Here’s another stall that had opened its doors at Chinatown Complex Food Centre towards the end of December 2024 — New Hope Noodles 新望云吞面 is likely the last new stall to have moved into the said food centre in 2024., though being situated in the green zone of Chinatown Complex Food Centre that sees slightly lower footfall as compared to the other areas within the food centre. What really caught our attention about New Hope Noodles when we were casually passing by them would probably be their retro-looking signage with flashing LED lights that borders around both the signage and the menu board. Whilst not stated so in their English namesake, New Hope Noodles’ chinese namesake does suggest that they are a Wanton Noodle-centric stall; as such, the menu at New Hope Noodles is pretty simple — comprises of Wanton Noodles in both soup and dry formats, as well as Wanton Soup.

We went for our usual order of the dry variant of the Wanton Noodles which we tend to order when we visit an establishment that specialises in Wanton Noodles — we did overhear the conversation between the folks running the stall and a subsequent patron that these folks actually do make their very own Char Siew, Noodles and the Wanton for their offerings. As one would expect, the bowl of noodles at New Hope Noodles features some shreds of greens and Char Siew – we had also opted for our order of the Wanton Noodle (Dry) to come spicy, while the wantons come swimming in a bowl of soup that came on the side. The highlight for us when it comes to the Wanton Noodle (Dry) from New Hope Noodles was actually in its noodles — the noodles here are incredibly qq with a firm bite; definitely a world of difference from the standard Mee Kia that most stalls would choose to serve their Wanton Mee with. The smoky and savoury old-school chili clings onto the strands of noodles, providing the noodles with a bit of a kick of spiciness that should do well even for those whom are tolerable to slightly lesser than moderate levels of spiciness. The wantons here are generously-packed as well; considering how small the wantons at most other establishments are, the wantons can be described as more like dumplings — these were easy to chew through but still keeping to that firmness that one would expect, while the meat does seem seasoned so that there isn’t any undesirable porky stench that comes along with it beneath the silky smooth dumpling wrapper. It is also noted that each bowl of Wanton Noodle (Dry) does come with three (3) pieces of wantons as well.

Less impressive to us would be the Char Siew; these were the variant that comes with red dye around the borders and being very lean pieces that were sliced paper-thin — we would have preferred something that is sliced a little thicker with a fattier cut that would provide more bite and flavour. Overall, New Hope Noodles does present themselves as a rather promising new entrant into Chinatown Complex Food Centre; their wanton noodles with the use of their very own noodles does make their offering stand out from what the other establishments within the same food centre has to offer — this is not to mention the size of their wantons which can be said as pretty generous and delicious as well. That being said, we do wish that they could relook into serving up their fare in smaller bowls / plates since the large bowls used at New Hope Noodles does make the portions of their wanton noodles look a little small; also probably hoping that they can refine on the Char Siew that would accompany the Wanton Noodle (Dry). Still, a pretty affordable eat at Chinatown Complex Food Centre considering how the Wanton Noodle (Dry) is priced at $4, though the location of the stall within the food centre would probably be a challenge for these folks given the high turnover of stalls situated in the same zone in recent times …