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Many food reviewers have labelled Fatty Ipoh Noodles in Pasir Panjang Food Centre a “hidden gem”, and it’s made me wonder if it’s as good as they say. Much of the praise mentions the smoky noodles, chunky pork lard (true to its name, they say) and solid portions for prices below S$7.
Not everyone agrees, though. One of the resident drink stall vendors in the food centre disapproves. She doesn’t like how it uses narrow flat rice noodles instead of wide ones in the hor fun dishes, as they resemble kway teow.
You know the stall’s a popular one when you’re greeted with a queue, be it visible or invisible. In this case, it was both – a small line of hungry diners had formed at the stall, and I later discovered there were more waiting for their orders at their tables. I, too, was handed a buzzer that would alert me once mine was done.
Fatty Ipoh Noodles is well-known for its Moonlight Hor Fun (S$5.50). It’s a fried hor fun dish topped with a raw egg yolk, which when mixed into the brown noodles resembles moonlight shining on a dark river. It also offers dishes like Braised Eee Mian (S$5.50), bee hoon and XO Sauce Seafood Fried Rice (S$6.50).
However, I was most drawn to the Crispy Hor Fun with Creamy Egg Sauce (S$5.50). The name implied a medley of textures, which I was curious to try for myself.
What I tried at Fatty Ipoh Noodles
Upon receiving my dish after a 15-minute wait, I confirmed that the enticing allure of Fatty Ipoh Noodles’ dishes is justified. The steaming Crispy Hor Fun with Creamy Egg Sauce gained approving gazes from the group at the neighbouring table, who even decided to order one for themselves on the spot. It was like the staff cast a love potion on every order!
My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I noticed how much I had been given. The ingredients filled the bowl almost to the brim with a few pieces of the assorted protein peeking out, and golden fried hor fun was scattered over the surface.
While crisp, the deep-fried hor fun didn’t leave a greasy aftertaste. Instead, the crunch was divine and felt ironically un-sinful. When I tried the bits that had fallen into the gravy, the exterior had soaked up the broth but remained crispy inside.
Between you and me, dear reader, I was hoping that Crispy Hor Fun meant that the entire serving consisted of deep-fried pieces, similar to Hong Kong crispy noodles. That would’ve been a unique experience!
Sadly, that only applies to the pieces topping the regular chewy noodles. My colleague Lauren later assured me that I had, in fact, not been “catfished” by the name as this is the default for the dish.
There was some wok hei to the hor fun which, while wasn’t the strongest, was satisfactory. The noodles had a slight chew but were mostly soft, breaking apart whenever I tried to scoop them up. After sitting in the gravy, they absorbed the liquid and nearly doubled in volume.
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Rich and thick, the creamy egg drop gravy coating the noodles was impressive. Besides the eggy taste, the umami came from oyster sauce and light soy sauce.
I was delighted to see the variety of ingredients that Fatty Ipoh Noodles provided. The lean pork slices were beautifully tender, while the white fish slices were smooth and meaty with a mild flavour. Both were nicely fresh and didn’t possess any unpleasant fishiness.
The dish also included two prawns, which were juicy, sweet and bouncy but not too large. There was also a decent sprinkling of chopped chye sim for that satisfying pop of green among the warm hues.
The only time you’ll catch me eating fat is when it comes to pork – I find the texture less off-putting than chicken or beef fat. I was feeling a little piggy that day, so I added extra lard (S$1) as recommended by many of the reviewers.
It was no surprise that the chunks tasted oily due to their fatty nature. However, the greasiness seemed surprisingly intentional; I kept popping more into my mouth for the savoury flavour that leaked with every bite. Like the crispy hor fun, they had softened on the outside while their cores retained some crunch.
Final Thoughts
Fatty Ipoh Noodles could’ve gotten a higher rating from me if their hor fun had been less soggy because I like a little Q in my noodles. However, the overall flavours of the light wok hei and the luscious egg sauce were appetising. I also couldn’t believe that a bowl that huge only set me back S$5.50 – I would’ve brought a friend to share my dinner if I’d known we could share and still eat our fill.
This food encounter has left me curious about what else the stall has to offer. A second visit for the Moonlight Hor Fun or XO Seafood Fried Rice sounds like a good idea!
Expected damage: S$5.50 – S$7.50 per pax
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