Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow @ Old Airport Road • What is its Michelin Magic? 老夫子炒粿條

Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow 老夫子炒粿條 | Old Airport Road Market & Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Rd, stall #01-12, Singapore 390051 🚅 5 minute walk from Dakota station ⏰ 11:45am - 10pm (Weds & Sat off)

I've tasted Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow decades before 2019 (when it was first listed on the Michelin guide).

I think it was since 1979, when we were at 1 SIR Guillemard Camp practicing for our BMT Passing Out Parade. Lao Fu Zi had long queues back then and I have been back a total of about five times through the decades.

I can't remember how Lao Fu Zi's fried kway teow was like before, truth be told, it never really wow-ed me. (My favourite was Hai Kee.)

Anyway, decided to write down my experience with Lao Fu Zi, 2025 edition for records as it is one of the most successful fried kway teow in Singapore. Uncle Peter of Hai Kee retired in 2024, never made it to the Michelin guide 🤔

Lao Fu Zi third generation owner Mr Tan was very friendly. Stall was founded by Tan's uncle in 1973 in this same hawker centre, succeed by Tan's mother Kuah Kuat Keow 柯月娇 and now Tan himself. Boss Tan runs two outlets now - here at Old Airport Road and another at Lau Pa Sat.

Boss Tan used to be known for his fancy footwork - dancing over the wok while frying his kway teow, but his knees hurt now through years of standing for hours every day.

Lao Fu Zi's fried kway teow comes in S$6 and S$8 servings. Of course, we ordered the smaller serving to share 😂 It's all carbs, grease and salt 😬 It is what it is but we willingly die a little (but not too much) for good fried kway teow.

Lao Fu Zi's fried kway teow has a mix of flat rice noodles and round yellow noodles stir-fried with blend of dark savoury and sweet sauce, fish sauce, and vegetable oil. Lao Fu Zi use chicken stock instead of water to cook the noodles.

Boss say they use vegetable oil now as customers nowadays don't want lard in fried kway teow anymore 🤔 Who are these people who are killing our heritage food! 🙄 Yeah.... saving themselves with "healthier choice" but killing our heritage recipes 🙄

Lao Fu Zi fried kway teow has lup cheong (Cantonese waxed pork sausage), fish cake strips, blood cockles, eggs, bean sprouts, and choy sum greens.

A good balance of carbs, protein and vitamins 🤭

The fried noodles were coated in grease and dark savoury sweet sauce. There was no wok hei.

I ask for a bit of chili but the heat didn't make its presence felt. The savoury sweet flavours actually grows on us, and that could explain why we still queue for it once in a while, all these decades.

I often said that in fried kway teow, a good sauce can win friends and influence people, even without lard and wok hei, like here at Lao Fu Zi and in the Malaysia Boleh chain.

Lao Fu Zi's blood cockles were winners. Size of my thumbnail, succulent, soft tender spongy chewy, cooked to the doneness I can eat fearlessly without losing its briny umami taste 👍

Mission accomplished 💪

Eat finish, and recorded my personal experience.

I think Lao Fu Zi's magic is in its sauce.

Stall name: Lao Fu Zi Fried Kway Teow 老夫子炒粿條

Address: Old Airport Road Market & Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Rd, stall #01-12, Singapore 390051

Nearest MRT: 5 minute walk from Dakota station

Hours: 11:45am - 10pm (Weds & Sat off)

3 comments:

Marcus Ong8 May 2025 at 19:15
Vegetable oil sian, more risk of cancer. Lard better. But oh well, people's perceptions.
Jimmy Ng8 May 2025 at 22:27
"My favourite was Hai Kee"
Ditto

even the 2 CKT stalls I tried in KL, is just acceptable only but for RM13 upsized.
Anonymous8 May 2025 at 22:33
I like Hai Kee too. Write a story about the amicable uncle.

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