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We’re likely all familiar with Singapore’s intense queueing culture — the consensus is that if a stall has long queues, the food must be good. Though Hong Lim Market & Food Centre is chock full of famous stalls that people queue night and day for, one stall stands out above all the rest: Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee.
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee offers a single dish on its menu: char kway teow. This extremely popular stall, which started in the 1950s, sees unfaltering, ever-present queues on all days of its operations, even during non-peak hours. Some days, the queue can even go up to 90 minutes long! It’s no wonder that the stall managed to earn a spot on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list.
Obtaining a plate of char kway teow from Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee took me 2 tries. The first time that I headed down to Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, I made the mistake of visiting during lunch time. The queue for this famous stall stretched all the way to the second level of seats, and despite it only being noon, those of us in the queue were informed that they would likely sell out before we got to the front.
Hence, I chose to leave the queue, and I returned on a separate day, this time around 10.30am instead to avoid the lunch crowd. The length of the line was unfortunately still the same as before, with the queue starting from the second level of seats. However, the line moved much quickly, and I waited for a total of only 30 minutes.
What I tried at Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee offers either a S$5 or an S$6 portion of Char Kway Teow, with the option to add more cockles for S$2 or extra egg for S$0.50. I opted for an S$5 portion and was greeted with a reasonable amount of fried brown noodles.
Char kway teow is a simple dish. You simply order it with or without chilli, and you’ll receive a standard dish of noodles, eggs, bean sprouts, cockles and pork lard. Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee’s take on the dish was no different, with all these elements being present throughout.
The tantalising scent of the Char Kway Teow effectively whetted my appetite (if the 30-minute queue wasn’t enough to get my stomach growling). Each soft noodle tendril was coated in a sweet dark sauce, while other elements, like the bean sprouts, cockles and pork lard, were well scattered throughout the dish.
Upon taking my first bite, I instantly understood why so many people would brave the long queues and waiting times just for a simple plate of kway teow. Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee’s Char Kway Teow was sweet with a fantastic wok hei flavour, nicely furnished by a smoky aroma from small chao da bits within.
Compared to other stalls, the stall offered a wetter take on this popular local dish, with the eggs being creamy and delightful.
The cockles were big and juicy, with a good portion in relation to the amount of noodles. My favourite element of the Char Kway Teow was undoubtedly the pieces of pork lard within. There’s nothing more satisfying than biting into a crunchy, fatty piece of pork lard while simultaneously savouring the soft and sweet noodles.
Final thoughts
I’m not a frequent consumer of char kway teow, but Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee has certainly converted me into a fan. As I was waiting for my single plate of noodles to be prepared, I watched as the people in front of me collected plastic bags filled with many, many packets of char kway teow for takeaway. After savouring the stall’s amazing food, I can certainly see myself doing that in the future.
If you’re in the market for a great plate of char kway teow and have some extra time to kill, Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee is worth the queue — just be sure to arrive as early as possible, and avoid facing off against the lunch crowd.
Expected damage: S$5 – S$6 per pax
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