Thye Hong Stall, Food Republic, Wisma Atria, Orchard Road. December 2012
Singapore is all about food, and naturally some food is better than others. The Hokkien Mee at Thye Hong was legendary and there were several branches across the city. Apparently they got spotlighted in their early days by some food magazine which propelled them into Singapore food superstardom. I usually got mine in Food Republic on Orchard Road in an upscale food court. People queued patiently for the huge wok batches of this simple noodle dish much to the chagrin of the relatively customer-free stalls to the left and right of it. The price was in line with all the others in the food court, so value for taste, this meal was off the chart. As I ate there frequently, I sometimes just missed the end of a batch, so I had a front row seat to watch them prepare their signature dish. The noodles were boiled and then transferred to a massive wok where each batch was made fresh (part of the appeal). I loved watching them fry and layer-on each ingredient at lightening speed. The process was amazing to watch and made me appreciate why it tasted so good.
When it came time to pay, one only had to specify how many orders and what size. No dilly-dallying, either. The cashiers made the Seinfeld "soup nazi" look tame. A lot of people were waiting for their prawn noodles, probably on a short lunch hour - spit out your order, pay, and move along, please!
A local food blogger described the place:
Fried Hokkien Mee (or simply Fried Prawn Noodles), is a popular local dish well-liked by many Singaporeans and tourists alike. With a mixture of thick rice noodles and yellow egg noodles, this noodle dish is first fried over a high flame then stewed in a savory broth till the sauce seep into the noodles. Throw in some prawns and bits of squid then dish it on a plate (preferably with a Opeh leaf in between) with some sambal and a lime by the side and there you have it, a scrumptious serving of Fried Hokkien Mee.
When it comes to Hokkien Mee, Thye Hong is a household name, having been in the business for the last forty years.
Beginning with a humble stall at Newton Hawker Centre during the 1970s, it has now expanded into a chain store with many outlets at Food Republic - an air-conditioned food court.
Whenever I am in town, I would usually go to Food Republic at 313 Somerset for my Hokkien Mee fix.
However, having been there a couple of times, I realized the quality control is not that consistent.
Sometimes it is good, yet at times, it could be a little lacking in terms of taste.
I guess that is inevitable when you set up branches and hire people cook for you. In my opinion, no amount of coaching could ever replicate the real deal. Ever.
Along with the nasi goreng ikan bilis from the Rex Food Stall [see: Rex Food Stall] in Tekka Center, this stall was one of the few places in Singapore I went repeatedly, ordered the same dish, and was always satisfied. I fully understand the "lack of consistency" the blogger above spoke of, but for me in my years of going to that posh food court on Orchard Road, I was never let down. In fact, I loved that I was eating cheap, delicious food in some of the most expensive real estate in the Lion City!
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