Updating myself on Tiong Bahru Food Centre as friends from The Philippines are coming over after Chinese New Year. They want to come here as they heard so much good things about Singapore hawker food. One of the stalls I like them to try at Tiong Bahru Food Centre is Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Mee 忠于原味雲吞麵.
There is always a queue at Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Mee. The yellow signboard is only in Chinese, so look out for stall #02-30, if you don't read Chinese.
If you see this yellow "Premium ChaShao SOLD OUT" sign, it is important not to panic 😱
The boss roasts the char siew right there at the little stall in
small batches. Just step forward, put on your best charming smile and ask the
lady boss at what time is the next batch of special char siew ready.
Then put on your best smile and tell the lady boss that you will come
back at that time. The idea is to let her register your face 😄
When the special char siew is ready, the lady boss will display this menu. Go straight for the Premium Noodles which come with the special char siew. Price $6 medium and $11 large serving.
Mr Lee has been selling wanton mee for over 30 years. He was very meticulous in cooking the egg noodles, alternately blanching and rinsing the noodles with hot and cold water to rid it of alkaline (lye water) taste.
I got this medium serving for $6 which comes with a soup and a couple of wantons.
What is so special about Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Mee's famous char siew?
This cut of meat comes from the "armpit" of the pig and is referred to as 不见天 "never seen the heavens" cut as this part of the animal is not exposed to the skies. Alternatively, this cut is also referred to as 飞机肉 or "airplane meat" as it comes from the "armpit" of the pig, visible when the pig's front legs are stretched out like aeroplane wings 🛩 Pigs that fly 😂 🤦♂️
Whatever it is called, a 100 kilo pig yields less than 2 kilos of 'armpit" meat so it is in high demand. Mr. Lee handpicks the "airplane meat" at the Tiong Bahru wet market downstairs every morning, and the first batch of roasted armpit char siew is ready around 10:45am to 11am.
The lean meat is interlaced wth visceral fat so it is tender and juicy with a slight squeakiness to the bite. The char siew tasted gently sweet from the marinade and the fresh pork. The marinade and caramelised slightly charred outside, provide a layered kind of savouriness and toastiness to the char siew.
I love this char siew with its well balanced mild sweet savoury flavours. It is like KL style char siew but milder.
The egg noodles come with a splash of house made chili sauce and a blend of light soy sauce, savoury sweet stock and aromatic oils.
Roll, toss and fold the egg noodles in the sauce so that every strand is coated with quite complex but mild savoury sweet spicy flavours. Keep the char siew out of the sauce as you don't want it to interfere with the delicate flavours of the roasted fresh pork.
Thanks to the care and attention Mr. Lee put into cooking the generic egg noodles, they have a nice tender-firm crunch to the bite.
The taste is old school. Those baby boomers who have tasted Nam Seng wanton mee when it was at the old red brick National Library will know what I mean. It's a complex blend of savoury sweet spicy flavours and aroma, quite mild - maybe a little too mild for today's palates. Compared to other popular wanton mee brands of today, Zhong Yu Yuan Wei's flavours are more complex, more subtle, more finely tuned. You have to appreciate it at 1960s pace of life, no instant gratification, no instant kick.
Mr. Lee did named his stall Zhong Yu Yuan Wei 忠于原味雲吞麵 which means "faithful to the original flavours" and indeed, I find Mr. Lee's wanton mee true to his word. If you are yearning for that old red brick National Library wanton mee flavour, you can get it at Tiong Bahru Food Centre. No, you won't get it at today's Nam Seng - it tastes nothing like that old flavours and aromas at the old National Library.
Nice savoury sweet soup and old style flavoursome, aromatic minced pork wantons.
Recommended for you 👍 One of my favourite char siew in Singapore. One of my favourite blend of wanton mee sauce and nice tender-firm crunchy egg noodles. Combined together, it is a wanton mee hard to beat in Singapore. A Must-Try when you are in Tiong Bahru or if you are a wanton mee fan.
Restaurant name: Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Mee 忠于原味雲吞麵
Address: Stall #02-30, Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre. 30 Seng Poh Rd, #02-30, Singapore 168898
GPS: 1°17'05.1"N 103°49'57.5"E 🌐 1.284745, 103.832636
Hours: 9:00am - 1:00pm (Mon & Fri off)
Non Halal
When the special char siew is ready, the lady boss will display this menu. Go straight for the Premium Noodles which come with the special char siew. Price $6 medium and $11 large serving.
Mr Lee has been selling wanton mee for over 30 years. He was very meticulous in cooking the egg noodles, alternately blanching and rinsing the noodles with hot and cold water to rid it of alkaline (lye water) taste.
I got this medium serving for $6 which comes with a soup and a couple of wantons.
What is so special about Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Mee's famous char siew?
This cut of meat comes from the "armpit" of the pig and is referred to as 不见天 "never seen the heavens" cut as this part of the animal is not exposed to the skies. Alternatively, this cut is also referred to as 飞机肉 or "airplane meat" as it comes from the "armpit" of the pig, visible when the pig's front legs are stretched out like aeroplane wings 🛩 Pigs that fly 😂 🤦♂️
Whatever it is called, a 100 kilo pig yields less than 2 kilos of 'armpit" meat so it is in high demand. Mr. Lee handpicks the "airplane meat" at the Tiong Bahru wet market downstairs every morning, and the first batch of roasted armpit char siew is ready around 10:45am to 11am.
The lean meat is interlaced wth visceral fat so it is tender and juicy with a slight squeakiness to the bite. The char siew tasted gently sweet from the marinade and the fresh pork. The marinade and caramelised slightly charred outside, provide a layered kind of savouriness and toastiness to the char siew.
I love this char siew with its well balanced mild sweet savoury flavours. It is like KL style char siew but milder.
The egg noodles come with a splash of house made chili sauce and a blend of light soy sauce, savoury sweet stock and aromatic oils.
Roll, toss and fold the egg noodles in the sauce so that every strand is coated with quite complex but mild savoury sweet spicy flavours. Keep the char siew out of the sauce as you don't want it to interfere with the delicate flavours of the roasted fresh pork.
Thanks to the care and attention Mr. Lee put into cooking the generic egg noodles, they have a nice tender-firm crunch to the bite.
The taste is old school. Those baby boomers who have tasted Nam Seng wanton mee when it was at the old red brick National Library will know what I mean. It's a complex blend of savoury sweet spicy flavours and aroma, quite mild - maybe a little too mild for today's palates. Compared to other popular wanton mee brands of today, Zhong Yu Yuan Wei's flavours are more complex, more subtle, more finely tuned. You have to appreciate it at 1960s pace of life, no instant gratification, no instant kick.
Mr. Lee did named his stall Zhong Yu Yuan Wei 忠于原味雲吞麵 which means "faithful to the original flavours" and indeed, I find Mr. Lee's wanton mee true to his word. If you are yearning for that old red brick National Library wanton mee flavour, you can get it at Tiong Bahru Food Centre. No, you won't get it at today's Nam Seng - it tastes nothing like that old flavours and aromas at the old National Library.
Nice savoury sweet soup and old style flavoursome, aromatic minced pork wantons.
Recommended for you 👍 One of my favourite char siew in Singapore. One of my favourite blend of wanton mee sauce and nice tender-firm crunchy egg noodles. Combined together, it is a wanton mee hard to beat in Singapore. A Must-Try when you are in Tiong Bahru or if you are a wanton mee fan.
Restaurant name: Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Mee 忠于原味雲吞麵
Address: Stall #02-30, Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre. 30 Seng Poh Rd, #02-30, Singapore 168898
GPS: 1°17'05.1"N 103°49'57.5"E 🌐 1.284745, 103.832636
Hours: 9:00am - 1:00pm (Mon & Fri off)
Non Halal
Written by Tony Boey on 14 Jan 2020 | Updated 17 Apr 2021
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