Hong Xing Handmade Fishball & Meatball Noodles (鴻興手工魚圓肉圓面) @ Hong Lim Food Centre [Singapore]

Many dining establishments in the central business district close on weekends / public holidays; a fact i am well aware of since i used to work there.

However, i thought Chinatown with its sizable residential population would be slightly different and happily brought my mom to try out the nice kaya toast at Hong Lim Hawker Centre on Christmas Day. Turned out it was closed! :( I was so looking forward to a light breakfast with two slices of toast, soft boiled eggs and a small cup of coffee!

I was at a loss but the poor tummy still needed the nutrients and i walked round the food centre in seek of new stalls i have yet to try then. Decision: a 15-minute queue for a bowl of handmade fishball and meatball noodles at Hong Xing.

Now, the debate over hand-made and machine-made fishballs has long been discussed and taste aside, the best way to gauge if a fishball is handmade or not is on its inconsistent shape; machine made fishballs tend to be perfectly sculpted. Whatever the case, round shape or oblong shape doesn't matter if the fishballs suck right?!

At S$3 a bowl with four fishballs, two meatballs and a big portion of noodles, it was really worth the price especially given its centralised location! Even in suburban Yishun, it might be a bit hard to get something as substantial as this.

Soup was too salty - my fault though as the container for salted vegetables was right in front of me (free to take) and i didn't know it would be that salty!

Surprisingly, the fishballs were not compact with flavour although their key selling point was on the super duper soft texture; so soft until you would have to double check to ensure they were not uncooked! Sick of meatballs that were tiny and hard? Try the ones here!

I know, i know; extra points for that large piece of pork lard on top of the noodles. Speaking of noodles, the ones here won for its optimally cooked texture with a firm bite that even Mom was impressed. The only issue we faced was its bland taste. Guess we have to request for extra ketchup or chilli in the future.

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Location

Block 531A, Upper Cross Street,

#02-30, Hong Lim Food Centre

[Next to Chinatown MRT stations]

Map