Wei Yi Laksa @ Tanglin Halt Market

This week, I am checking out Tanglin Halt Market where a row of hawker stalls share the same building as the wet market.

Some of the hawker stalls here open for business as early as 5am and Wei Yi Laksa & Prawn Noodle is one of them. I thought that there would not be much of a crowd when I arrived at 6 in the morning however, there are already a number of retirees starting their day over a cup of coffee and laksa.

At that ungodly hour, a line has already formed in front of the stall and I am number six in the queue.

As its name suggests, the stall sells both laksa and prawn noodle although they are more popular for the former. For the laksa, you can select from six different combinations of chicken, prawns, cockles and tau pok.

Too bad there isn't any option without tau pok since I am not too fond of it.

I decided to go for option number 5 ($5) that consisted of everything they have but, there was a mixed up and I received option number 6 which came without prawns.

On top of my thick rice bee hoon sits a generous serving of ingredients. From the various reviews I read online that claimed this as their wei yi (only one) laksa, I actually had high expectations for this one.

As I placed the bowl in front of me, I could not resist and had a piece of the chicken meat first. I like how the meat are in chunks and not shreds.

Sadly, this is where the positivity of this review ends.

I had a mouthful of the thick rice bee hoon but it is stiffer than al dente. Perhaps, it have not been cooked long enough as it wasn't slurp-worthy at all.

Also, the broth is too salty for my liking. Most of the time, I literally lick the bowl dry when I have laksa but I am unable to finish this due to the saltiness.

The tau pok's texture is rather firm so people who like it that way will like it. Personally, I prefer my tau pok softer. One possibility is that they have not simmered long enough in the cauldron of laksa gravy.

And, I could not stress this enough. Cockles do not taste good if they are well-cooked!

For me, this is a rather disappointing bowl of laksa hence I am bewildered by its popularity. Perhaps I have come on a bad day or am I missing something here?