Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Bedok isn’t a part of Singapore that I usually venture to, but learning about Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House was enough to get me to travel down to the East.
Located within Bedok Reservoir Food Centre, Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House is helmed by 28-year-old Wang Yi Guang, who moved from Henan, China, to Singapore to study when he was 13.
After dropping out of school when he was in Secondary 3, Yi Guang worked at multiple Chinese restaurants, including Paradise Dynasty, before becoming a sous chef at the upscale Xi Yan restaurant for three years. Eventually, he left his job at the esteemed dining establishment to open his very own hawker stall.
The first thing you’ll notice at Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House is the vibrant storefront, boasting a bright and colourful signboard. Yi Guang’s stall offers a variety of popular Chinese dishes, including la mian, xiao long bao, dumplings and dan dan mian.
Unlike some other hawkers who use pre-made noodles and ingredients, the noodles and dumplings at Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House are handmade in-store by Yi Guang and his staff.
With all the dishes being priced S$6.50 and under, I had my hopes up for the incredibly affordable yet delicious-looking dishes.
What I tried at Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House
Before I even tried the dishes, I was blown away by their presentation. Served on gorgeous blue and white porcelain-patterned bowls and plates, Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House’s dishes looked like they came straight out of a restaurant. I would never have guessed that they were actually from a humble hawker stall!
First, we tried the Xiao Long Bao (S$5 for 6 pieces), which were presented in a wooden steamer basket. The Xiao Long Baos were steamed to order, making them piping hot when they were served.
Each dumpling contained minced pork meat and soup wrapped in a soft skin. I was delighted with how meaty and generous the pork fillings were, and the soup was clear and refreshing. The skin was a little bit thicker, which was good as none of the Xiao Long Baos broke when being lifted.
Adding vinegar enhanced the mild flavours of the Xiao Long Bao. For only S$5, these were a steal!
Next, we had the Taiwan Braised Pork Lamian Soup (S$6), served with la mian noodles, a light broth, vegetables, black fungus and a generous amount of braised pork belly.
Yummy Times has nyonya curry, special chee cheong fun & over 10 types of kueh
The soup was clear and refreshing, being flavourful yet not too salty. I could definitely easily drink it every day.
The noodles were soft and chewy with a lovely texture. As with all good la mian, each noodle strand was incredibly long and slippery, making it a bit messy to share with my dining companions. However, no complaints there.
The pork belly was meaty and full of flavour. Despite being soaked in the soup, it did not lose its rich marination. I found the meat to be tender and easy to chew, which I enjoyed, given how sometimes, pork tends to be a little too dry and tough for my liking.
As someone who is an avid lover of the rich aroma of beef noodles, the Spicy Beef Lamian (S$5.50) was undoubtedly my favourite. The soup had a full-bodied, slightly smokey taste, and like the Taiwan Braised Pork Lamian Soup, it was clear and refreshing to drink. The addition of chilli oil added a tiny kick of spice to the dish, though it wasn’t overly spicy.
The noodles were similarly soft and chewy, going nicely with the soup. The beef slices were a tad on the drier end, but were pretty generous in portion and had a tender mouthfeel.
The final noodle dish we tried was the Sichuan Dan Dan Lamian (S$4.50), which came with la mian noodles topped with chopped peanuts, minced meat and chives. Unlike other Chinese noodle dishes I’ve had, this dish came with a generous amount of peanuts, which I had not been expecting.
The peanuts were a welcome addition to the dish as they gave the noodles an incredible nutty profile. I could even taste peanuts in the sauce coating the noodles, which I enjoyed.
The sauce in the la mian was surprisingly creamy in taste. I had expected the la mian to be incredibly savoury, as with most Chinese noodle dishes, but Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House’s Sichuan Dan Dan Lamian had just a small hint of sweetness and creaminess.
With its great flavour and incredibly large portion of noodles served, I would return to try the Sichuan Dan Dan Lamian again.
We moved on to the remaining dumpling dishes: the Pork and Chives Dumplings (S$5.50 for 10 pieces) and the Dumplings with Red Chilli Oil Sauce (S$6 for 10 pieces). We watched as the dumplings were handmade and boiled. You can even purchase Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House’s frozen dumplings in bulk at S$12 for 30 pieces.
The Pork and Chives Dumplings did not disappoint at all. The generous meat and chive fillings were covered in a soft and silky dumpling skin. I liked how the pork fillings were very meaty with minimal fat. The chives also complemented the meat without overpowering it, giving it a mild onion-like taste.
Of course, don’t forget to dip the dumplings in vinegar for some extra flavour. The sourness of the vinegar brought out the flavours of the pork and chives.
The Dumplings with Red Chilli Oil Sauce were essentially the same as the Pork and Chives Dumplings, just that they were served in a generous pool of chilli oil sauce. I found this dish to be more flavourful due to the addition of the red chilli oil sauce, which made it more fragrant and provided a little bit of spice.
The addition of the chilli oil sauce also made it such that these dumplings did not need to be dipped in vinegar to be robust in flavour.
Given how both dumpling dishes were of the same price, I would likely get these over the Pork and Chives Dumplings, though those who prefer milder and simpler flavours will certainly appreciate the former more.
Final thoughts
Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House impressed me from the moment that I laid eyes on its stunning dishes to the moment that I finished devouring the final dumpling. I found each dish to be restaurant-quality from the presentation to the taste, and the incredibly affordable prices make this a hawker stall that I would dine at almost daily if I lived in the area.
I would definitely travel down again to get more of Yi Guang’s dishes in the future, and given the generous portions and low prices, Wang’s Noodle & Dumpling House has raised the standard for hawkers in my eyes.
Expected damage: S$4.50 – S$9.50 per pax
Good Chance Popiah: 3-generation-old eatery with DIY popiah & traditional Hokkien dishes
