The reputation of Wah Kee Prawn Noodles also known as Farrer Park Prawn Noodles is almost legendary to fans who have been eating it for 30 years.
I enjoyed it some years ago - the prawns were large (if you pay more) and delectable, and the soup was prawny sweet. It was definitely one of the better Prawn Mee around.
But today's visit to the stall at the renovated centre gave us several rude shocks even though the noodles looked damned delicious. Appearances can be so deceiving.
Shock No. 1 - Curt stall Ah Soh
The stall is run by an old couple in their 70s, who have been hawking the noodles since th 1960s in the Farrer Park area.
An old man, who queued 25 minutes for his turn (just like us) was chided by the impatient woman when he took a bigger tray.
He also saw her making blunt remarks to others. He told us he would not come back, even when he had not even tasted the noodles yet.
A smartly dressed executive guy behind him was also pissed.
He was queueing obediently in the line but the stall Ah Soh curtly told him a few times to step aside so that she could talk to someone behind.
He too also saw Nazi-like behaviour of the woman.
He told SoShiok.com the same thing: "I won't come back".
Shock No. 2 - Curt Ah Soh was nice to her 'VIPs'
Although the stall had a 'self service' sign, some customers didn't have to join the queue.
One chap told us he called the stall to place his order in advance so that he need not have to queue. Ah Soh was courteous to him and made sure his order was prepared quickly.
Ah Soh was also smiling and polite to a Japanese client and his two companions. They were seated at a table and she took the noodles to them.
The Japanese man told me he had been patronising the stall for 25 years. "It suits our Japanese taste," he said.
Shock No. 3 - Stale lard ruined the noodles
I ordered a dry version which came with a mini wok of three large prawns swimming in the broth.
There were lard crispies on top of the noodles, which were tossed in a sambal belachan sauce with fried shallots. The taste was not bad until I bit into the lard crispies.
Yucks! There had turned rancid.
Although they seemed freshly fried as they were still crispy, I suspect the couple could have added them to a batch that was already stale.
My dining companion felt nauseous after the meal while I tried to get rid of the lingering foul taste with a fruity gum and milk tea. It didn't work until I had an appetising cold noodles elsewhere.
Shock No. 4 - Dead cockroach stuck onto side of mini wok
My friend stopped eating midway when she saw a tiny dead cockroach stucked onto the side of the mini wok. She had to pause for a while before resuming her lunch.
Later, she showed the wok with cockroach to the Ah Soh. She retorted: "It's on the side of the wok - not inside the wok."
She didn't even apologise for it.
Seriously, this stall had hygiene problems.
First, they should ensure that their lard is not stale. Second, they should ensure that their crockery is clean.
Shock No. 5 - Big prawns were tasteless
Since we had waited for a long time, we decided to order the most expensive version which cost $10.
We were expecting market fresh prawns with a pleasant salty tang of the sea. But theirs were tasteless. They were hardly sweet, compared to the ones we had at a fish soup stall recently.
We saw a supplier delivering the prawns in styrofoam boxes. They were probably soaked in ice and water till the prawns became tasteless. (I also encountered this at supper at the prawn mee stall at Adam Road food centre last week)
The greasy prawny-sweet soup was slightly ruined by the smelly lard. It was quite ordinary and didn't deserve the high praises that some food critics had heaped on it.
One blogger even described the soup as bisque-like. Excuse me, do you know what a bisque is?
This was like thin prawn broth with a slight garlicky flavour cheapened with chopped dried shrimps and an oil slick.
I can forgive rude service more easily than lapses in food hygiene and quality, especially for a $10 Prawn Mee.
Some redeeming factors
When we explained to Nazi Ah Soh the reason we were taking pictures, she said: "I don't care for publicity. I don't need it".
We were taken aback by her rudeness. She also had the look of "What the hell do you want?"
But she seemed to calm down when we ordered the most expensive version. And posed readily for our pictures with her husband (?) without much persuasion.
I told the old guy whom she chided earlier that stress at a peak hour could be the reason for her bad behaviour.
He retorted: "Then those of us who waited so long in the queue don't have stress meh?"
Anyway, we noted she had a few niceties, apart from treating longtime customers extra nice:
1) She provided a free packet of tissue paper in case you use your fingers to shell the prawns. Actually, they had been slit in the middle so you don't need to dirty your fingers.
2) She has a waterhose at the side of her stall, so you could wash your hands there. I'm not sure whether this was reserved for faithful customers - she welcomed the Japanese guy like a kindly innkeeper as he reached for the tap.
We hope she could be nice to us too.
Yasashikude kudasai!
Rating for dried noodles: 7/10 (if you eat it without the lard)
Rating for dried noodles ruined by lard: Below 5/10
Rating for soup: 6/10
Wah Kee Prawn Noodles
Blk 41A Cambridge Road Hawker Centre
#01-15
Open 7.30am to 2pm daily except Monday