Recently, I've started getting posts from 704 五炒 Bedok Reservoir in my news feed. Based on some previous photos and videos on the page, the fried goods stall, which sells Hokkien mee, char kway teow, oyster omelette, carrot cake, and taugeh cockles, seems to be run by a young man. I like this, because we need a new generation of hawkers to grow if our hawker culture is going to be sustained. So I was keen to support the stall by giving it a try.
Of course, I was also excited by the overwhelmingly positive reviews I saw on the page, as well as the tantalising pictures posted by the hawker multiple times a day showing behind-the-scenes glimpses at the preparation process of his pork lard and prawn stock, both of which he makes from scratch, visually appealing raw ingredients like fat, juicy oysters, as well as the finished products.
Early this week, the hawker posted about a special item he was offering: oyster Hokkien mee. This dish is totally right up my alley. I love oysters, which is why I love oyster omelette. But I also love Hokkien mee, especially the wetter version with lots of sauce. And I reckon a serving of Hokkien mee makes for a fuller meal than a serving of oyster omelette, because it's got more ingredients and a better mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
So oyster Hokkien mee sounded like the perfect deal to me, having the delicacy that I like as well as balanced nutrition. Truly the best of both worlds!
Like many hawkers in this Covid-19 era, this stall has its own delivery service. Third-party delivery platforms charge high commissions that price many hawkers out of that market, so if you want hawker fare you have to shop around and discover standalone options like this yourself.
To enquire, I sent a WhatsApp message to the number provided on the Facebook page. Within half an hour, someone from the stall replied with the menu and confirmed that yes, they could deliver dinner to my area that evening.
Ordering was as simple as typing into a WhatsApp message my address, what time I wanted the food to arrive, and the list of items I was buying. The stall then replied with the amount to pay and a PayNow number. After transferring the required sum and sending a screenshot of the transaction confirmation, I received word that my order was successfully placed.
The food actually appeared about 15 minutes later than I requested, but to me this is an acceptable margin because the delivery service isn't run by one of the big companies so it should be held to a more lenient standard. Nonetheless, the stall is quite responsive and when I WhatsApped to ask about my order when it hadn't arrived at the specified time, the person on the other end promptly apologised and explained that there was only one driver on duty that day. I enjoy having this open and direct communication channel with the stallholder.
Most important to me, of course, is the quality of the food. And I am pleased to report that my oyster Hokkien mee ($6.50) was absolutely delicious.
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| My photography skills really cannot make it. Trust me, it tastes better than it looks. |
As I mentioned earlier, I prefer the wet style of Hokkien mee, which emphasises the flavour of the prawn broth that soaks into the noodles rather than the dry style that focuses more on wok hei. So I was very happy to see my heap of yellow noodles and chor bee hoon sitting in a pool of gravy.
That gravy tasted strongly of crustaceans and was delightfully savoury. It was thick, luscious, and coated everything throughout the dish. Normally, I fuss about picking out all the taugeh and chives in my Hokkien mee, but I didn't this time because the gravy had made them the same taste and texture as the noodles that I had no reason to complain about them. Score another win for this stall's rendition of Hokkien mee, then: it got me to eat my vegetables.
No less than five oysters were hidden amongst the noodles. They were plump, creamy, briny, and a little metallic, exactly what good oysters should be. Importantly, they had no foul odours, which meant they were fresh.
There were also two medium prawns. I could tell that they, too, were fresh because they were crunchy and smelled clean. Other ingredients included some squid pieces and chunks of beaten egg.
The dish was rounded out by the generous amount of fried pork lard cubes scattered around, bringing the flavours exploding in my mouth to even greater heights. I like hawkers who know what they're selling and commit wholeheartedly to giving their customers the full experience. Nowadays, too many fried noodle sellers do away with pork lard to cater to the health-conscious. Hello, the health-conscious can jolly well go and eat their atas salad, ok? Leave the original recipes for fried dishes alone for those of us who still know how to appreciate them, please. Kudos to this hawker for doing so.
In fact, kudos to this hawker for the overall quality of his cooking! My oyster Hokkien mee was so yummy that I finished the entire portion with little difficulty. There's a perception that Hokkien mee has to be fried by a grizzled veteran if it's to be nice, and to be fair this tends to be anecdotally true, but this young man proves that it is also possible for those with less experience to produce a mean plate of noodles, as long as they put in the heart and are passionate about what they are doing.
Very reassuring indeed for the future of the hawker trade. Let's support these deserving local businesses!
My order
1 x oyster hokkien mee = $6.50
1 x medium black and white carrot cake = $7
1 x large char kway teow = $5.50
Delivery fee = $8
The delivery fee looks steep, but you can order more items or bigger servings to make it worthwhile. If you live outside the east zone, the delivery fee is higher.
TL;DR: Keep an eye on this dark horse. Although it is a relatively unknown newcomer for now, I daresay it will soon be a rising star in the Hokkien mee scene. You should definitely give this a shot!
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