Cantonese Delights @ Hong Lim : Laksa Yong Tau Foo and More

There are many popular stalls at Hong Lim Food Centre such as Outram Road Char Kway Teow or Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee but I think Cantonese Delights is the one with the consistently longest queue. This place has been on my to-try list for very long but I was always deterred by the long queues. It was through Calvin (@entree kibbles) where I first learnt about this stall. Subsequently, I chanced upon an earlier article by Dr. Leslie Tay about its Fried Chicken Curry Noodles which made me even hungrier and eager to try the food. 

However, lady luck was not with me when I decided to queue as the stall was closed. Still, I was determined to visit again and this time, I was lucky to catch it open even though it was a 30-min long wait during weekday peak lunch hour.

The speed of the queue was moving like a tortoise, just like Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee. But the main reason was because many customers were placing takeaway orders and thus the actual queue was far longer than the number of persons standing in line. This stall is helmed by a couple who were both working diligently to serve the hungry customers. 

While Uncle took charge of blanching the noodles and deep-frying the chicken, Auntie would chop the cutlet or charsiu, pour the correct gravy and assemble each plate. It was amazing to observe the smooth, efficient delegation of work in the small, stuffy stall. I was even impressed by the Auntie's powerful memory as she could remember everything I ordered without writing on the paper and my order was pretty complicated (5 different items in different sizes)

Since we queued for so long, we ordered almost everything on the menu except for the chicken feet noodles. Not every plate turned out as delicious as expected but the Laksa Yong Tau Foo ($5) and Chicken Cutlet Curry Mee ($4/$5) did not disappoint our tastebuds at all. The laksa gravy was rich and fragrant, simmering with fresh ingredients such as ladyfingers, fish cakes, red pepper, etc. Do ask for more deep fried tofu skin fritters as they were crispy at the top while soggy and chewy at the base that was submerged in delicious gravy.  

For the Chicken Cutlet Curry Mee, I opted for my favourite Bee Hoon, also because it soaked up the mouthwatering Hainanese curry very well. I can't explain why but it seems that the dish quadrupled in deliciousness when a sinful food is paired with another sinful food. Freshly fried by the Uncle in batches rather than everything prepared beforehand and left out in the cold, the chicken cutlet retained a crunchy amour over the juicy flesh. A must try besides the Laksa Yong Tau Hoo. 

However, the soy-based Wanton Mee, chicken Horfun and dumpling noodles were passable dishes. I think what makes the wanton Mee attractive it's the generous servings of char siu (at least 18-20 slices) and wantons. However the char siu were tough and dry, an irony for a stall named as Cantonese Roast. If you are looking for some non-curry dishes, the Dumpling Noodles will be a better option as the silky smooth dumplings were wrapped with whole shrimps that made them springy and tasty.  

There is no option for you to add chilli as they only serve the original flavored noodles. However, you can help yourself with the free-flow of chilli sauce, green chilli, spring onions, laksa leaves, shallots and PORK LARD. Yes, free flow but of course at the cost of your health. And I think no one will  take advantage as the Auntie is such a nice friendly lady. 


The only regret I have was to queue for so long during weekday peak lunch hours, only to find out later that they are actually opened during weekends -_-

Cantonese Delights

#02-03, 531A Upper Cross St, Singapore 051531

10am-3pm daily except alt. Mondays and PH