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There’s just something I love about literal store names. With Wok Hei Hor Fun in Redhill Food Centre, you’ll never have to second-guess what they’re serving — a killer plate of hor fun attacking my nostrils with a smoky wok hei aroma (or so I hoped).
I’m more used to the white, san lou version of hor fun, but was excited to see what this plate of glossy brown goodness had in store. Which explains why I was loitering in front of the stall at 4pm on a Thu, under the blazing sun, while everyone else powered through their day as contributing members of society.
God forbid a girl wants to be the stall’s first customer.
What I tried at Wok Hei Hor Fun
I got myself a plate of… wait for it… wok hei hor fun. LOL. I went back and forth between the Beef Hor Fun (S$6) and Sliced Fish Hor Fun (S$6) before finally committing to the beef.
The uncle immediately got to work, and soon enough, the wok hei aroma was so strong it clung to the air (and my clothes). Less than 5 minutes later, I was presented with a generous plate of saucy, glistening noodles, topped with beef slices and a sprinkling of greens.
When the uncle asked, “want pork lard?”, it was music to my ears. Amateurs think it’s just another garnish, but really, it’s the secret crunch that elevates each bite here.
The hor fun were wonderfully silky, gliding through the glossy sauce with ease. The egg, fried straight into the mix, added a luxurious layer of richness that helped bind everything together. As the first spoonful was on its way to my mouth, I could already catch a whiff of that signature wok hei clinging to the utensils.
And a heady wok hei aroma indeed enveloped the plate, not overpowering but still distinct enough to show off the uncle’s careful control of heat and timing.
Generous slices of beef, which were mostly tender aside from the occasional chew, brought a savoury and meaty depth to the dish, while crisp vegetables introduced a crunchy freshness and contrasting colour to the plate. For S$6, the portion is hugeee.
I’d say the flavour profile leaned towards understated comfort rather than a bold intensity. Despite its colour, this dish carried a simple savoury, smoky taste that lingered gently on the palate, the kind you’d crave on a rainy evening.
Pro tip: make sure to get some pork lard in every bite, as it melts in your mouth to coat the otherwise gloppy mess with a layer of crisp and smooth fat.
It felt like a waste to come all the way down for just one plate of noodles, so I threw in the Lala Assorted White Bee Hoon (S$6.50) for good measure.
This equally ginormous plate came with an assorted mix of pork slices, sliced fish, a handful of deshelled prawns (bless them) and of course, lala, or clams.
The pork slices and fish fared pretty well, tender and nicely cooked without any off flavours.
Unfortunately, the lala wasn’t the freshest nor the sweetest — it was okay, but nothing to write home about.
The thin bee hoon, on the other hand. Silky and with just the right amount of bite, it had that perfect slurpability that makes white bee hoon so satisfying. The broth, however, leaned towards a more clean and delicate flavour profile, which might be ideal for those who have lighter palates, but left me itching for a little more punch.
That said, I can easily see this dish working beautifully with a side of their crispy har cheong kai or Fried Prawn Paste Chicken (S$8 for 6pcs) to amp up that savoury factor.
Final thoughts
Wok Hei Hor Fun delivered on its promise with beautifully smoky flat rice noodles and comforting flavours that hit all the right notes. The Beef Hor Fun was easily the highlight, while the White Bee Hoon leaned lighter but still held its own with tender proteins and slurpable noodles.
As far as hor fun goes, this is easily one of the best I’ve had. But whether it’s worth travelling back for? I’ll leave that up to you to decide after trying it for yourself.
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