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Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Haig Road Kolo Mee Showdown: Lin Yu Mei vs Lee Kolo Mee
Finally, my first of the Food Showdown series, featuring none other than Haig Road kolo mee. Kolo mee is a dry noodle dish from Sarawak, denoted by its light but fragrant, springy egg noodles, often topped with minced pork and char siew slices. I had my first bowl of kolo mee in Sabah as a kid, and it's been one of my favourite noodle dishes since. With that, meet our 2 contenders for the Haig Road Market & Food Centre kolo mee showdown: Sarawak Kolo Mee • Laksa 李 砂朥越哥羅麵 • 叻沙 (Lee) (right) and 林玉梅 Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee () (left). Both are run by elderly couples! The latter has long already made a name for itself as one of Singapore's best, while the former, though more obscure, has seen some pretty good reviews too! Both stalls offer Kolo Mee in white and red versions, with Lin Yu Mei offering the black one on top of that. But for simplicity's sake, I ordered the Dry (White) from both stalls. Similarly, both stalls offer 2 serving sizes of their Kolo Mee. Lee's Kolo Mee is recognisable by its orange crockery, and is sold in 2 sizes at S$4/S$5. Meanwhile, Lin Yu Mei's standout red bowls are priced just a tad bit more at S$4.50/S$5.50. I opted for the smaller bowl from both stalls. Overall, they carried a similar array of standard kolo mee ingredients. However, Lee's had a handful of leafy veg, while Lin Mei Yu's was topped with a meagre few pieces of fried pork lard, as well as a slightly heftier portion of noodles. Let's get down to the real Haig Road kolo mee showdown. But before that, my dining companion and I fed each bowl 2 spoonfuls of their respective soups so we could toss the noodles easily. Lee: Each strand of noodle retained its QQ-ness even after being left out for a while (sorry, the phone had to eat first), a quality I highly regard when it comes to kolo mee. It was lightly tossed in a mix of minced meat and shallot oil, but was still relatively drier in comparison to the next one. Lin Mei Yu: On first look, these noodles are relatively lighter in colour, but you should never judge a book by its cover! The taste of shallot oil was more prominent, evenly coating the noodles. Combined with the juices of the crispy pork lard, there was a richer depth to the noodles I just couldn't get enough of. A notable difference was that these were texturally softer than the former, likely because more oil was incorporated. The noodles were more clumped together, though they still retained a slight bounce. Noodle Showdown: Chun Fu Fishball Minced Meat Noodle Laksa vs Fa Ji Minced Meat Fishball Noodle Lee: The minced pork that crowns this dish unfortunately did not feel deserving of it. It was rather bland to me, and I wished there was more seasoning aside from the pinch of salt. In a similar vein, the char siew was nothing to shout about. We were served relatively fatty slices but because they weren't tender enough, we were left to tirelessly chew on the tough fats. Its saving grace was that the edges had a sweet, slightly charred flavour which balanced out the savoury bowl well. Lin Yu Mei: The minced pork came in slightly bigger fragments, allowing a burst of meaty juice to ooze out when I stuffed a spoonful of it into my mouth. The juices elevated the taste of the noodles, for sure. 'It looks like an eraser', my dining companion joked. Happy to inform that it doesn't taste like one, although it did feel slightly dry and rubbery in my mouth. They are apparently boiled instead of roasted, and hence lack that smoky aroma that usually accompanies it. Lesson learnt: Never question the amount of chilli added. Though small in portion, both packed an unexpected fire to them. Lee: Theirs was pungent, carrying a peppery spice that when paired with the noodles and really elevated the dish. This was my main companion in getting through the underwhelming meats. Lin Yu Mei: 'OMG, spicy sia!', I exclaimed, bug-eyed, to my dining companion sitting opposite me. Even the slightest bit of chilli padi sent a kick straight to the back of my throat. Spice lovers will love this one. To be very frank, neither bowl was outstanding to me. I suppose I can't compare them to the authentic ones I've had in Malaysia, but I would say both stalls still make for a decent kolo mee fix if I happen to be craving it. The star of both bowls was undeniably the noodles, while the char siew fell short. With that being said, I crown the crowd favourite 林玉梅 Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee (Lin Yu Mei) the winner of this Haig Road kolo mee showdown! The fragrant oil that clung to each strand of curly noodles was truly addictive, and I preferred the balance of this dish. Although, I wouldn't hesitate to get a bowl from Lee's if there's a queue at Lin Yu Mei. Hmm… should I do a Sarawak laksa showdown next? Sarawak Delicacy Laksa & Kolo Mee: Authentic Sarawakian stall hidden in Bedok serves addictive Mee Kampua & Sarawak Laksa The post Haig Road Kolo Mee Showdown: Lin Yu Mei vs Lee Kolo Mee appeared first on
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ghim Moh Fried Carrot Cake Showdown: Hock Soon vs Ghim Moh Carrot Cake
The last time I visited 20 Ghim Moh Road Market and Food Centre for a food guide, I noticed there were 2 carrot cake stalls – Hock Soon Carrot Cake and Ghim Moh Carrot Cake. It's been a few months since I did, but I was instantly reminded of the incident when thinking of contenders for this episode of the Food Showdown series. I'm a certified white fried carrot cake girlie, but I can appreciate a good black carrot cake now and then. Most of the flavour in this case would depend on the cook's chosen amount of dark soy sauce in the recipe. Hence, I decided to use black carrot cake as the basis for comparison in this Ghim Moh Fried Carrot Cake Showdown to allow more area for consideration. What I first noticed about Ghim Moh Carrot Cake was that it had a long queue of customers while Hock Soon's front remained mostly empty. Hock Soon Carrot Cake was run by 1 vendor, who handled both the payments and cooking. Though there wasn't a queue, customers still appeared one after another to make orders. While it wasn't clear whether it was because of the lack of queue or the hawker's swift actions, I received my order fairly quickly. On the other hand, the Ghim Moh Carrot Cake queue resulted in me waiting around 10 minutes for my dish to be done. The line at its front was ever-present, and the hawker had to take the orders of those behind in advance to prepare them in time. Having colleagues in the stall in this case was a great help in keeping service as fast as possible, since each person could commit to a single task to increase overall efficiency. It would be tricky to compare both stalls based on price and portion if they were vastly different. Fortunately for me, the pricing range offered at both stalls was identical. Available in sizes Small, Medium, and Large (S$3.50, S$4, S$5), customers could choose to have either Black or White Carrot Cake based on individual preference. Hock Soon's Black Carrot Cake (above) was slightly smaller in portion than Ghim Moh's Black Carrot Cake despite the plates being almost the same size. However, there was a higher heap of the fried carrot cake for Hock Soon while Ghim Moh's (above) was more scattered around the plate. There's not much to say about the presentation of fried carrot cake. Both stall vendors roughly scooped the mixture onto the plate without being too meticulous about the small details. One characteristic that did stand out, however, was that Hock Soon's plate included a spring onion garnish while Ghim Moh's didn't. The vendor had asked me if I wanted some, and I agreed, of course. Soya Chicken Showdown: Chiew Kee Eating House vs Chew Kee Eating House Hock Soon's carrot cake had large chunks that were nicely soft. It was wetter, causing the pieces to clump together and possessed a sweeter flavour, which I assumed was from the dark soy sauce. It was obvious, based on appearance alone, that the vendor did not skimp on the main seasoning ingredient that created the distinction between black and white carrot cake. What I liked about Ghim Moh Carrot Cake was that their carrot cake was more charred, creating pleasantly crispy but not burnt bits that crackled with every bite. The carrot cake pieces were smaller than Hock Soon's, but there was a softness that came from it containing more eggs. It was also more salty as it contained more chye poh, and I could taste the savoury-sweet flavour alongside the soft crunch of the preserved radish. For a better comparison, I opted for the chilli on the side to assess the fried carrot cake with and without the accompanying spice. Bringing into account the fact that these were two different stalls, it was expected that their chilli would taste nothing alike. Hock Soon Carrot Cake's chilli had a nice kick. It had a more orange hue compared to Ghim Moh's version, and was visibly more greasy as there was oil pooling around the paste's edges. It tasted shrimpy, and the consistency was that of a blended chilli paste. Meanwhile, Ghim Moh Carrot Cake's chilli contained small pieces of cut-up garlic. Though most places mince or finely chop the spice to incorporate its flavour more smoothly, the somewhat haphazardly cut bits in this one had a bite to them. There were even visible chilli seeds, which led me to brace myself in case the paste decided to singe my tastebuds off. Was this unpleasant in any way? Not at all – the punch of garlic and spiciness was powerful but not too overwhelming. Ghim Moh's chilli was definitely spicier and smaller in amount than Hock Soon's, but both were decent. I would say the decision to go for either stall depends on the customer's flavour preferences. Among all the showdowns I've done, this one baffled me the most. Both stalls had strengths in different areas, and I genuinely enjoyed both. Ideally, the best version of the dish I could visualise would be Hock Soon's scallions and the size of its pieces, alongside Ghim Moh's portion and crispiness. After some consideration, I crowned Ghim Moh Carrot Cake as the winner of this Showdown. I had thought about the flavour profiles of both dishes, and found that I preferred Ghim Moh's savouriness, which went well with the egginess and crispy bits. Maybe it isn't so big of a mystery why most locals crowd at Ghim Moh's stall, though it would be nice if they could provide some spring onions for garnish as well! Song Fa Bak Kut Teh vs Pacific Emporium: Mainstream chain or hotel does it better? The post Ghim Moh Fried Carrot Cake Showdown: Hock Soon vs Ghim Moh Carrot Cake appeared first on
