Chey Sua Carrot Cake 青山菜头粿: Famous Michelin Bib-Gourmand Crispy White Carrot Cake At Toa Payoh West Market & Food Court

’20 minute wait, you okay?’, the auntie at Chey Sua Carrot Cake 青山菜头粿 asks me. Some things are worth the wait and Chey Sua Carrot Cake is one of them.

Their stall over at Toa Payoh West Market and Food Court is plastered with countless accolades and has been consistently listed in the Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2016. As I hung around the stall longer, the wait went on to 45 minutes. While some couldn’t afford the wait, there were still many customers who persisted.

Chey Sua Carrot Cake is run by two sisters Shirley and Grace. Shirley, you’ll find behind the wok hard at work frying up countless plates of carrot cake. While her sister, Grace, takes the orders and serves it to your table. The duo works seamlessly and never miss a beat.

Never pausing for long, Grace is constantly mixing up eggs and passing them over to Shirley. Shirley, never takes her eyes off the wok, expertly tossing the egg mixture with radish curds.

Shirley then splits the mixture into quarters continues to fry them for those crispy edges. Naturally, to get nicely fried edges Chey Sua Carrot Cake does use a fair bit of oil. But hey, if you’re already here, you should go all in. Trust me, every bite of this is worth it.

Another thing about Chey Sua Carrot Cake, if you had not noticed by now. They only serve the White kind of chai tow kway. Which, I’m told is how it is traditionally done in Chaoshan, China, where the dish originated. Seeing as the Black carrot cake is my favourite, I was curious to see how Chey Sua Carrot Cake would hold up.

What makes Chey Sua Carrot Cake stand out is also their chilli. Instead of serving the chilli on the side, Chey Sua Carrot Cake applies their chilli entirely on one side. Thick and full of secret ingredients, I would highly recommend you to opt for the chilli as well.

Having patiently waited for a good 25 minutes for my plate, I couldn’t wait to dig in.

Plus, this plate was extremely affordable. Chey Sua Carrot Cake has kept their prices low, starting from S$2.50 a plate. Seeing as I was a little ravenous (and hangry), I ordered myself the S$3 plate.

With a pretty even colour throughout and craggy fried bits at the side, it was a promising sight indeed.

I took a mouthful and I knew why people were willing to wait for this plate of carrot cake, which had an unbelievably crispy surface that’s made even better by the sweet and rich chilli. Full of wok hei but still soft in the middle, I couldn’t get enough.

What’s more, those cubes are no ordinary run-of-the-mill cubes. Chey Sua Carrot Cake is one of the few stalls that make their own radish cake. So, these cubes are tailored to their preferences.

Similar to a young hawker peddling carrot cake, Carrot Cubes, Chey Sua Carrot Cake also steams their radish cakes in aluminium tins. I have to say, there is merit in going the extra mile with the details. These cubes have an almost satiny quality to them but are still able to hold their shape when fried.

I guess what differentiates Chey Sua Carrot Cake from other stalls is also what they mixed with their radish curds. A little lift from of the carrot cake layer and you’ll spot bright orange carrot strips and chye poh (preserved radish) scattered throughout.

What you get is a little saltiness from the chye poh combined with the crunch from the carrots followed by moreish charred bits from the eggs.

After a satisfying 2o minutes, I have to say the accolades/certificates are all well-deserved. A stellar plate of chai tow kway that is good enough to sway even a die-hard black carrot cake fan.

The next time you find yourself hankering for a plate of chai tow kway, look no further and set your sights on Chey Sua Carrot Cake.

Expected Damage: S$2.50 – S$4 per plate