CLOSED Elusive Guan Kee aka Famous Ghim Moh Fried Kway Teow. I Waited 20 Years for this 🤔 源记炒粿条

✍️ 3 Dec 2023. Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow called it a day after 54 years.

Guan Kee owner 陈福源 fainted while frying kway teow on 21 Nov 2023. Upon recovery a week later, the 77 year old decided that it is finally time to hang up his wok for good 🥲

Guan Kee was founded in 1969 as a push cart stall plying around Thye Hong Centre 泰丰中心 (Redhill area). At that time, 陈福源 was a provision shop helper. A friend suggested he switch to selling fried kway teow and taught him the recipe and craft. In 1978, Guan Kee was allocated a hawker stall in Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre where it operated till it closed 54 years later.

At the point of closure, 陈福源 and wife Chang Kha Noi were working thirteen hour days and serving 200 plates of fried kway teow a day. Actually, Guan Kee had already scaled down operations from four days a week to two, two years earlier as 陈福源's wife was already suffering from health issues. They persisted as they couldn't bear to disappoint their loyal following. But, 陈福源 fainting at work was the last straw and finally the shutters were drawn at the Ghim Moh stall for the last time.

In Singapore today, fried kway teow masters can be counted with less than fingers in one hand. With the retirement of 陈福源, we have one precious less fried kway teow master in Singapore. 

We wish 陈福源 and wife a happy retirement, and thank you for the years of great fried kway teow.

(Source credit: Zaobao.)

    

Written by Tony Boey on 2 Dec 2022

The last time I tasted Guan Kee char kway teow was some 20 yeas ago. Since then, I faced only closed shutters, until this morning. It was a special joy as I had been waiting to taste this CKT again for a very long time, one of Singapore's most famous fried kway teow.

Stall name: Guan Kee Fried Kway Teow 源记炒粿条

Address: 20 Ghim Moh Road, stall #01-19, Singapore 270020 (Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre)

Nearest MRT station: Buona Vista

Hours: 7:30am - 1:00pm (Thurs, Fri, Sun, Mon off) i.e. open on Tues, Weds, Sat only

✍ 28 Apr 2021. For the past 20 years, this was what greeted me when I come to Ghim Moh Food Centre.

Guan Kee was closed for a while as uncle Tan hurt his arm. When the stall resumed operations, business days are few and hours short.

Arriving at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre before 8am today, I wasted no time to get in line once I saw Guan Kee opened for business. Finally, closure after a twenty year wait.

The waiting in line was more bearable, just some 30 minutes. (They have a sensible policy of limiting takeaway packets to maximum of 5 per customer 👏👏👏 )

There's $4 and $5 servings, I opted for the smaller portion as there were several other stalls I wanted to try at Ghim Moh food centre this morning.

There was a whiff of that old familiar aroma of old school CKT from the plate of piping hot fried kway teow. I am not sure how to describe it. I wanted to catch another whiff - sniffed, sniffed.... but it was no longer there. So fleeting. Ah! 🤦

It's like a dream which when you wake up, no matter how hard you try, you just cannot recall what it was about 🤔

The broad rice noodles and yellow noodles were mostly broken up by vigorous stir frying. If wok hei is defined by a smokey taste and smell, there wasn't much of it.

The smoking mound of tender noodles was slightly dryer compared to the other Singapore CKT stalwart Outram Park Fried Kway Teow at Hong Lim Food Centre. Other than that, I think there isn't much to tell them apart. So, if you are a fan of Outram Park CKT, Guan Kee would likely be in your good books too.

The noodles were well enveloped and infused with savoury sweet flavours from the sauce. Lard, bak pok (lard crouton freshly prepared at the stall), grease from lup cheong (Cantonese wax sausage), blood from cockles, eggs, fish cake slices, bean sprouts, chili sauce, etc all add their flavours to the dish. The resulting concoction with all the flavours in harmony was really quite tasty.

Sounds simple but very few stalls in Singapore mastered this - transforming humble ingredients into a black (colour) magic potion by turning and tossing them in a hot wok. When we pay $4 or $5 to a char kway teow hawker, it is for his skill.

When I cleaned my plate, there was a happy and content feeling of calorie or cholesterol allowance very well spent.

And, of course, closure from mission accomplished after 20 years 😊

More top choices at Ghim Moh Food Centre 👈 click

My favourite char kway teow over in Johor Bahru 👈 click

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Written by Tony Boey on 28 Apr 2021