The Dead Cockroach: Wei Jia Ban Mian Fish Soup - Chicken Cutlet Noodle @ Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3

singapore,blk 443 clementi ave 3,food review,coffee shop,味家板面鱼汤,chicken cutlet noodle,wei jia ban mian fish soup,鸡扒面,

Wei Jia Ban Mian Fish Soup is located inside the same coffee shop as Wan Jia Xiao Guan Zi at Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3 behind Clementi Mall. In case you are wondering, no, the two stalls are unrelated.

The stall offer variations of handmade noodle such as ban mian, u mian, mee hoon kway, koka noodle, ee-mee, bee hoon/mee sua, tom yum noodle, dumpling soup, dumpling noodle dry/soup, qq noodle, chicken/pork cutlet noodle, kimchi noodle, steamed dumpling and fried dumpling.

Strangely, there is no sign of fish soup on the menu. Perhaps they used to serve it but not anymore? Or maybe it is a off-the-menu item which you have to ask for?

I do not have the answer.

From my title, it is a no-brainer that I have come for the chicken cutlet noodle ($4.50). This is basically a bowl of dry tossed noodle served with deep fried chicken cutlet.

Be forewarned that there is roughly a ten minutes wait as the chicken was deep fried upon ordering. I could only watch the customers after me leave the line with their bowls of normal ban mian as I stood there waiting for my order.

But, the wait was worth it.

What is there not to like about freshly fried chicken that is tender and well-seasoned?

Dredged in flour and fried to a crisp, the chicken meat was encapsulated by a crispy batter which I find irresistible!

I love how the biscuit-thin batter crackles and giving way to the juicy flesh within.

The way the chicken cutlet was haphazardly chopped actually provided a more satisfying mouthfeel as opposed to if they were uniformly cut in parallel slices.

The type of noodle used here is not mee kia nor the yellow egg noodle but u mian, the freshly pulled-by-hand kind used for ban mian.

I hungrily stuff a big mouthful into my mouth and I love its chewiness and bouncy bite.

Dressed in a dark sauce, I find it on the sweeter side. However, the sambal hidden under the chicken makes up for it by balancing the flavors and even elevating the taste profile.

Be sure to request for more sambal if you have the chance to give this a try. I know I will.

Yes, I like this enough to foresee myself as a returning customer.