Lao Di Fang

Chanced upon the Facebook page of Lao Di Fang 老地方 one day whilst scrolling through social media — while they are fairly new set-up at High Park Residences which is located a stone’s throw away from Thanggam LRT Station on the Sengkang LRT (West Loop), Lao Di Fang is actually an establishment by the same folks behind the now-defunct Tong Shun 東順 that was previously located at Jalan Kayu; an establishment which was pretty impressed with their roast meats and the Salt & Pepper Tofu when we made our trip there back then. Moving away from communal plates and zichar offerings that made up the menu of Tong Shun previously, Lao Di Fang’s focus seems to be more towards noodle and rice offerings that cater to a single diner — think individually-sized items such as the Curry Ngoh Huang Koka Noodle, San Lou Hor Fun, Salted Egg Pork Rice, Luncheon Meat Fried Rice etc.; just to name a few. Other offerings include porridge, such as the Trio Egg Porridge, Prawn Porridge, Sliced Beef Porridge etc. — some sharing plates listed on the menu are the Salt & Pepper Chicken Cutlet, Black Pepper Beef and Stir-fried Kailan. Beverages available at Lao Di Fang includes Ipoh Iced Coffee, hot green tea, hot Chinese tea and canned drinks.

We recalled how we loved the Char Siew during our visit to Tong Shun previously — that is how we found ourselves going for the Char Siew Koka Noodle at Lao Di Fang this time round despite contemplating to go for other items including the Salted Egg Pork Rice and the Curry Ngoh Hiang Koka Noodle initially. The Char Siew Koka Noodle is a fairly simple affair here — sliced Char Siew served atop a bed of Koka Noodle that has been tossed in a dark sauce whilst accompanied with blanched greens and fried shallots. Whilst we did recall that the Char Siew served at Tong Shun is of the Malaysian-style sort being all fatty and glistening from the glaze, the cut of the Char Siew used for the same found in the Char Siew Koka Noodle at Lao Di Fang is not quite as fatty; does give some bite though the glaze is still quite as thick, dense and sweet as what we had expected. Giving the noodles a good toss, we liked how the dark sauce provided a good sweet-savoury note; all that while the noodles were springy with a nice chew — we initially thought that it was to come with instant noodles (since it mentioned Koka) — turns out that the noodles served were almost akin to a less broad, but slightly thicker version of Mee Pok; one that we found to be really delicious. The balanced greens provided a refreshing crunch where all the meat and noodles get a little overbearing; liked how there wasn’t any undesirable bitter aftertaste, while the fried shallots provided a crispness for a bit of variance of texture. A simple eat that we found to be pretty enjoyable overall.

Thought Lao Di Fang is quite a great destination for those within the immediate vicinity — the lack of dining options around Thanggam LRT Station does make Lao Di Fang an especially attractive option for those staying within neighbourhood to settle their meals at. Prices of the food here are kept pretty affordable — individual portions of rice and noodles are priced below $9; not exactly the cheapest but still rather reasonable considering how they are located within the premises of a condominium. The quality of food here also makes them a pretty value-for-money option; a spot that one can also head to so as to satisfy some cravings for delicious Malaysian fare. Glad that Lao Di Fang still managed to stay rather consistent in their quality from their days of being Tong Shun previously; somewhere which we would not mind dining at if within the Sengkang neighbourhood!