Thai-style Wanton Mee is quite different from the Singapore-style and Malaysian-style versions most of us are used to.
There is usually no glossy black sauce, no tomato ketchup sweetness, and no heavy vinegar-chilli mix.
The noodles look a lot plainer at first, almost like something is missing, but the flavour comes from the lard oil, chilli flakes, crispy pork lard and pickled green chilli.
You can find this style of Wanton Mee at Huay Kwang Thai Wanton Mee 辉煌, which has been around since 2013.
It started from Kampong Ubi, and has since opened at other locations including Amoy Street Food Centre and Punggol Coast Hawker Centre.
The menu features Thai-Style Char Siew Wanton Mee ($5 for small, $7 for large), Black Sauce Char Siew Wanton Mee ($5, $7), Handmade Wanton Soup ($4 for 7 pcs), and Fried Wanton ($4).
I ordered both the Thai-style and black sauce versions to compare. Since the stall is called Thai Wanton Mee, I already had a feeling I would prefer the Thai-style version, and I did.
The bowl looked quite loaded, coming with char siew, fried wantons, crispy pork lard, greens, Thai fish sausage and wanton soup on the side.
There is something quite shiok about dry noodles that rely on fragrance instead of sauce, though it also means the noodles need to be cooked properly.
Thankfully, the noodles had a good springy bite and were lightly coated with oil. After mixing everything with the chilli flakes and lard, the bowl became more fragrant and savoury, with a slight heat.
The char siew was also better than I expected. I sometimes find Thai-style wanton mee char siew too lean or too dry, but this had a decent bite, some sweetness and a bit of caramelisation around the edges.
The Thai fish sausage added another layer of flavour, slightly sweet and savoury, and made the Signature bowl feel more complete.
The black sauce version was more familiar, with a darker and sweeter coating. It was easier to like in the usual wanton mee way, but beside the Thai-style version, it felt less special to me.
The wanton soup contained soft handmade wantons in a light broth, and I liked that they were generally generous with the fillings.
Thai-style Wanton Mee may look plain at first if you are used to saucier wanton mee, but I liked how the flavours built up after mixing everything properly.
And there is always the black sauce version.
Huay Kwang Thai Wanton Mee 辉煌泰式云吞面
Amoy Street Food Centre #01-47, 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111
Opening Hours: 9am – 3pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Huay Kwang Thai Wanton Mee 辉煌泰式云吞面
Kampong Ubi Industrial Estate #01-159, 3021 Ubi Avenue 2, Singapore 408897
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 3pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Huay Kwang Thai Wanton Mee 辉煌泰式云吞面
Punggol Coast Hawker Centre #02-K51, 84 Punggol Way, Singapore 829911
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 8:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Other Related Entries
Laifaba (New Bahru)
Xing Ji Wanton Mee 星记 (Tampines Round Market)
Yummy Sarawak Kolo Mee 砂勞越哥撈麵 (Tampines Round Market)
Swee Kee Wanton Noodles (ABC Brickworks Food Centre)
Hougang Famous Wan Ton Mee (Old Airport Road Food Centre)
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