Tender Me Hearty Beef Noodle - Hong Heng Beef Noodle Soup & Katong Laksa

I'm meeting my long time friend who staying near Ang Mo Kio for brief get together at the same time to taste the self proclaimed "Beef Noodle King"(Link) Hong Heng Beef Noodle Soup & Katong Laksa. I met my friend at the AMK Hub - CitiBank ATM and proceed to walk to Hong Heng. The journey took us about 20 minutes as it located at deeper part of Ang Mo Kio Ave 3. 

Upon reaching the coffee shop at Block 233, we are quite surprise it is bustling with customer chowing down bowls of beef noodles. We are fortunately to find tables not fully occupied and I proceed to queue and order 1 dry beef kway tiao and 1 beef ball soup with rice ($9.50 for both) while my friend chop the table. The queue isn't that long as the stall attendant work fast in cooking the beef noodles.

 

The wait isn't long before my order came. I'm having Dry Beef Kway Tiao that comes with a bowl of beef soup and chinchalok chili. First, I tried the beef soup and it is on par with Hock Lum & Zheng Yi in the degree of beefiness. The only difference is the herbs used in making the soup. Hong Heng's beef soup is the best I drank so far as it isn't too salty or overladen with soya sauce and you can go for second and third if you stomach allows you.

The same cannot apply to the dry beef kway tiao gravy as it is too starchy and you can't even taste the beefy goodness in it at all. However, the serving is very generous as the owner clearly doesn't believe in profit from skimping on the essential ingredient that make up a good bowl of beef noodle - soup that pack a punch & generous amount of tender beef slices. The beef slices were cooked just right and tender me hearty kudos to the stall attendant. It will be money worth if not for the starchy gravy that spoil it. The chinchalok chili doesn't amaze me much if compared to Zheng Yi. Avoid the dry version at all cost, go for the wet version if you happen to drop by there.

I took a photo of the beef balls soup that I ordered for him. From his standpoint, he agreed with me Hong Heng's beef soup do pack more punch among those he tried. The beef balls doesn't have the overpowering gamey taste that is inherent to others he had tried. Although I do not eat beef balls that much other than those sold in supermarket, I agreed with him on this after he offered to one for me to try. This trip is worthwhile if not for the gooey beef gravy.

Zheng Yi Hainanese Beef Noodle

I used to work at Siemen Pte Ltd for a period of time. Zheng Yi Hainanese Beef Noodle is one of the best tasting Beef noodle I ever tasted. It is a located in a nondescript "Kopitiam" at  intersection between Macpherson Road & Tai Thong Crescent. Even now, if I happen to pass by that area on business (because I don't own a car) I always made the effort to reserve tummy space for a bowl of rich beef noodles. The photo here is taken last year when I happen to pass by when I sending a faulty hard disk for RMA and it high time I should give the photo I took due credit.

Zheng Yi's Beef noodle retail from $4 to $6 and and you can customise which beef part (stomach,intestine,cartilage) or just the meat itself. You don't see this kind of offering in famous beef noodles in Katong or Odeon beef noodle. Similar to other beef noodles, you have the option of dry or version with either noodles or rice flat noodles(kwaytiao). The dry version is basically the wet version whereby it was thicken and additional dark soya sauce is added to darken it.

My personal preference is the dry version as you can better savour the beefy rich sauce as its cling on the noodle better. Despite that, you won't find the Zheng Yi's dry version too starchy like Odeon or Scott. Zheng Yi's dry version also doesn't have overpowering dark soya sauce that is very predominant in the common Beef Noodle staff. Zheng Yi doesn't overcook the beef slice like common beef noodles stall which is plus as I don't like overcook beef. The chilli served together is special belachan chili that really blend well with the noodle and being a chilli fanatic I always add it into the noodle for additional spiciness.

The dry version of the noodle is also served with a bowl of beef soup as a side. This beef soup is the best beef soup I ever tasted as its very rich with a tinge of herbs giving you "power" when you drink it. The attributing factor of it richness is due to assortment of beef parts use to made the soup and the soup gets better when you have it near to the stall closure.

Another worthy must try is Zheng Yi's wet version as the noodles is serve with the concentrated beefy soup that was serve as a side in the dry version. Zheng Yi's beef soup is comparable to Viet's beef pho soup with slight variant in the herb use to concoct the soup.The ideal time to eat this beef noodle is during rainy season as the richness can simply warm your heart or rejuvenate your tired soul. For those beef noodle lovers who haven't try it, it is a die die must try.