Master Tang Wanton Mee @ Sixth Avenue

During the Good Friday holiday, I decided to visit the newly opened Learning Forest at the Botanic Gardens. I took the Downtown Line and head towards Botanic Gardens station.

Along the way, I got off at Sixth Avenue station for breakfast at Bukit Timah Road. I am there looking for a certain Master Tang who used to be the head chef of Crystal Jade and is now running his own business at said location selling Wanton Mee.

With this level of fame, I was expecting a huge turnout at his stall but unexpectedly, there is not a single soul at the coffeeshop. I look across the road to the other coffeeshop which is brimming with customers and long queues everywhere.

This coffeeshop is everything that coffeeshop is not. I thought perhaps I was too early or maybe the stall is still not ready for business yet.

I approached the stall cautiously and I saw an old man wrapping wantons silently by the side while a lady was busy checking on the many simmering pots they had which were all screaming for attention at the same time.

They should be Master Tang and his Malaysian wife.

I looked at the opening hours written on a piece of cardboard in front of the stall, then turned to my watch and realized that it is already an hour past the opening time.

The lady finally looked in my direction and I meekly ordered a plate of Wanton Mee with her. While waiting for my order, another customer came up behind me.

I figured that he might be an old customer because they started greeting each other in Cantonese.

"Zou san" he said.

(Good morning)

"Zou san. Sek meh?" she replied.

(Morning. What would you like?)

"Bei ngo yat gor nam yu zhu sao meen"

(I want a Pork Knuckle Noodle)

"Zhu sao zong mei hou" came the answer.

(The pork knuckle is not ready yet)

"Gam bei ngo yat gor gai geok meen"

(Then give me a Chicken Feet Noodle)

"Gai geok yat yong zong mei hou"

(Chicken feet is also not ready yet)

"Gei si hou?"

(when will it be ready?)

"Zong yew boon gor zong tau. Sek dai yi yong ye lah" 

(Another 30 minutes. Eat something else?)

"Gam nei yao meh?"

(Then what do you have?)

"Wanton meen lor"

(Wanton Noodles)

"Gam jiao bei ngo yat gor wanton meen" 

(Then give me Wanton Noodles)

I am trying hard to put on a straight face because their conversation actually reminded me of McDull.

Anyway, I digress!

My noodles took a while to be done and when they were ready, I helped myself to a small scoop of the sambal chili and pickled green chili.

The portion of the noodles were quite substantial and sitting in a concoction of soya sauce and oil. To have a taste of the noodles in the sauce, I gave it a quick toss without the chili and took a bite.

To my delight, I find the noodles very crunchy although I find the dressing too light for my liking. I then mixed in the sambal chili and things took a 360° turn. 

With the addition of the sambal chili, the flavors were instantly elevated to a whole new level!

The crunchy noodles

True to Hong Kong style Wanton Mee, this does not come with any Char Siew but five plump boiled Wantons. Wrapped inside the wanton skin is minced pork and shrimp. One of my Wantons, however, did a full monty as it came without the skin.

Strangely, I feel like I am eating Siew Mai instead of Wanton.

Not your usual Wanton Mee chili

Take only what you can finish

They say the Crystal Jade Wanton Mee is based on Mr Tang's recipe but I do not see the hype behind it at all. On the whole, I do like the sambal chili and the texture of the noodles but that is not the style of Wanton Mee I like.

The stall

Kopitown Coffeeshop

10E Sixth Avenue

Singapore 276474 

Fri - Wed: 8am - 4pm

Thu: Closed

Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/Ko46JMjFokN2

GPS Coordinates: 1.3311719,103.7925806