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When it comes to having a one up from the usual hawker fare, seafood is typically used to elevate a dish. This has paved a new market for hawkers to serve luxe seafood dishes at wallet-friendly prices. One such stall is Grandma’s Noodles, an eatery that sells local seafood noodle dishes and many more.
Currently, Grandma’s Noodles has three outlets, Sengkang, Hougang and Bedok. Side note: the Hougang outlet is a yong tao fu stall.
The Grandma’s Noodles’ outlet I visited was in Sengkang, located at 473 Coffee Shop in Fernvale. At Grandma Noodle’s, you can choose a wide array of noodles, with options to customise your soup bases like spicy or tom yum for just S$0.50.
I ordered dishes like their Seafood Noodles (small: S$7, large: S$8), Fish Roe Noodles (small: S$4.50, large: S$5.50), LaLa Noodles (small: S$4.80, large: S$5.80), and lastly, their Laksa (small: S$3.80, large: S$4.80).
For the Seafood Noodles, I got the small option so that I was able to devour more. My choice of soup base was the basic one, with koka mee as my choice of noodles. I was quite impressed with the number of ingredients offered—an entire piece of crayfish, slices of abalone as well as a generous amount of lala (shellfish).
The koka mee was a commendable choice for the Seafood Noodles with its soft texture, and absorbed the soup’s seafood flavour well. The soup was ideal, with its prominent taste profile, yet not too cloying for my tastebuds.
For the price I paid for this bowl, I did not have high expectations when it came to the seafood ingredients. The abalone was light-sweet, with a tender bite to it. My high SES (social-economic status) dining partner liked it despite her high standards for abalone, hence it was safe to assume that this was good.
From then on, it was a slippery slope as the crayfish was a disappointment. The crayfish was mushy and soft; a clear indicator of it not being fresh. I was really looking forward to it given the long day ahead of me, but this ruined it.
As a person who loves fish roe fishballs, I went for the Fish Roe Noodles without hesitation, with the choice of the spicy soup base as well as the purple wheat noodle.
I felt cheated by the sight of the lonely piece of fish roe fishball lying in the bowl of noodles. How did this justify the name of the dish? Nonetheless, I dove into the bowl with an open mind.
The fish roe fishball was ordinary, the kind where you would typically find in Chinese New Year reunion steamboat meals. The fish roe’s rich sweet, salty flavour was welcome, but nonetheless the quantity was a letdown.
The purple wheat noodle was slightly gritty, which was to my liking. The soup was savoury-spicy, something that worked wonderfully to hold the dish together.
For the number of fish roe fishballs, I would not suggest this dish for fish roe fishball lovers.
Next up, I had a taste of the LaLa Noodles, with tom yum soup base as well as shen mee as my noodle choice. The tom yum soup did not do justice to tom yum soups out there, with its rather bland taste.
Meanwhile, the lala was a relief from the rather bland soup, with its salty ocean taste that was excellent. It felt plump and had great minerality as well. The lala got a thumbs up from me with its generous amount.
The Laksa is clearly their signature dish, with it being displayed as the first option on their giant storefront sign. I got their Laksa with the small size, as I could feel my pants on the brink of bursting at the seams, considering the amount of food I was inhaling.
Appearance-wise, it was enticing with its vivid colour of a flaming sunset, topped with the usual ingredients like tau pok (fried beancurd), cockles, fishcake, as well as quail eggs.
The gravy was slightly creamier than other laksas I have tried before, which is not a bad thing for those who do not take spice well. For a person who enjoys a spicer laksa, go ahead and add more sambal.
The vermicelli was satisfying and had the al dente bite I preferred. Coupled with the gravy, it was decent, putting into perspective that I had better laksa elsewhere.
The tau pok’s spongy texture was great for relishing the Laksa’s broth. To conclude the Laksawas not a bad dish to have, but if you would like Laksa that excites your inner foodie, search elsewhere.
Given the location of this food stall, I personally would not give it a second visit simply due to its location. For those who are living in Sengkang West, you could visit this stall if you are in search of affordable luxe seafood noodle dishes.
Expected Damage: S$3.80 – S$10 per pax
