Fishball Mee Pok
Fish ball is in my memory ever since I first ate them as a child in primary school and we are still eating them now. I am sure many of you love fish ball especially in a soup or served with noodles, vermicelli, etc.
A good friend in lower primary who was my classmate by the name of Watt Poh recommended that I must try the dry version of the fish ball noodle at the "tuck shop" (canteen - I think even in Singapore today they don't call it tuck shop anymore). Watt Poh always seemed to have more money than anyone else but he was a generous boy and the version he recommended was $0.50c per bowl when the normal one was $0.30c. Sometimes, he would topped up the difference so we could enjoy it with him and he taught us that once we finished the dry noodles, we should go back to the noodle and ask them to fill our bowl with delicious ikan bilis (anchovies) soup. When everyone was using six or twelve colours "Staedtler" colour pencils, this boy was using some exotic 36 colours Japanese ones!
Later, another classmate and good friend - Choon Nan brought me all the way to Jalan Tenteram for Laksa, a version which he thought was the best. I was transported to a different world of high rise HDB flats. It was a time where most women were housewives (today they are called homemakers). So the afternoon and evening air was always filled with aroma of a great variety of food smell from boiled soup to fried fish that filtered through every home and corridors. He has even brought me to his home for lunch and would fight some spiders with the neighbourhood kids. Watt Poh (Brian, that's you if you happen to read this) and Choon Nan, in case you are reading this, thanks for the memories.
Fish ball noodle was introduced to me at home. During those days, the infrastructure and transport facilities were not there and people were not as mobile. So when you don't go out to eat, the fish ball noodles sellers came to you. How? They set up stall at a suitable place and the hawker sent his helpers on foot touring the vicinity by knocking on two pieces of bamboo making loud noises as they walked. They only stopped to take orders when people came out of their homes to place orders. They will then deliver your bowl of hot noodles to your doorstep while people were either lazing away, playing mahjong or listening to Lei Dai Sor telling his stories on Rediffusion. Watch the Tok-Tok Noodle man:
Today's many fish ball noodle stalls leave much to be desired. Most are commercial and supplies are from the same factories. Machines don't have passion, only people do. By and large, there are still the last of the Mohicans left. I found one at Queenstreet where customers would also buy take away fish and meat balls. Then I chanced upon one as recommended by my parents.
Nestled along Upper Serangoon Road and near the junction of Sunshine Terrace, a shop all on its own with road side parking if you drive. So convenient. The test of the pie is in the tasting.
An old shop house with sprawling space inside and a couple of tables outside.
Fish ball noodle is a very easy food to eat and a Singaporean favourite. Many people I know swear by their dry "mee-pok".
Two large fish balls and a large meatball, a tau pok with fish paste in it and a "her keow". There is something special about the quality of the fish ball and all the ingredients here. They are not salty, very bouncy and you can taste that they were made differently with just one bite.
Of course, you can have your bee hoon, kway teow, mee kia, sek mee and whatever you fancy in soup or dry but to me there are not many out there that can make a good mee pok. They are too often soggy due to overcook or hard and undercooked if not the quality of the mee pok shows up. Not here. The mee pok dry is perfectly cooked such that the texture of the noodle is consistent throughout the time taken to finish your meal and I have been there quite a few times to ascertain to it has been consistent each time I went there. The other thing that make a break a dry noodle is the quality of the chili paste. This one is fabulous!
They have a soya bean machine that churns out more than a decent cold soya bean drink.
And yes, the Kopi-O is good. Washing it down after your mee pok dry can power you for the rest of the day or night.
During the times I have eaten there, there was a lingering feeling that I knew this mee pok and fish ball like "deja vu" but each time I could not put a finger to it. Places and food can sometimes be like a friend (male or female) or a long lost friend. You haven't seen them for awhile, perhaps they have relocated or somehow disappeared from your radar. Then suddenly, you see traces and patterns appearing of that person which makes you wonder if this person has been back because you knew that person and was close for a very long time.
On my last visit, I discovered the truth. I saw a man I thought I knew sitting outside the shop. He is a big man, still good looking and strong despite his age except that mock of grey hair. He must have been in his thirties when I was a teenager. He and his younger brother manned a stall at Toa Payoh Lorong 5 running two stoves at the same time feeding a continuous queue of hungry people every night. If I remember correctly, they were already driving Mercedes Benz and BMW those days but these guys were tough and passionate. You would see them grinding their fish balls in the day and work till way late.
I called up to him and I said I remembered him. He was pleased and told us briefly where he has moved around and how things have changed and how he finally landed here. Now his son is running the stall. He also reminisced on how time flies. "jeok mare hor" meaning how quickly time has moved on in Teochew.
Finally, one of the best things about the stall is that it is open from 4pm to 4am everyday. This means that if you do not know what to eat for dinner, you want something light, traditional, authentic and delicious, you need supper or you are out late and feeling hungry, this would be a great place to be. The service is quick just like how the old man did it in the old days - "jeok mare".
Each time I eat there, my childhood memory keeps flooding back - connected to the humble fish ball.
Comments