You know, whenever I hear of a "famous" good hawker, I am usually afraid of overhype. But finally I've found one that delivers. Gooey umami Hokkien mee! Well, OK, it's not much to look at, and the prawn/squid pieces are miserable. But the taste of the stock the noodles are fried in - crustacean heaven! I swear there's crab in there! It tastes like what I think a good crab beehoon ought to taste like! Almost makes you want to lick the plate. Almost.
The sambal chili sauce is not too bad as well. Mix it in with a squeeze of lime for extra kick.
Tian Tian Lai is practically an institution (since 1968?). It has been on my to-eat list for a while. I regret not coming earlier. It was worth the trip from the East to eat here. Now I must make more excuses to come to Toa Payoh!
Tian Tian Lai (Come Daily) Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
Blk 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1
#02-27 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 Food Centre
Singapore 310127
Open Tues-Sun from 9.30am to 9pm
Please note that they are closed on Mondays
Tel: 6251-8542
Apparently there is a branch in Yishun but no idea how good that is
Blk 921 Yishun Central 1 #01-273
Singapore 760921
Open: 1130 - 2300 (perhaps this one is really open daily)
Tel: 9734-7314
I love their shop name. If it were near my place, I would also tian tian lai... ;)
ReplyDeleteIts not the old man frying anymore right? The dude in the pic in the link you provided. For a while, seemed like standards dropped but since you've praised it so, maybe I'll go back for a try.
ReplyDeleteHmm, forgot to see who was frying. You mean the guy shown in ieat's blog too? It's my first visit, so I don't know about standard fluctuations. I guess I should go back again too!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do find lacking is the fried pork lard bits. I had to hunt for my pieces and found very few. But then again, maybe it was just my luck that day.
LFB: Kenny, the name is cute in more ways than one! ;-) hahaha
ReplyDeleteYep yep i went there everyday (almost) when I was 6 and that's how my paunch started! (After eating my fill, I would go to the nearby playground, lie on the slide and think that life was v sweet *grinz*) Def an institution, since 1983 for me...
ReplyDeleteCome daily!!!! i love this!
ReplyDeleteDaphne: Memories like that are what makes life (and the paunch) worthwhile! :D That contented six-year-old musing on the slide is a very sweet image indeed!
ReplyDeleteSouthernoise: Yes, me too! :D
This is indeed a very good HKM stall. Before the renovation of the hawker centre, the food stalls were housed in a kind of long shed, in what is now the open ground adjacent.
ReplyDeleteYou should also try the Teochew pau...very good.
http://shiokhochiak.blogspot.com/2009/01/tian-tian-lai-quintessential-singapore.html
Yes, P.Chong, I saw your post too. It was one of the reasons I decided to finally go and try this HKM!
ReplyDeleteAlas, the Teochew pau stall was taking a break that day. But that just means I have more reasons to go back there again! :)
Ate this hokkien mee, was nice. Got quite a few large pieces of fried lard in it. Also tried the satay from another stall just two stalls to the right, VERY nice. I'm not exactly an expert, but my dad used to sell satay, so i've had my fair share of satay. Not a big fan of it myself, but my colleagues ordered and i tried it. Got to say, the look of it is nice, meat is nice and juicy (not a lot of charred meat), the sauce...was just smooooooooth. Gotta try it to believe it. I think they actually marinated and shewed the meat themselves and also mixed the sauce. I tried chicken and pork ones, nice. Yup.
ReplyDeleteHey thanks for the tip, Ricky! I most certainly will check out the satay stall next time.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome :)
ReplyDeleteOh, forgot to add, their price is 40c per stick. Rather reasonable me thinks :)
ReplyDeleteHi, I just found your food blog and I had a great time reading through the various blog entries. Apparently if I'm not wrong, there is another Tian Tian Lai HKM store at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. It's located beside a Char Kuay Teow store named Tian Tian Dao.
ReplyDelete