Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
For my food review today, I made my way to Serangoon North Avenue 4 in search of Wang Jia Wang (旺佳旺). It’s a 24-hour fishball noodle stall that sells a peculiar dish: black pepper mee pok. I bet you’ve never heard of this before, am I right? Well, me neither, so I had to try it at least once!
I spotted Wang Jia Wang (旺佳旺) at a corner with its black signboard. The menu offers a variety of noodles like Fishball Noodle (Dry/Soup) (S$4), and Mini Wok Noodle (S$6).
I observed the magic happening right in front of my eyes as I waited for the chefs to prepare my food. The mee pok was tossed in a dark fiery-looking black pepper sauce before the ingredients were scattered on top, and the uncle’s assistant expertly cracked a beautiful soft-boiled egg by the side.
What I tried at Wang Jia Wang (旺佳旺)
As the weather was nice and cool after a heavy downpour, it was the perfect occasion to try the Laksa (S$4.80). This delicious bowl had the usual ingredients: fishcake slices, tau geh, cockles, pieces of tau pok, thick bee hoon and a sprinkle of finely-chopped laksa leaves on top.
The gravy was nice and thick, speckled with red spots on the surface which resembled a lovely terrazzo tile. It was luscious and lemak-tasting from the coconut milk used, but I found it slightly under seasoned— it would’ve been perfect otherwise.
The thick bee hoon was cooked perfectly like al dente spaghetti, retaining a firm bite and managed to soak up all the creamy goodness of the Laksa gravy. The laksa leaves exuded a subtle grassy and zingy vivacity which permeated my sense of taste and smell with every bite I took.
The pieces of tau pok acted like mini liquid grenades which detonated in my mouth as soon as my teeth sunk into it, gushing the warm and slightly spiced broth inside.
The cockles were also firm and odourless, an indication of its freshness. It provided a little briny taste of the ocean with its umami flavours. Overall, this bowl of Laksa was one of the better ones I’ve had in recent times.
Final thoughts
Wang Jia Wang is a great stall to visit whenever you crave for a decent bowl of laksa or noodles. Being a 24-hour stall, I love that you can have them for breakfast, supper or at any time you desire!
Unlike other fishball noodle stalls with menus which only revolve around bak chor mee and meatball soup, I’m impressed that they also serve prawn noodles, laksa and even their exclusive black pepper mee pok.
Head down to Serangoon North Avenue 4 and give their noodles a try today!
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