Singapore’s Top 5 Char Kway Teow Showdown
Since I am not prepared to eat a myriad amount of Char Kway Teow* to deduce the top 5, I decided to follow the lead of a local celebrity
blogger (who likes to eat, shoot and post), whom I presume had eaten his fair share and come up with his top 5 (Thanks Doc!). But first, what makes a hawker popular? Do you decide on your meal based on the stall that has the longest queue? Is that the wisest? Are you always impressed or sometimes disappointed? Queues happen in 2 scenarios. One- the chef has great culinary skills. Two- the chef cooks real slow! I knew, prior to going on this top 5 CKT trail, there will be a lot of waiting in line which frankly, isn’t my favorite pass time
. But I guess that’s the price you have to pay to savor the best… or is it? My quest began at Zion Road Hawker Centre. One of the most famous in Singapore for many years.
No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow
If you like cockles, Hai Kee’s CKT has lots. Apart from the many cockles, I did not understand its popularity as there was neither wok hei nor taste in this CKT and was verging on being a tad dry. Unless this was a healthy version, it needed more of everything, from sweetness to saltiness to moisture to oil to more ingredients please. Nevertheless, the dinner crowd still rolled in and patiently they waited while Uncle fries his kway teow calmly and unhurriedly…