Wonton (also spelled as “wanton” or “wantan”) literally means “swallowing clouds.” It originates from Guangzhou and was food for rich people. When the dish came to Malaysia and Singapore, we changed the Cantonese name from “wanton min” to “wanton mee” (“mee” is noodles in Hokkien), showing how our two Chinese cultures amalgamate.
In Hong Kong, the broth noodles come with pingpong-sized wontons. In Singapore and Malaysia, we eat it as a dry version with smaller wontons, char siew, leafy greens like caixin , and soup by the side. A main difference between wanton mee in Malaysia and Singapore is Malaysia’s version is salty, Singapore’s sweet, sometimes with ketchup.
On the contrary to what some people think, wanton mee is not a simple dish: many different elements must balance and align to produce a good bowl. In Hong Kong, noodles are first washed in red vinegar to rid its alkaline taste, but in Singapore, since we have no such practice, noodles mustn’t taste of alkaline; it must be springy but not tough like rubber bands. The vegetables must remain green and crunchy; the wonton, firm, unbroken, savory; the char siew succulently fat but not greasy, sweet but not overpowering; and the sauce must bind all these elements together. Nobody really drinks the soup (ok, at least I don’t).
Bearing these criteria in mind, after eating 55 bowls of wanton mee, these are the best wanton mee in Singapore in ascending order:
#55. Yi Shu Jia Wanton Mee 益食家云吞面
209 Hougang St 21 Kovan Food Centre #01-57 Singapore 530209
T: +65 9295 7134
7.30am-4.30pm, closed Mon
I wanted desperately to like this stall because it was the underdog of the two stalls at Kovan market (see 51 Ming Fa at #21). But when I was eating the wontons, I thought I was eating dough. The salty char siew was unique but the bland noodles only tasted of alkaline.
Price: $3/ $3.50/ $4
Pros: Good soup, rich with collagen. Have different varieties of wanton mee: spicy, ketchup, soya sauce etc.
Cons: NA.
#54. Swee Heng Wanton Noodle 瑞兴云吞面
20 Kensington Park Road, Chomp Chomp Food Centre #01-12 Singapore 557269
5pm-1am
The stalls at Chomp Chomp sell either BBQ wings, oyster omelette, or sambal stingray, and so perhaps the lack of choices at Chomp Chomp makes this wanton mee stall stand out, although it was terrible. The char siew was overly sweet, the noodles were alkaline and starchy; and the wontons were limp.
Price: $3.50/ $4.50
Pros: Have a spinach-flavored noodle option. Friendly auntie.
Cons: Hard to find parking. Very crowded and stuffy.
#53. Bee Kee Wanton Noodles 美记云吞面
2 Lorong Lew Lian, Cheun Kee Kopitiam stall 5, Singapore 531002
T: +65 9877 3310
facebook
7am-2.30pm, Closed Mon
I burped truffle throughout the day for this truffle wanton mee. I wished they had added truffle into the wontons, but they only sprinkled truffle oil over the dish. The char siew was monotonously sweet and tough, but at least it wasn’t dyed red artificially. Wontons–both fried and soup–tasted monotonously salty. The sauce was just soya sauce, without the complexity of good wanton mee, but the noodles had a good texture and no taste of alkaline.
Price: $3.
Pros: Lots of parking. Freeflow of lard. Inexpensive. Two types of wontons, fried and soup. Near Serangoon MRT (exit D).
Cons: N.A.
#52. Pontian Wanton Noodles 笨珍云吞面
Multiple outlets
I went to the 24-hour outlet at Blk 925 Yishun where the famous chicken rice is. In my memory, standards have fallen. The wontons had a smelly porky stench. The char siew was dry and hard. The chili seemed to come from a bottle. But their saving grace, noodles–they claim it’s handmade–had a bouncy texture.
Price: $3/ $3.50
Pros: Many outlets. 24 hours.
Cons: N. A.
#51. Weng Kee Ipoh Hor Fun 荣记
Blk 2 Changi Village Road, #01-18/19 Changi Village Market and Food Centre, Singapore 500002
M-F 10.30am-10pm, weekends 8am-11pm
I know they are famous for their ipoh hor fun, but since I was there, I might as well try their wanton mee. But I shouldn’t have. The sauce was like ipoh hor fun sauce, and the noodles clumped together. (See Amigo Wanton Mee at #46.)
Price: $3.50
Pros: Queue moves quickly. Friendly lady. Generous with wontons.
Cons: Far. I don’t like using plastic spoons–kills the environment and doesn’t feel good in the mouth.
#50. Guangzhou Mian Shi Wanton Noodle 广州面食
Block 48A Tanglin Halt Road, Tanglin Halt Market & Food Centre #01-04 Singapore 148813
T-F 5pm-3am, Sat 5pm-2am, Closed Mon & Sun
There was a queue at 8.30pm. I desperately wanted to like this wanton mee very much because the boy at the stall is so handsome and polite and patient. But unfortunately, the char siew was dry, the wonton was limp, and the noodles, though springy, were salty. With the sambal-stingray-like chilli, the noodles got even saltier.
Price: $3/ $3.50
Pros: Plenty of seats. Long queue but quite fast. Very friendly, polite, and handsome boy.
Cons:Went all the way from Punggol to Tanglin Halt on Sat (4 Apr) and the sign said it was closed till 8 Apr. A fb page is free to set up and will be useful to inform customers on days that they close.
#49. Poh Kee Traditional Wanton Noodle 保记传统云吞面
Blk 207 New Upper Changi Road, Bedok Interchange Food Centre #01-24 Singapore 460207
6am-10pm, closed ad hoc
Rather terrible. Bad char siew, doughy wontons, but the winning factor kicked in with the noodles: they had a smoky aroma. Wok hei wanton mee!
Price: $3/$4
Pros: Very clean, and big, and new. Convenient, beside Bedok MRT.
Cons: Forgot that I requested chilli to be put at the side; they mixed it in for me.
#48. BaaMee Bangkok
45 Syed Alwi Rd, Singapore 207636
T: +65 9636 0048
Facebook
11am-9pm daily
(See previous review)
I asked the friendly and humorous manager with wispy beard as he was clearing my plate, “How come your Thai wanton mee no wonton one? I only got a piece of deep-fried one.” The cook forgot to give, and the manager immediately corrected the mistake. The wontons, size of small fishballs, were firm, well-marinated, and peppery. Unfortunately, the noodles were too tough my incisors couldn’t incise and the char siew tasted like ham.
Price: $4.50 (normal) / $5 (tom yum)
Pros: Their kaa moo ($6/$10), Thai kway chap, was better than the wanton mee: the pork trotters had a beautiful smokey undertone. Friendly staff. Big, clean, and bright space. Serves Thai tea.
Cons: Only 2 shops in this kopitiam, the other shop selling ramen, marketed as “Japanese bak chor mee.” In an area of good food, I don’t know if they will survive.
#47. Hwa Kee Barbeque Pork Noodle 華記云吞面
1220 East Coast Parkway, East Coast Park Lagoon Food Village, Stall No. 45, Singapore 468960
M-Sat 5pm-12am, Sun & PH 12pm-12am, closed Wed
Not the same as Hua Kee (#9) at Old Airport Road, this was so overwhelmingly sweet you can’t taste any other thing. Long after eating this bowl, the sweetness lingered in my mouth, like bad morning breath. Sure, the wontons were nice, but the noodles were doughy and stuck together, and I didn’t like the char siew shredded so thinly.
Price: $4/ $5/ $6
Pros: Offers an option among all the satays.
Cons: Hate the styrofoam plate and plastic spoon. Expensive. $5 for 3 wontons at an inaccessible place? Ouch. $5 can get you 8 wontons at Ji Ji (#20) in CBD area.
#46. Amigo Wanton Mee 爱美哥
Blk 2 Changi Village Road, #01-34 Changi Village Market and Food Centre, Singapore 500002
11am-10pm, Closed Tues
T: +65 9455 3631
The highly decorated shop didn’t live up to its name although it was still better than Weng Kee (#51) at the same hawker centre. Dry and tough char siew. Stodgy soup wontons. But the fried wontons left a lingering sweetness and the noodles were cooked just right.
Price: $3.50
Pros: Generous: gave 4 soup wontons, and 2 fried. Friendly lady.
Cons: Far. I don’t like using plastic spoons–kills the environment and doesn’t feel good in the mouth.
#45. Zhou Ji Wanton Noodle 周记云吞面
Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 #01-14 Singapore 560724
Waaaah!! Got 2 famous wanton mee here (see Hong Chong #13 and Pontian #52) and still got balls to open. The noodles was coated with a lardy but unfortunately tasteless sauce. Limp wonton. Ordinary char siew.
Price: $2.50
Pros: Affordable. No queue. Plenty of seats.
Cons: NA
#44. Nam Seng Wanton Mee 南生
25 China Street, Far East Square #01-01 Singapore 049567
T: +65 6438 5669 / +65 9689 6288
M-F 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-3pm, Closed Sun
At the exact moment of eating, we thought this was terrible: the wantons were flavorful but the doughy noodles stuck together, and the char siew was too lean and tough. Altogether bland and blah. But a day later, I began to appreciate its aesthetics: it belongs to a bygone era. I still don’t think it was delicious, but I can see why, in the past, people might like it. We may not like what the previous generations like.
Price: $4/$5
Pros: Central location.
Cons: No air con, limited seats.
#43. Tian Tian Noodle House 天天面家
Blk 335 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex #02-186 Singapore 050335
Closed Sun & Mon
It is hard to judge a wanton mee like this. The wontons were limp but mushroomy. The bland noodles were bountiful and texture like la mian. Like Nam Seng (#44), I can see how this bowl is an old-school flavor, but to my modern tastebuds, I couldn’t appreciate it.
Price: $2.50/ $3
Pros: Central. Affordable. Delivers to your table.
Cons: N.A.
#42. Kim Kee (Coffee Shop) Tanjong Rhu Wanton Mee 金记丹戎禺云吞面
Blk 4A Jalan Batu, Jalan Batu Market &Food Centre #01-24 Singapore 432004
M-Sat 7am-2pm
T: +65 9855 0029
There are 2 wanton mee stalls at this market (see Tanjong Rhu #27), and this is the famous one, visited by Cai Lan, eminent Hong Kong food critic. But this was very, very average. In fact, I found the ketchup overwhelming that it overpowered everything.
Price: $3/4
Pros: Plenty of parking nearby. Very friendly and considerate lady; she remembered I requested for chilli by the side.
Cons: Not a very long queue, but took a long time. Inaccessible.
#41. Wah Kee Noodles 华记面食品
7 Maxwell Road, Amoy Street Food Center #02-125 Singapore 069111
Char siew had a malt-like sweetness but dry. $3.50 for 5 wontons, not a bad price, but they were stodgy. Hard to sever severe noodles. (See Tai Seng #40, and Boat Quay #34.)
Price: $3.50/ $4.50
Pros: Affordable. No queue.
Cons: NA.
#40. Tai Seng Noodle House 大成熟食面家
7 Maxwell Road, Amoy Street Food Centre #02-123 Singapore 069111
9.30am-3pm, closed Sun
WAHHHHH!! $3 for EIGHT wontons and a mountain of char siew! It’s like striking lottery. Who cares about the dry but smokey char siew? Who cares about the alkaline noodles? It is just so worth the money I feel like I’ve been cheated ALL MY LIFE by other wanton mee stalls. MY LIFE IS A LIE. (See Wah Kee #41, and Boat Quay #34)
Price: $3/ $4
Pros: Friendly uncle. SUPER affordable.
Cons: NA.
#39. Lai Lai Heng Wanton Noodle 来来兴云吞面
Blk 409, Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, #01-14 Singapore 560409
Although the wontons were bland, the variety (fried and soup wontons) made up for the taste. The char siew was ordinary, but the al dente noodles soaked up the sauce, which tasted like the sauce used in chicken mushroom noodles (鸡丝面). The fragrant sambal made the dish slightly salty and appetizing, instead of the usual sweet version of wonton mee Singaporeans prefer.
Price: $2.50
Pros: Near a carpark. Affordable. The western food at this hawker centre is delicious too. People queue for the fish soup next stall.
Cons: Hard to access.
#38. Teck Kee Wanton Mee 迪记云吞面
Blk 5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-04 Kah Meng Eating House 家鸣食阁 Singapore 081005
T: +65 6735 8411
7am-3pm
The uniqueness lies in the sweet sauce, almost tasting like Japanese teriyaki. The rest were well executed: tasty wontons but excess skin made it doughy; not-too-sweet char siew; and noodles that seemed slightly thicker, giving a good mouthfeel. (See Lucky #6.)
Price: $3 (normal)/ $4 (with fried wonton and chicken 油鸡)
Pros: Good service, including the drink stall auntie.
Cons: Crowded, hard to find seats during peak hours.
#37. Foon’s Thai Recipe
Blk 51 Old Airport Rd, Old Airport Road Hawker Centre #01-65 Singapore 390051
Not a bad option if you don’t want to queue at the 2 famous stalls at Old Airport Market (see Hua Kee #9 and Cho Kee #23) and are craving for wanton mee. The char siew was unique, tasting like the red wine chicken pregnant women eat. The wonton wasn’t bad, and the noodles, characteristic of Thai food, was sweet like pad Thai.
Price: $4
Pros: No queue among the 3 wonton mee stalls here.
Cons: at a dirty corner of the hawker centre.
#36. Koka Wanton Noodles 可口云吞面食
861 North Bridge Rd, #01-99 North Bridge Rd Market & Food Centre, Singapore 198783
T: +65 6296 6140
6.30 pm-11.45 pm, closed Sun
We waited 45 minutes!!! And when it came, it was a pathetic portion you can finish in 3 mouthfuls. Mr Fitness said, “Wah, this stall is very considerate. The portion is so healthy for supper. Ladies will like this size.” The wontons were small but fantastic, with a lardy crunch. The noodles were rather bland, but tasted ok when eaten with 2 thin slices of mushroom, 3 strands of chicken, and salty char siew. I usually trust Greenbook food awards, but this one was disappointing.
Price: $3/ $4/ $5
Pros: Plenty of seats. Don’t need to queue. You tell them your table number and they deliver to you. Miso soup.
Cons: Too long wait, not worth the wait. Too small portion.
#35. Guan Kee Wanton Noodle 源记云吞面
Blk 117 Aljunied Avenue 2, Aljunied Market & Food Centre, #01-47, Singapore 380117
10am-10pm
The noodles were alkaline and starchy, but it didn’t pose a serious problem with the piquant chilli, with a hint of fermented soy beancurd? (nam yu?). (See Hoe Kee #19.)
Price: $3
Pros: Plenty of seats. No queue.
Cons: N.A.
#34. Boat Quay Wanton Mee 吻秀基面食
7 Maxwell Road, Amoy Street Food Centre #01-31 Singapore 069111
The most expensive of the 3 wanton mee stalls at Amoy (still cheap lah), but it is also the best. Really quality char siew, complex, salty then sweet. But the wontons were not bad, but they were broken and so small. The noodles stuck together but had great texture and taste. (See Wah Kee #41 and Tai Seng #40.)
Price: $3
Pros: No queue.
Cons: N.A.
#33. Pin Xiang 品香
Block 93, Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #01-46 Singapore 310093
4.30-11am, Closed Mon
The best thing about this bowl of wanton mee is the friendly lady. When she delivered the bowl, she even gave me a piece of tissue. When I left, she even said, “招待不周.” But all things else, this was a good bowl of wanton mee, nothing special, but nothing amiss. Can eat.
Price: $3 / $4 (additional shredded chicken)
Pros: Super friendly service. They deliver it.
Cons: Short hours. Went on Fri, closed. A fb page is free to set up and will be useful to inform customers on days that they close.
#32. Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodle 忠于原味云吞面
30 Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru Market and Hawker Centre #02-30 Singapore 168898
10.30am-3pm, Closed Fri
Over-rated. The char siew, as most know, is from 不见天 “No See Sky” part, the armpits. It was both tender and had a bite at the same time, but tastewise, so-so. The noodles and wontons also so-so. The ingredients didn’t come together as a whole; it’s like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.
Price: $3/ $4
Pros: NA.
Cons: Queue wasn’t long and they worked fast but each person bought enough to feed a village. I guess when one queues, one should buy enough to get heart attack. If not, why queue?
Went on Monday, closed. A fb page is free to set up and will be useful to inform customers on days that they close.
#31. Xing Ji Wanton Mee 星记
Block 137 Tampines Street 11, Tampines Round Market and Food Centre #01-35 Singapore 521137
6am-1pm, closed Wed
T: +65 9822 9773
There are 2 queues here: takeaway on the left, eating here on the right. It was a long queue but they worked like factory production line, cooking in batches, so the queue moved quickly. The special thing was they used a chilli that tasted similar to sambal stingray chilli. Wontons were stodgy. (See Yummy #24.)
Price: $3/ $4/ $5
Pros: Long queue, but fast.
Cons: I went THREE times before I got a taste. The first time, the char siew was sold out at 12.45pm. The second time, on Tue, they weren’t open. A fb page is free to set up and will be useful to inform customers on days that they close.
#30. Tiong Bahru Wanton Mee 中峇鲁云吞面
50 Market St, Golden Shoe Food Centre #02-32, Singapore 048940
8am-3pm, closed weekends
Nothing to do with Zhong Yu Yuan Wei (#32) at Tiong Bahru market. This one is at Golden Shoe, and you can fare much worse than this. The specialty lies in the char siew, which tasted like the insides of nyonya zhang. But the wontons had no taste, and the noodles were drenched in an overly sweet BBQ sauce.
Price: $3/$4
Pros: Central. Long queue but swift.
Cons: Hard to find seats during lunch time. Uses plastic spoons and wooden chopsticks, kills the environment.
#29. Yap Kee 叶记全蛋云吞面
44 Holland Drive 02-04 Singapore 270044
6am-2pm
T: +65 8337 3755 / +65 9644 3265
The special thing about this wanton mee is the noodles, which has a texture similar to mee sua. Wontons were good and peppery.
Price: $3/ $4
Pros: Friendly uncle.
Cons: limited parking
#28. Soi 19 Thai Wanton Mee
Blk 151 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, 七福星咖啡 Seven Stars, Singapore 560151
T: +65 9613 3340
Facebook
7am-2pm
The char siew was so-so, the wontons tasted like siew mai, but the noodles were flavorful and had a good crunchy texture.
Price: $3.50/ $4/ $5
Pros: Plenty of seats.
Cons: More expensive than CBD’s wanton mee. Inaccessible.
#27. Tanjong Rhu Wanton Noodle 丹戎禺云吞面
Blk 4A Jalan Batu, Jalan Batu Market &Food Centre #01-35 Singapore 432004
facebook
W-Sun 7.30am-2.30pm
T:+65 9066 8262
There are 2 wanton mee stalls at this market, and this is not the famous one (see Kim Kee #42). But it tasted better. The noodles were lardy, and the fried wontons were super crunchy.
Price: $3/ $4
Pros: No queue. Parking nearby.
Cons: Inaccessible.
#26. Xin Fei Fei Wanton Mee 新飞飞云吞面
70 Zion Road, Zion Riverside Food Centre #01-06, Singapore 247792
T: +65 9187 5281
9.30am-3pm
Dunno why they called themselves New Fei Fei, but this tasted nothing like Fei Fei (#15). It was still a well rounded wanton mee, nothing unique but nothing amiss. Very lardy noodles.
Price: $3/ $4 / $5
Pros: Central location.
Cons: limited parking.
#25. Kim Huat Wanton Mee 金发云吞面
Blk 115 Bukit Merah View #01-05 Bukit Merah Market & Food Centre, Singapore 151115
6am-2.30pm
The wontons were redolent of Chinese wine, very fragrant. The lardy sauce added a boost to the noodles, but the char siew was a little lean and tough. There were too many strong flavors clashing with each other that I thought it was too excessive.
Price: $2.50/ $3
Pros: N.A.
Cons: The entire carpark was full of taxis, quite hard to find a lot.
#24. Yummy Sarawak Kolo Mee 砂捞越哥捞面
Block 137 Tampines Street 11, Tampines Round Market and Food Centre #01-45 Singapore 521137
5am-3pm
T: +65 9380 4478
The specialty of this stall is the curly noodles, tinged with a seasoning like maggi mee seasoning. And the chili (not sambal) gave the dish a refreshing taste. But the porky wontons were too salty, and the char siew was ordinary. (See Xing Ji #31)
Price: $4/$5/$6/$7
Pros: Although it costs $4, there is a number of ingredients, like braised pork ribs, two wontons, and 1 dumpling. Long queue but swift.
Cons: Soup tasted like water.
#23. Cho Kee Noodle 曹记
Blk 51 Old Airport Rd #01-04 Old Airport Rd Cooked Food Centre Singapore 390051
T: +65 9455 0963
11.30am-11.30pm, closed alternate Wed
Very lardy, with a tinge of sweetness, very delicious sauce, but ruined by limp char siew and doughy wontons. What a pity.
Price: $3/$4
Pros: No need to queue. You order, take a number, and come back when it’s your number.
Cons: ordered this earlier than Hua Kee (#9) but got it later.
#22. Sin Hoe Hin Rowell Road Dark Sauce Style Wanton Mee 罗威路新和兴台湾名廚料理古早口味云吞面
941 Upper Serangoon Road, Zhuang Yuan Eatery 莊圆美食 , Singapore 534709
8am-2.30pm, Closed Mon
A good dish may either have (1) some outstanding elements or (2) absence of bad elements. And Sin Hoe Hin belongs to the second group: everything here was good, but none was outstanding. Perhaps the best thing here was the fried wonton with a khong guan texture.
Price: $3.50 / $4.50
Pros: Big carpark diagonally across, beside Heartland mall. You order and friendly uncle delivers to your table.
Cons: NA.
#21. 51 Ming Fa Wanton Egg Noodle 明发全蛋云吞面
Blk 209 Hougang St 21, Kovan Food Centre #01-64, Singapore 530209
7am-3pm
This is the better bowl at Kovan Market (see Yi Shu Jia #55). The char siew, though dry, tasted like bak kwa. The wontons were extremely peppery and salty, hence flavorful – but lacked subtlety. The noodles were mildly sweet and mildly lardy, but when you stir the nasi-lemak-like sambal into the mix, it was sweet². I don’t know if I’d like a bowl of diabetes.
Price: $3
Pros: Friendly lady.
Cons: When I was queuing, there was only 7 people in front of me, but they took 25 minutes to reach me.
#20. Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist 山仔顶基记面家
Blk 531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre #02-48/49, Singapore 051531
T: +65 6532 2886
Facebook
M-Sat 7am-7pm, closed Sun
My love for the friendly lady taking orders may have clouded my judgement. She was so nice and friendly! What was wrong with the wanton mee was it tasted wonderful, but there was no texture. For example, the wontons tasted awesome but the fried ones weren’t crispy, and the soup ones came with broken skin. The noodles had an umami mushroom flavor, but it was doughy.
Price: $4/ $5/ $6/ $7/ $8
Pros: Super worth it. My $5 wanton mee had 8 wantons! Serves lotus soup with wanton mee. Seems like their curry chicken is rather popular too. Friendly service.
Cons: Long queue.
#19. Hoe Kee Wanton Noodle 贺记云吞面
Blk 117 Aljunied Avenue 2, Aljunied Market & Food Centre, #01-22, Singapore 380117
6.30am-12pm
I rather liked this bowl but it isn’t for everyone. The winning factor here is their subtlety, not the in-your-face kind of ferocity. The wontons were subtly fragrant, and although the noodles were alkaline, the subtle herby flavoring with the cai-po-like chilli, made this bowl good. Pity about the dry char siew. (See Guan Kee #35.)
Price: $3
Pros: Plenty of seats. Sells other kinds of noodles. Although you have to wait for some time, you order and they deliver.
Cons: N.A.
#18. Koung’s Wan Tan Mee 龚氏云吞面
205 Sims Avenue, (Geylang Lor 21a), Singapore 387506 1
T: +65 6748 0305
7.30am-9.30pm, closed Mon
No longer at Geylang lorong 3. The wontons were alright, but the magic was in the char siew, so fat and juicy. The noodles were also nice, I guess.
Price: $3.80/ $5
Pros: Long hours. Although it was a long wait, you order, take a number, take a seat, and when it’s your turn, you go collect your food. Waited 30 minutes, but since we were seated, it was fine.
Cons: Limited parking.
#17. Hong Mao Mian Jia (aka Ang Mo Wanton Mee) 红毛面家
182 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427453
7am-8pm
Can you believe it? $3.50 for 5 wontons!!! WOOHOO. The char siew was unique, not sweet but salty. The wontons were flavorful, but a tad limp. Very good noodle texture.
Price: $3.50
Pros: Plenty seats, good ambience, and polite, friendly servers. Very worth the money; 5 wontons!! Large open-air carpark across the shop.
Cons: NA.
#16. Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Mee 如切啊发云吞面
271 Onan Road, Dunman Food Centre, #01-05, Singapore 424768
7am-4pm, close Mon
Very lardy noodles that were salty, not sweet. The chilli might be overly spicy, but the wontons were flavorful.
Price: $3
Pros: N.A.
Cons: Strange queuing system. You get a tag and wait for them to call you, and when it’s your turn, you order and wait. Limited parking.
#15. Fei Fei Wan Tan Mee 飞飞云吞面
72 Joo Chiat Pl Singapore 427789
T: +65 9831 0138
24 Hours
The noodles had a great lardy flavor and looked special (la mian?), but it was undercooked; the strands stuck together and were hard. The delicious soup wontons had a herby, fennel-like taste, and the fried wontons were even better, tasting like the child of Old Chang Kee and KFC. A pity they weren’t crispy. Overall, the wanton mee here was savory, not sweet, different from elsewhere.
Price: $4/$5
Pros: Only 24-hour wanton mee in Singapore. Serves other dishes like a good Hakka niang tofu ($6.50). Plenty of seats. Clean.
Cons: Limited roadside parking.
#14. Chang Shun Chuan Tong Tan Shao Shao La 长顺传统炭烧烧腊
120 Neil Road, Henly Huat Drinks Food Court 兴利发 Singapore 088855
Surprisingly good. The char siew had the right balance of sweetness and smokiness, the wontons big, firm, and peppery, and the sauce sweet.
Price: $3
Pros: They sell roast duck and sio bak too. Polite server.
Cons: NA.
#13. Hong Chong Wanton Noodles 鸿昌云吞面
Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, Ang Mo Kio Food Centre #01-21 Singapore 560727
8.30am-7pm
Really a good solid bowl of wanton mee. The kind of char siew that was tender (not crispy) and had a mildly sweet taste. The noodles might be slightly over salted, but I liked heavy handed stuff. (See Zhou Ji #45.)
Price: $2.50
Pros: Sells other noodles; saw people ordering 鸡丝面. Affordable. Plenty of seats.
Cons: NA.
#12. Foong Kee Coffee Shop 丰记
6 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089114
11am-8pm, Closed Sun & PH
(See previous review)
This was better than I remembered. The char siew had a good balance of fats and meat, tender with a bite. The wontons were like those my amateur mother makes–with lots of crunchy water chestnut. If you add the chilli, the noodles became Thai-like, tangy and sweet.
Price: $3
Pros: Inexpensive can drinks at $1. They deliver to your table. Plenty of seats.
Cons: Limited parking.
#11. Fei Zai Xiang Shao Lai Wanton Mee 肥仔祥烧腊云吞面
Blk 85 Redhill Lane, Redhill Food Centre #01-91, Singapore 150085
10.30am-10.30pm
There was magic in the char siew. Despite cutting along the grain, it was still tender, sweet to a point that it tasted like Milo. But somehow the char siew overshadowed all the other ingredients that I couldn’t remember how the rest tasted like.
Price: $3 (for wanton mee). I ordered all 3 meat on noodles ($7) and an additional wanton soup ($3).
Pros: They sell roasted duck and sio bak (roasted pork belly), but they weren’t good. Near parking. Friendly auntie.
Cons: N. A.
#10. Huang Ji Wanton Mee 黄记云吞面 (also known as Wong Kee Noodle)
118 Depot Lane, Yue Hua Eating House 悦华 Singapore 109754
T: +65 8696 9822
7am-2pm, Closed sun
4 other outlets at Maxwell Food Centre, Blk 266 Compassvale Bow Coffeeshop, Fernvale Point, etc.
Welcome to the future of wanton mee. According to unreliable online sources, the hawker father passed the recipe to his daughter, who was a former banker. She has not only expanded the business to 5 shops now, she also differentiates her products from other shops’: gave kailan, not the usual caixin; has tomato- or spinach-flavored noodles; and gave a dumpling with 2 meaty and tasty wontons. This Version 2.0 wanton mee, coupled with an old-school charred char siew, and an old-school well-balanced sauce, would please young people. While other stalls have one outstanding element, Huang Ji had no outstanding element, but the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
Price: $3.30 (normal noodles)/ $4 (spinach noodles or tomato noodles)
Pros: Bigger and more sensible portions than other wanton mees. Gave a dumpling with wontons.
Cons: May lose a sense of personal touch. Too commercialized.
#9. Hua Kee Hougang Famous Wan Ton Mee 华记后港祖传驰名云吞面
Blk 51 Old Airport Rd, #01-02 Old Airport Rd Cooked Food Centre Singapore 390051
T: +65 9620 1543
10am-10pm, closed alternate Tue
(See previous review)
The gruff auntie has been replaced by a young sweet girl, so service has improved drastically. Salty wontons, ordinary char siew, but the secret weapon, chili, made everything taste smokey and bonded the ingredients. The noodles were eggy and delicious.
Price: $3.50/$4/$5
Pros: friendly service. Long queue but fast.
Cons: N.A.
#8. Fei Fei Roasted Noodle 肥肥烧腊云吞面
Blk 254 Jurong East St 24, Yuhua Village Market & Food Centre #01-28, Singapore 600254
8am-2pm, Closed Tues
Not to be confused with Fei Fei (meaning FLY FLY #15), this Fei Fei means FAT FAT. I visited THREE times before I ate it. The first time, I arrived at 12.40pm and it was sold out. The second time, there were 9 people in front of me. I waited for 30 minutes and there were still 7 people in front of me. Many regulars cut queue and the owners let them. I couldn’t wait because I had to work, so I left. I only got to eat on the 3rd attempt… and it was worth it! Quite marvellous. The char siew was sweet, with a good balance. Although the noodles had an alkaline taste, the wontons had a good kind of liquorice-like aroma that masked the alkaline.
On the 3rd time I was there, I eavesdropped on a couple behind me:
Girl: How many plates are we buying?
Boy: 2 lor. Just you and me what.
Girl: Har?! We queue so long only buy 2?
Price: $3
Pros: N. A.
Cons: Regulars cut queue. Not long queue but wait long long. Inaccessible.
#7. Eng’s Noodles House 荣高
287 Tanjong Katong Road Singapore 437070
T: +65 8688 2727
Facebook
11am-9pm, closed alternate Mon
This was kolo mee noodles in a complex sauce, lardy, salty with a sweet aftertaste. But might be too greasy. The soup wontons were so different from others; was it 5-spice powder we tasted? Although the fried wontons weren’t hot anymore, they were super tasty.
Price: $4.50 ／ $5.50
Pros: Chilli by the bottle so you add yourself. There is a queue to sit, but it goes fast. You order at the counter, which is good and convenient. Seaweed soup.
Cons: There is a big carpark at the back but many people drive here. Rather expensive. Crowded
#6. Lucky Wanton Noodle 好彩云吞面
Blk 6 Tanjong Pagar Road, Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre #02-32 Singapore 081006
7am-7pm
Lucky Wanton Mee gives a middle-finger to heart attack; everything here was greasy, hence delicious. The Malaysian-styled black sauce was surprisingly bland and bitter, counterbalanced by sweet, bak-kwa-like, fatty char siew, and crisp-like-chips wontons. Taken as a whole, there was harmony in being excessive.
Price: $3 (soup wonton)/ $3.50 (soup and fried wontons)
Pros: Convenient. Affordable. Friendly auntie.
Cons: Queue wasn’t long, but took a long time.
#5. Da Jie Famous Wanton Noodle 大姐云吞面
209 Jalan Besar, Sin Yew Huat Eating House 新友发茶室 Singapore 208895
T: +65 9667 0087
7am-2pm, Closed Sun & PH
The first time I came here was on the 6th day of CNY. They closed until the 15th day. A fb page is free to set up and will be useful to inform customers on days that they close. The noodles looked tough but when I bit into it, it was slippery as if coated with a layer of oil, delicious, delicious oil. Gave me a pleasant surprise. The char siew was soft and fat, tinged with Chinese wine, but the soup wontons needed improvement.
Price: $3
Pros: Very generous. Came with chicken feet, soup and fried wontons, and a mushroom. You order, take a number, and they deliver it to you. Very friendly people.
Cons: Limited parking.
#4. Red Ring Wanton Mee 红环云吞面
Blk 46 Holland Drive, Singapore 270046
8.30am-7.30pm, closed Tues
A gorgeous bowl of wanton mee. Noodles as if they are handmade la mian, really fragrant wontons, and char siew without the bright red artificial coloring. The char siew had a good balance of fats and meat and tasted umami.
Price: $3.50/ $4.50
Pros: friendly uncle.
Cons: limited parking.
#3. Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Mee 杜佛路佳记云吞面
Blk 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1, Alexandra Village Food Centre #01-09 Singapore 150120
What a winner. The sauce was savory, not sweet, which complimented the wontons, heavy with Chinese wine. Old school style.
Price: $2.50 / $3
pros: affordable.
cons: limited parking.
#2. Hong Ji Mian Shi Jia 鸿记面食家
79 Telok Blangah Drive, Telok Blangah Drive Food Centre #01-05, Singapore 100079
7am-7pm, Closed Fri
This is a good one. The char siew wasn’t tender, but had a nice bite and not overly sweet, complementing the noodles. The noodles were a little hard for me, but rather fragrant. The chili wasn’t overpowering, adding dimensions to the dish, making it well-rounded and balanced. Umami!
Price: $3/$4
Pros: Freeflow lard.
Cons: Inaccessible.
#1. Kok Kee Wanton Noodle 国记云吞面
27 Foch Road, Lavender Food Hub Level 1, Hoa Nam Building 河南大厦 Singapore 209264
T: +65 9797 9299
12.30pm-sold out (about 3pm), closed Wed, and every 3rd Th
Yes, the char siew was lean and tough, but when soaked in the special sauce, they were perfect like Brad and Angelina. The sauce was sticky, sweet, with a slight salty aftertaste–very distinctive. Wontons weren’t those nonsense-anyhow-hantum-put-lots-of-chinese-wine kind; they were fragrant, flavorful, and well-balanced. The sour chilli helped the complexity, and the noodles were more soggy than others, which I liked.
Price: $4.50/ $5.50/ $6.50
Pros: NA.
Cons: Slightly more expensive than others. Very short hours. Limited parking.
In Conclusion…
1. All top 3 are old-school wanton mees with subtle flavors, but if you like heavy-handed wanton mees, go for Da Jie #5 and Lucky #6.
2. I don’t mind eating wanton mee from Kok Kee #1 to Nam Seng #44.
Best Fried Wonton (in no particular order)
Amigo (#46)
Eng’s Noodle House (#7)
Fei Fei (#15)
Lucky (#6)
Best Soup Wonton (in no order)
BaaMee (#48)
Eng’s Noodle House (#7)
Fei Fei (#15)
Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Mee (#16)
Kim Huat (#25)
Kok Kee (#1)
Koka (#36)
Best Char Siew
Fei Zai Xiang (#11)
Foon’s (#37)
Foong Kee (#12)
Koung’s (#18)
Lucky (#6)
Red Ring (#4)
Tiong Bahru (#30)
Zhong Yu Yuan Wei (#32)
Best Noodles
Cho Kee (#23)
Da Jie (#5)
Eng’s (#7)
Fei Fei (#15)
Hua Kee (#9)
Ji Ji (#20)
Kok Kee (#1)
Poh Kee (#49)
Red Ring (#4)
Soi 19 (#28)
Special Mention
Tai Seng (#40) – its generosity is unparalleled. 8 wontons, a mountain of char siew, at only $3. Whether it is delicious or not, it’s no longer relevant.
Best Wanton Mee in Singapore (in Ranking)
#1. Kok Kee (Foch Road)
#2. Hong Ji Mian Shi Jia (Telok Blangah)
#3. Dover Rd Kai Kee (Alexandra Village)
#4. Red Ring (Holland Dr)
#5. Da Jie (Jalan Besar)
#6. Lucky (Tanjong Pagar)
#7. Eng’s (Tanjong Katong)
#8. Fei Fei (Jurong East)
#9. Hua Kee (Old Airport Rd)
#10. Huang Ji (multiple locations)
For your convenience, I’ve created a map: Best Wanton Mee in Singapore. The color codes:
Red: Breakfast &/or Lunch
Blue: Dinner &/or Supper
Maize: Brunch to Dinner
Purple: 24 hours
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Written by A. Nathanael Ho.
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