Buddy Ben is a big fan of Kok Kee wanton mee. I heard him mentioned it so many times. So, when we happened to be around Jurong West 505 Market & Hawker Centre, Ben pulled me to taste the legendary Kok Kee wanton mee.
This Saturday morning, Jurong West 505 Market & Hawker Centre and the area around it known as Hong Kah Point was buzzing like a busy bee hive. Long queues at the popular stalls and tables were all taken. (Note: We are still under Covid-19 Circuit Breaker social distancing measures.)
By the time I secured a table, Ben came back with the Kok Kee wanton mee.
It's a mound of egg noodles sitting in a shallow watery pool of clear light brownish sauce and topped with boil-type char siew slices and a few obligatory stalks of blanched leafy greens (choy sum).
The wanton mee came with a small bowl of clear soup with 2 small wantons inside.
Kok Kee's noodles were relatively heavy and stiffer compared to most wanton mee noodles in Singapore (which are almost all generic). It had a nice crunch to the bite (like good ramen though a shade stiffer).
The watery sauce was drippy, more like a stock which the lady boss splashed onto the noodles. It tasted slightly more than mildly savoury sweet, quite sweet actually.
Half way through eating the slurpy noodles, I just got this sudden urge to get more sauce. I went back to the stall and asked the lady for more soupy sauce and also chili sauce. Auntie gladly scooped me more along with a free smile which I can feel behind her mask 😄
The chili just added a slight hint of spice to the savoury sweet flavours. I like Kok Kee's wanton mee. It's not the usual wanton mee because of the noodles and proprietary sauce.
Last year, an investor offered the owners of Kok Kee $2 million for the recipe to the sauce but the family declined.
Personally, I am a fan of drippy sauce wanton mee. Here are a few more 👇
The old National Library wanton mee at the (demolished) red brick building at Stamford Road was one of the memorable drippy sauce wanton mee. Today's rendition at Nam Seng Far East Square is nothing like it...👈 click
My personal favourite drippy sauce wanton mee in Singapore is Fs Eatery Symphony wanton mee 辛福利 at Sunshine Place in Choa Chu Kang👈 click
Across the Causeway in Johor Bahru, Yit Foh is the stalwart of drippy sauce wanton mee👈 click
Restaurant name: Kok Kee Wanton Mee 国记云吞面Address: 505 Jurong West Street 52, stall #01-14, Singapore 640505
Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Lakeside station (East West Line)
Hours: 7:00am - 12:00 noon (Weds off)
Non Halal
Date visited: 1 Aug 2020