Sun Seng is one of five zhi char stalls in Chinatown Complex's Green zone. There must be another at least ten zhi char stalls in the other Blue, Yellow and Red zones of Chinatown Complex (which has over 200 food stalls 😮 ).
Like most of the other zhi char stalls in Chinatown Complex, Sun Seng has its roots in the streets of old Ngow Chay Shui 牛车水 (Chinatown) in the 1940s. Sun Seng stall was operating at Mosque Street before it was relocated in 1983 when Chinatown Complex was built.
Back in the 1930s, there was a Sun Seng Cinema operated by Shaw Brothers. Sun Seng Cinema took over the premises of Lai Chun Yuen theatre which used to stage Cantonese operas during its heyday. Sun Seng Cinema was damaged by Japanese bombing during the Second World War (1942- 1945) and never reopened. In 1998, the decrepit building was restored and now re-purposed as 3-star Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun Yuen. Image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.
I asked the stall holders how the name Sun Seng came about and if they knew that there was a Sun Seng Cinema in the past. They weren't sure but Sun Seng was their stall's name since their father's time.
Boss Arthur Wong, age 75, is the second generation owner. He had been working at the stall with his father since his early teens. However, Mr. Wong doesn't have a successor for Sun Seng now.
Sun Seng's signature Fish Head Bee Hoon $12. The fresh toman fish (snakehead) was meaty and sweet but quite bony so care is needed when eating this fish. The bee hoon was enveloped with a savoury fermented black bean sauce that was rich with wok hei. We all love this dish.
Kai Lan Sliced Fish $12. Fresh crunchy juicy greens and thick toman fish slices stir fried with garlic and a savoury sauce in wok with high heat. Nice blend of layered savoury sweet flavours with a bit of bitterness from the kai lan.
Gu Lou Yok (Sweet & Sour Pork) $12. We like the savoury sweet tangy flavours and crunchy juiciness of the vegetables. The crispy pork was lean and deep fried to a slightly dry chewiness.
Dry Fried Beef Hor Fun $5. We were wowed by the aroma of wok hei when lady boss delivered this dish to our table (yes like in a restaurant 🙏 ). The broad rice noodles (hor fun) were well seared with toasty savoury flavours. The lean beef slices were tender but felt a little chewy as Sun Seng do not tenderise their beef with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).
We love the wok hei so much that we had an encore of the beef hor fun, this time a wet one for $5. Same well seared broad rice noodles and lean beef slices smothered in a savoury umami fermented black bean sauce that itself also carried the smokey wok hei taste. With the sauce, the lean beef slices felt more tender than the dry version.
Yay! Another satisfying foray in Chinatown Complex food centre. This culinary treasure trove still have many vintage, heritage food stalls waiting to be uncovered. Just need to be more adventurous with more time and calories 😂
History of Chinatown hawkers 👈 click
Written by Tony Boey on 29 Dec 2021
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