Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon Some might be able to recall us having a penchant for Heng Hwa cuisine from our previous postings of several Putien / Heng Hwa-style eateries all across the island — so imagine the excitement when we learnt about the opening of a new stall named 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine that had just opened its doors at Lao Pa Sat. Located at one of the corners of the market that faces inwards, it seems that 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine is actually concept that is run by their equally-new neighbour; a stall named Lobster King Ramen that serves up Japanese Ramen with various choices of meat and seafood. Both stalls actually share the same counter — patrons whom intend to dine from Lobster King Ramen would also have to make their order at 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine; do note to quote the item that one intends to order as the numbering of the menu items are repeated across both establishments. One can find a mini write-up about the brand history of 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine that is situated right behind a counter — it mentions that a certain Chef Gao is the man behind the brand; his motivation in staring a business in F&B coming from his mum whom mentions about his interest and talent in cooking, and that Putian fare is what he have had during his childhood. While some food court stalls serving up Putian-style cuisine offers quite a wide variety of items on the menu, 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine boasts of a slightly compact menu that is well-positioned to appeal to office crowds that prefers more fuss-free experience. Individually-portioned dishes available at 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine include the Heng Hwa Signature Mee Sua and Red Wine Sausage and Scallops Cabbage Fried Rice; just to name a few, though patrons are still able to find communal dishes like the Shredded Pork with Golden Sesame Bun, Pu Tian Sweet Lychee Pork and the Crispy Wang Wang Yam here as well.
The Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon from 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine comes in only one size; at $7.80, the Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon from 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine is also one that is priced slightly on the higher side. Their rendition of the dish come with all the usual suspects — think rice vermicelli that has been wok-fried in a seafood broth that has pretty much been reduced all the way down and absorbed by the rice vermicelli; the dish also comes with mushrooms, clams, cabbage, prawn, nibs of tofu puff and peanuts. Truth to be told, the rendition of the Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon at 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine was one that we found a bit less spectacular than that we have had from other establishments before — whilst the “rice-y”notes of the rice vermicelli was prominent, the lightly umami notes from the reduction of the broth was a little mild; one that we felt was a little too clean for our liking despite the light-tasting nature of the dish. That being said, they seem to be pretty generous with the portion of the rice vermicelli for the price here — the portion size is not only substantial, but it does come with quite a good portion of cabbage that carried a soft crunch (not a fan of its slightly bitter undertone though). Clams were decent; we did not notice any undesirable grits of sand that laced the rice vermicelli, while the shrimp did carry a good bite with a natural sweetness. The lack of dried seaweed did seem a little obvious here since the flavours of the dish is generally on the lighter side — the addition might have added an umami note and a light and crisp texture that provided some contrast both in terms of flavour and texture. That being said, the chili that is being provided on the side gives it a quick fix; the chili being all zippy and tangy and gives a good contrast of flavours that packs a punch — tickles the taste buds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. We would say that the Heng Hwa Fried White Bee Hoon from 天妃莆田（兴化）卤面馆 Putian Heng Hwa Cuisine isn’t quite the most memorable, but we are glad that such an option for Putien / Heng Hua cuisine is finally an option available in the Central Business District. Looking forward to an opportunity to give the Crispy Wang Wang Yam a go soon!
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