I made a trip to Toa Payoh Palm Spring Market at 93 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, a relatively small and cosy neighbourhood food centre that often gets overshadowed by the more famous Toa Payoh hawker centres. But there are some interesting stalls here, and I decided to try three of them on this visit.
My first stop was Ping Xiang Wanton Mee (#01-46), run by a friendly husband-and-wife team from Ipoh. The lady was especially chatty and welcoming, happily chatting with customers while managing the stall. I arrived around 11am and was actually in the queue when they were down to the last few dishes they could cook.
I ordered the small Wanton Mee for $4.50. The springy noodles came with lean char siew, but because they were closing and had run out of wantons, the wife kindly asked whether can add mushrooms and shredded chicken. Together with a bowl of soup, I enjoyed the Malaysian-style darker soy sauce, which was robust without being overly salty. The noodles soaked up the sauce beautifully, making this a very satisfying bowl.
Next was Tea Inn Bak Kut Teh (#01-33), a young hawker's take on Malaysian-style herbal BKT. The $6.50 claypot herbal Bak Kut Teh came with pork ribs, enoki mushrooms and beancurd skin in a dark, aromatic herbal broth.
I have always enjoyed Bak Kut Teh, but unfortunately, the pork ribs were not tender enough for my liking. They had a texture that reminded me of previously frozen and thawed pork, which took away some of the enjoyment despite the fragrant soup.
Finally, I tried the French loaf kaya toast set from 99 Coffee Roti (#01-41) for $3.60. This was a pleasant surprise — crispy on the outside, moist inside, and generously spread with delicious kaya and butter.
Three stalls, three different experiences, but together they made for an interesting morning exploring another corner of Toa Payoh's hawker scene.
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