Monday, January 4, 2010

Kwong Satay and Swee Guan Hokkien Mee - Singapore

Looking for Gold, Finding Diamonds....
Of all places, I was in Jakarta watching television and saw a show about good places to eat in Singapore. This Singaporean guy was waxing philosophical about Swee Guan, a place that specializes in Hokkien Prawn Mee (otherwise known as wok-fried noodles with shrimp.) I convinced Puffin to take me there. Turns out, the real find was the stall next door, Kwong Satay. We're talking delectable....


It's a scary thing when a whole Singaporean family makes a trip to a place that they've never been because it's somewhere that "the ang moh" wants to go. I was kinda scared sitting at the table, waiting for the food to arrive. That is, until the first plate of satay came. It was so tender and smoky and delicious. Puffin's uncle took me over to the scene of the crime to see them being made. The satay guy was working non-stop, satays were piled up 5-deep over the fire.

By comparison, the Hokkien Prawn Mee was just ok. I am no expert on it, this was the general feedback from the group. It was good, just not outstanding. Folks in Singapore can be really hyper-critical when it comes to food. As an example, many found the use of large shrimp to be "showy" and detracting. For me, shrimp are shrimp, big or small.

An extra plus, for me, was getting to see Geylang. This is a neighborhood that looks more like old Singapore than most. There are rows and rows of shophouses and older buildings and not a single tall condo to be seen. Supposedly, this is the location of the red light district too, but I didn't see any obvious signs of that.


549 Geylang Rd (Intersection Geylang Lorong 29)
Singapore

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4 comments:

  1. You didn't mention how much better the Pork Belly satay is.. hmmm.. fatty fatty. I love!

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  2. Yes, you are correct - the pork belly satay stole the show. I could eat that all night with the peanut sauce. Mmmmmm, making me hungry just thinking about it.

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  3. Okay, I had to add this site to my favorites bar, based on the satay picture alone. The banh mi posts drew me in, but pork belly satay? I am on a search to find this in Atlanta!
    Karen

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  4. @Karen - welcome and good luck with your search. I can still taste it....

    ReplyDelete