Zion Road Riverside Food Centre

There's always a reason why things happen. As for my weight gain, it has to be due to too much good food on this tiny island. My colleagues at Lexus told me that the char kway teow at Zion Road was not only famous, it was actually quite good. However, we were around the area to try the even more famous River Valley Nasi Padang (which i will blog about when i go again next time), so being the foodie that I am, I had to make another trip down to check it out.

I was not disappointed. The stall has so many awards, they hang all the way to the bottom. But as most ppl might agree with me, such awards are not as accurate anymore. Almost every stall has at least one newspaper cutting or certificate hanging in front of it. This one however, i guarantee you, is worth trying. The rice noodles are tossed in a wok full of flavor, absorbing all the essense that the owner has accumulated over the years. The sauce is slightly sweet, and the wetness of the dish is just right. Not too wet like Apollo char kway teow at Marine Parade Food Centre, and not dry like the hill street one at Bedok South. I felt that the chilli could be more spicy though, to enhance the dynamic kick of the fatty goodness. One serving ($3) is not too big though, so that helps in portion control. The uncle is pretty generous with the cockles and lap chiong, and that's always a good thing. Plus they were really fresh too.

No 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow
Zion Road Riverside Food Centre

I think i've found my top 3 char kway teow stalls in singapore, and here they are in order of merit:

1) 91 Fried Kway Teow - Golden Mile Food Complex
2) Hill Street Char Kway Teow - Bedok South Food Centre
3) No 18 Fried Kway Teow - Zion Road Riverside Food Centre

Next up, another unhealthy but national favorite - fried carrot cake, teochew style. You can choose either black or white, as usual. I asked the uncle to give me half of each, and chilli at the side. He was very accomodating, which was a bonus. The carrot cake was done very nicely, crispy for the white, and sweet for the black - the way i like it. Another stall that should improve on the chilli - not spicy enough (maybe it's just me) and lacks fragrance. I'm very particular about chilli, since it's something i can eat on its own and i feel that it can really add punch to your food, if its good. I felt that the carrot cake was not particularly unique though, despite the name. But its good nevertheless ;)

I didn't take down the name of the stall, but its the only teochew fried carrot cake in the food centre, so you can't miss it.