Meng Kee Char Kway Teow: A Char Kway Teow that’s worth the Calories

Address updated 20 Oct 2020

Char Kway Teow is almost a bad word in Singapore. Ask anyone to name you the most unhealthy hawker food and Char Kway Teow will probably be one of the dishes mentioned. It is afterall, nothing more than starch fried in lard and flavoured with fish sauce and sweet black sauce. And then there is the fear of contracting Hepatitis A from eating partially cooked cockles which really puts another nail in the coffin. Not only is it unhealthy, you can potentially get Hep A from eating it as well! (You should get vaccinated against Hep A if you really love your cockles)

Because of this, the popularity of Char Kway Teow has waned over the years and now you can hardly name ten good Char Kway Teow stalls in Singapore. That is a real shame because a well fried plate of Char Kway Teow is one of those things that really hit the spot when you’ve just come back from a 3 month holiday in Europe.

So the thing with Char Kway Teow is never to waste those precious calories on a plate of mediocre Char Kway Teow. When you have that Char Kway Teow craving, make sure you Hantam (Whack) one that has the most Satisfaction per Calorie (S/C). And if you happen to be around Beo Crescent, this is certainly one stall that has a high S/C rating.

For me, the test of a good Char Kway Teow is the fact that I actually finish the dish. I hardly ever eat a whole dish of Char Kway Teow by myself nowadays (for health reasons), but I find myself finishing off this one. I guess the most important aspect about a good Char Kway Teow, apart from the taste, is the texture and fluidity of the Kway Teow. By fluidity, I mean, that it has got to be lively and smooth when you slurp it rather than just being limp. 4.5/5

This stall is manned by a father and daughter team. I was there in the afternoon when the daughter was frying. You’d be surprised to know that she is already married with young kid cos she looked quite young. From what I hear, unlike a lot of other stalls where the “old hand” is still champion, the father has been quite successful in imparting his skills to his daughter. I haven’t eaten the father’s version, but I am told that the father’s version is more oily while the daughter’s version has more water. Perhaps one of their regulars can confirm if this is true?

Conclusion

Good Char Kway Teow is getting hard to find. Here is another one that is worth some of your calories.

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