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I’m a creature of habit, so I rarely (if ever) venture out of my comfort zone. Since reading SETHLUI.com’s ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre food guide years ago, my go-tos have never changed. Special mentions would be the char shao shao rou fan from Fatty Cheong (GOATED) and chendol from Jin Jin Dessert.
But this day, I deviated for the first time and tried out Guang Zai Malaysia Style Curry and Soup Noodles.
Guang Zai Malaysia Style Curry and Soup Noodles is located to the right of Jin Jin Dessert in the same row. You may think, “That doesn’t really count as trying something new-new… Where’s the exploration?!” Hey, we take what we can get.
What struck me about the store was that the sign said they sold “Malaysia style” curry, as well as chicken and pork noodles in clear soup. On taking a closer look at the menu, I noticed that everything at the store was a flat S$5.30 (save for add-ons).
What I tried at Guang Zai Malaysia Style Curry & Soup Noodles
Not sure what to get, I asked the store owner what was more popular between their chicken and pork curry noodles. On his recommendation, I got the Curry Fried Pork Noodle (Soup) (S$5.30) which he explained was something more unique to the store.
I got my curry noodles with Yellow Noodles, though you can also choose Thick Bee Hoon, Thin Bee Hoon or Kway Teow instead.
On receiving my dish, my first thought was, “This looks better than the picture.” Because, wow, the dish looked (and smelled) really good.
At first, I thought that the pork would be a little dry and tough. But, boy, was I wrong.
Contrary to its modest appearance, the pork slices were well-marinated and extremely tender. They were not ‘chopstick tender’ but they did have a delightful, soft bite and were very well cooked.
I could taste a hint of 5 spice in the pork and it was delicious both with and without the accompanying curry.
There was plenty of fried bean curd skin and it remained nice and crisp for quite a while. I was happy to find that there was not a whiff of any ‘old oil smell’ from the fried bean curd skin.
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The curry was lemak and very fragrant, with the perfect thickness to coat both the noodles and ingredients. It had an addictive heat! I had gone down to ABC for my meal with my grandma and she had given this curry her stamp of approval. Mind you, she’s very selective!
The spongy tau pok soaked up the curry and made “curry flavour bombs” in my mouth. I personally loved the use of bean sprouts and long beans for veggies as they added a great crunch to the dish. There were also slices of fish cake, which added to the amazing texture.
Though the curry was decently spicy by itself, I grabbed a saucer of sambal for an additional spicy kick. The sambal tasted like it had plenty of small red chilli (but not chilli padi) and I did not find it particularly spicy. Or so I thought. After a few sips, the slow-burn heat spread, and I could really feel it eating at me. But still very, very shiok.
I proceeded to mix the whole saucer of chilli into the remainder of my curry as I found that it added a nice depth of flavour.
My only gripe about the dish would be the noodles. While the alkaline taste of the yellow noodles was not overpowering, I found them to be a little overcooked and not as firm as I would have liked.
Perhaps I had neglected the noodles for a tad too long while enjoying the delicious, aromatic curry and other ingredients.
Final Thoughts
When I return to ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre in future, I’m happy to report that I have found myself a new store to frequent.
Though the noodles themselves were nothing outstanding, the other ingredients and the curry, oh the curry, were delicious. Fragrant and overflowing with ingredients, the curry noodles are quite the star. I am excited to try the Steamed Chicken Curry Noodle Soup (S$5.30) on my next visit!
Expected damage: S$5.30 per pax
