Kok Kee Wanton Noodle @ Jurong West 505 Market & Food Centre

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Update: Kok Kee Wanton Noodle has rebranded as Wai Kee Wanton Noodle.

I have long heard of the notoriety of Kok Kee Wanton Noodle from the now-defunct Lavender Food Square that overcharges for its small portions however, I have heard even more regarding its grumpy elderly owners who had offended quite a bit of customers (go snoop around the food forums and you'll see what I mean).

Yet, despite the less than favorable reputation, the stall still attract quite a queue daily.

Meanwhile, over at Jurong West 505 Market & Food Centre, there is a wanton noodle stall bearing the same name (also claiming to be from Bugis), charging the same higher-than-usual price, and does not serve green pickled chili just like the one at Lavender.

There were rumors that the young couple running this stall were the nephew and niece of the older couple who had since retired.

I cannot vouch for the authenticity of this information but, I am still very excited to try a plate of this "legendary" wanton noodle that I have heard so much about.

The noodle are available in two different sizes at $3 and $4. This is undoubtedly more expensive than other wanton noodle where the price usually start from $2.50. I decided to go for the $4 portion since they are reputed for their small portions.

When my order is ready, the stall helper brought it out and put it on a tray ready for my collection but the other lady inside (presumably the 'niece') hastily took it back and removed the 2-3 wantons from my plate while leaving the ones in the bowl of soup untouched. The first thought that come to my mind is why did she take back the wantons?

Once I got to my table, I did a 'headcount' of the wantons straightaway and is miffed to see only two boiled wantons in my $4 wanton noodle. Honestly, I am quite shocked!

I wonder how many wantons does the $3 serving have then? This is my first time having Kok Kee so I have absolutely no idea.

As for their paper-thin char siew, it is the very kind I abhor; boiled and dyed red instead of being roasted in a vat.

I am not too anal about char siew as I have long resigned myself to the fate of having yucky char siew in my wanton noodle.

This is why sometimes when I eat wanton noodle, I will simply request for no char siew at all.

It seems nothing good is coming out of this review thus far but let's not get too hasty.

On the contrary to what I read online, I am surprised that the portion of the noodle is quite generous (refer to first photo) and definitely good enough for two to share. I suppose the difference between the $3 and $4 version is the $1 worth of extra noodle without addition of ingredients (加面不加料).

The noodles they used are slightly thicker than the usual mee kia (thin noodle) which comes with a slight alkaline smell although it is barely noticeable.

The saving grace is that the noodles are delightfully springy and goes great with the excellent sauce doused over it.

It has this ketchup-ish flavor which reminds me of my favorite childhood wanton noodle that is sadly no longer around. This is strange because I did not see any ketchup other than the chili and the clear sauce in my noodle right before tossing.

After trying it for myself, I can see why there are people who have a love-hate relationship with Kok Kee.

In conclusion, I have to admit that I do like the taste of Kok Kee Wanton Noodle but for that price with only two miserable wantons, I would say there are better options out there at a much friendlier price.