delicious and comforting.
Blanched fresh pork liver is another must have at Noodle Place.
The fresh liver was blanched to perfect doneness - soft, spongy and there was a certain "powdery" grainy creamy mash when we chewed on it. The flavour was savoury sweet of the pork liver kind. I like it neat, the au naturale way but there is a savoury dark sauce dip if you prefer to mask the liver's natural taste a bit (or a lot 😄 ).
The almost obligatory but not very photogenic stewed beef brisket and beef tendon 炆牛腩.
The beef brisket was stewed till soft and tender in a sauce based on black and white soy sauce with Chinese 5 spice. The juicy beef brisket was deeply infused with the savoury flavour and aroma of 5 spice but we can still detect a bit of subtle underlying beefiness, in other words, excellent beef brisket 😋
Large pieces of stubby beef tendons stewed in 5 spice sauce till they were jelly soft and well infused with savoury flavours.
Fried Fish Typhoon Shelter style 避风塘炸鱼. It's fried fish slices under a heap of fried garlic and fermented black bean.
Pieces of fresh Ikan Merah battered and lightly fried to a crisp outside while the inside remained tender and moist. The mild fish sweetness was complemented by the layers of savouriness from the fried garlic and fermented black beans.
Century egg wedges lightly battered, deep fried and served with a blend of dark soy sauce and black vinegar in a bowl.
The robust flavours of the century egg with assertive but smooth savoury sourish sauce is the perfect complement to the milder tasting HK style wanton noodle and congee.
Noodle Place's Housemade Almond Custard is soft and has pronounced almond taste and fragrance.
👉 If you were a fan of Noodle Place @ Centrepoint, it is now here at Orchard Gateway. The best thing is the menu is basically the same and Chef Chui is back as the consultant chef. One of my favourite places for HK style wanton noodle in Singapore.
Disclosure: Thank you Chef Chui for your hospitality.
Restaurant name: Noodle Place Restaurant 华苑面粥小厨云吞面世家
Address: 277 Orchard Road #01-17 Orchard Gateway Singapore
GPS: 1°18'01.7"N 103°50'19.3"E | 1.300461, 103.838684
Tel: +65 6733 3171
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 16 Jul 2017, 22 Aug 2018
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In the 80s there’s also one at the basement of parkway parade
ReplyDeleteIs it basement or on the 4th floor of Parkway parade (floor where Giant Supermarket is) where the current Pastamania is occupying? Coz there was a similar noodle house there too with a jade green exterior.
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