There are two kinds of wanton mee (云吞面) you can get in Singapore. The first is local style, with the thicker, softer noodles and thick, dark soya sauce or tomato ketchup and red chilli sauce. The second is the Hong Kong noodles style, with the translucent, springier noodles and a light, watery sauce. Personally, my preference is for Hong Kong-style noodles, perhaps because I have been eating local-style wanton mee from young and have grown tired of it.
A while back, I read that Fei Fei Wanton Mee (飞飞云吞面) is a "must-try" for any wanton mee lover, and yet I had not eaten from there before, so one day, we headed to Joo Chiat to see what was so great about this Fei Fei Wanton Mee. Now, it is important that if you want to go on a food hunt, that you do your research carefully first. Unfortunately, we didn't, so instead of going to 62 Joo Chiat Place, we ended up at 72 Joo Chiat Place, simply because we passed that first. The shop at 72 is actually called 炎記飛飛雲吞面大王 (simpl.: 炎记飞飞云吞面大王). Like Dr. Leslie Tay of ieatishootipost, we were actually at the franchised stall, and not the original.
Of course, we didn't know that at the time. And since we went all the way to Joo Chiat for the famed wanton mee, we ordered the big portion.
Wanton mee (云吞面) - $3.50 (big)
This was what was served to us. It doesn't look like much. I gave my noodles a stir.
No, it certainly isn't much. First, the noodles. No, I didn't think it was all that great. Yes, it's better than most of the local-style noodles, that's for sure. But it wasn't that much better. The chilli sauce is supposed to go with the noodles, of course. But again, I didn't think the chilli was all that great. I actually thought it was a little too salty, and being a chilli lover, I felt it lacked the spicy "oomph". So, chilli plus noodles didn't help too. Next, the wantons were tiny. It would not be an exaggeration to say they were the size of, say, macadamia nuts. They tasted alright, but there were just too few of the tiny wantons. And the char siew (barbecued pork / 叉烧) was not even barbecued. I guess my opinion of this bowl of wanton mee is pretty clear by now. There wasn't a single redeeming factor. Above average noodles and an average chilli sauce do not make outstanding noodles. That, coupled with the meagre and substandard ingredients makes this $3.50 bowl of noodles a rip-off.
We also ordered a portion of hei zho (fried prawn roll).
Hei zho (fried prawn roll / 虾枣) - $6
This has got to be the most expensive hei zho I've eaten. The photo shows the portion. If the hei zho were good, it would have been money well spent. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The hei zho was (re-)fried after being cut into pieces, which I really dislike because it usually results in the filling being overcooked, and it was the case. It also destroyed the taste of the filling, and so I felt like I was eating flour instead of meat and prawns. I have eaten better and cheaper hei zho.
When I started this blog, I wanted to be different, to be objective. I wanted to be fair as well. Perhaps I went on a bad day. Perhaps I had too high expectations. Perhaps it was simply because I wasn't at the original stall. I certainly did not enjoy my meal at all, and I have absolutely no reason to return. I am even hesitant of trying the original stall. Instead, I might just stick to my usual stall in Dunman Road Food Centre.
Fei Fei Wanton Mee (炎記飛飛雲吞面大王)
72 Joo Chiat Place (map)
Singapore 427789
Also, the original:
Fei Fei Wanton Mee (飛飛雲吞面)
62 Joo Chiat Place
Sin Wah Coffeeshop (map)
Singapore 427785
Links: HungryGoWhere
