Asking where to find the best chai tow kway in Singapore is a surefire way to start a heated debate. Many Easties will inevitably recommend that you visit Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao at Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre.
This stall has been around for years; some regulars have been frequenting it since their primary and secondary school years. It’s well-known enough to even have appeared in the Straits Times in an article recommending carrot cake stalls.
In recent years, some customers have noticed that the man behind the wok isn’t the usual uncle every day but a younger man. It doesn’t taste quite the same if it’s not the uncle, according to some.
I went down on two different days so I could see what each chef had to offer. There were things I liked more and didn’t quite as enjoy from both of them.
What I tried at Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao
The first time I went, it was the uncle manning the kitchen.
You can’t order a mixed plate of black and white chai tow kway at Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao. I’m a huge fan of the black version, though, so it didn’t bother me that much. If you order the biggest portion of the Black Fried Carrot Cake (S$5) you can ask to have it with Prawns (S$6).
As it was the biggest portion, I was taken aback at the size of the plate. It really didn’t look like a large portion of carrot cake. I even placed my second order of White Fried Carrot Cake (S$3.50 for Small, S$4 for Medium, S$5 for Large) and the plate of black carrot cake side by side, and the difference didn’t seem that big between them.
The next thing I noticed was that the radish cakes were all chopped up into little bits. Usually, there is some variety in size but everything here was cut up as finely as it could be. I did, however, really like the deep caramelised colour.
As expected, the dish was delightfully charred and rich with smokey wok hei. While the way the radish cake was cut up made everything look all squished together, it simply made it easier to shovel the carrot cake into my mouth. That was helpful since the only utensil you get is a small fork.
The generous amount of chye poh worked in tandem with the garlic and black sauce to create a medley of savoury goodness. To balance that out, the addition of prawns added a bit of sweetness to the carrot cake dish. It certainly added a layer to, which without it was, a traditional plate of chai tow kway.
If there was something I felt was deeply lacking, it was the amount of egg. Sure, you can opt to have Extra Egg (S$0.80), but I feel the dish should already contain a good amount by default. Because of the lack of egg, and, it will lack a certain sweetness if you don’t order any prawns. The sticky and rich black sauce will undoubtedly overpower everything.
Grandfather Carrot Cake: Super wok hei carrot cake, CKT & fried oysters with pork lard at Siglap
As previously mentioned, my second order at Song Zhou was a small portion of the White Fried Carrot Cake. I’m not sure how else to begin to describe my experience with this white version other than that it was not at the same level as the black version.
Because it was the smallest portion, there was no option to add prawns. So, I will be looking at it purely on its own merits. Like the black version, the radish cakes were cut up into very small bits. Maybe because it was in a smaller portion but the egg for the white version looks like it had more than the plate of black carrot cake.
On the surface, the dish looked nicely charred. That said, as soon as I took a bite, there was a weird toughness to some bits. It also tasted bitter as if it was burnt. It was unfortunate as I did feel like there were more eggs in the white version. But you can barely taste much because of the tough and bitter parts.
The only saving grace was that this was the smallest portion so it wasn’t a chore to finish.
I went back a few weeks after, and it was a younger man frying away at the wok. I took my chance to see what prominent differences there were.
I ordered two small portions – one black and one white. Just based on the looks, the radish cakes weren’t as mushed up or in small pieces as before. I definitely prefer it this way.
For the black fried carrot cake, I felt that the wok hei wasn’t as strong as when the uncle fried it. That said, because it was less intense, even without the prawns, it didn’t taste overly savoury.
For the white carrot cake, I definitely felt this was better. It didn’t taste like burnt mush, for starters. I could actually make out the egg and nicely charred surfaces of radish cakes.
Like the uncle though, I do wish more egg was used by default.
Final Thoughts
If you’re ever in the area, I recommend ordering the black version at Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao.
The black carrot cake from Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao has a good balance of sweet and savoury. This is more so if you get it with prawns. I would recommend topping up for an extra portion of egg also, though.
Expected damage: S$3.50 – S$6 per pax
Price: $
Our Rating: 3.5 / 5
Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao
208B New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, #01-37, Singapore 462208
Song Zhou Luo Bo Gao
208B New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, #01-37, Singapore 462208