Yummy Wok Hei-Kissed KL Hokkien Mee At Hipster Hawker Stall By 24-Year-Old Former Restaurant Chef

He was a chef at Clan 7 restaurant

In 2017 at 19, Chun Sang came to Singapore to work as a kitchen assistant. For five years, he cut his teeth at several Chinese restaurants including Qian Xi Lou and Yan. His last stint was as a chef de partie (line cook) at modern Chinese restaurant Clan 7. It was there that he trained under ex-head chef Dee Chan of contemporary Chinese fine-diner Mott 32.

With the guidance of Hong Kong-born chef Dee, he worked on his technique and fine-tuned his recipes, even heading to Kuala Lumpur to pick up tips from the local hawkers for a couple of months. It was only after Singapore fully opened up that he took the leap of faith.

“Chef Dee really helped me out a lot. He gave me advice on how to improve my recipe and tips on how to bring out the wok hei and he also shared his Chow Mien recipe with me. But I tweaked it a little to suit my preference and taste. It is less sweet,” says the young towkay.

According to Ah Fu & Co’s PR rep, the stall’s Chow Mien is a "simplified" version of chef Dee’s dish that won one of the rounds at the Lee Kum Kee International Young Chinese Culinary Chefs Competition in 2014.

Tapow is the way to go

Despite being located in a bustling coffee shop, Chun Sang and his partners decided on a takeaway concept as “it’s easier and more convenient”, though customers are free to dine in if they like.

“Most people prefer to tapow anyway. Around 85 percent of our customers take their food to go. The ones that eat here are the older generation,” shares Chun Sang.

In line with the takeaway concept, their noodles are served in pretty blue and white takeout boxes, like a mod version of the pagoda-shaped boxes from Chinese-American diners. “People are intrigued by the packaging and mascot. They will stop to take a look and sometimes try our food,” he says.

The menu 

Though it says zi char on the signboard and logo, Ah Fu currently only sells two types of fried noodles: Wok Fried Chow Mien (from $5.90) and Dai Lok Mee (from $6.90). These are Chun Sang’s favourites, and according to him, well-loved by Malaysians and Singaporeans alike. The dishes are also easy as takeaway food. The dishes only come in one size due to the packaging.

Customers can have their noodles no-frills, with just the basics like cabbage, onion, and egg, or top up $1 to have it cooked with a protein of their choice (chicken, pork, beef or prawn). Add-ons like sous vide egg, edamame and tobiko are also available.

Despite not having done any publicity for the new stall, Chun Sang is pretty pleased with how business is faring. They sell around 60 servings of the signature Dai Lok Mee daily and things can get hectic for the one-man show during dinner time.

“We get really busy around 6pm to 7pm. Sometimes customers have to wait around 20 minutes ’cos I cannot cook in large batches — only a maximum of two servings — as this will affect the taste of the noodles,” he shares.

“We are trying to get helpers, but it’s tough. I can still cope at the moment ‘cos we just opened but it is very tiring. I have to do everything myself, unlike when I was working at the restaurant, we have a team and there is a chance to learn and pick up new skills while working.”

Dai Lok Mee with Pork, $7.90 (8 DAYS Pick!)

One of KL’s signature dishes, Dai Lok Mee ("thick noodles" in Cantonese), aka KL Hokkien Mee is characterised by dark caramel soy sauce coating fat udon-like noodles. It’s also fried in lots of pork lard which imparts a richer flavour. Unlike the saucy versions commonly found in Singapore, Ah Fu makes theirs the traditional way, “dry-style”. 

Our dish comes with a generous portion of tender pork slices (top up $1), cabbage and studded with pork cracklings. The wok hei-perfumed noodles are moist and beautifully coated with Chun Sang’s thick, caramel-y “secret sauce blend”, which is savoury with a hint of sweetness.

But what elevates the dish is the underlying seafood umami that gives it another dimension. The secret lies in the broth the mee is cooked in. Pork bones are cooked for 24 hours before being simmered with ingredients like prawn shells, dried scallops, fried pork lard and ginger to yield a punchy broth.

Chun Sang tells us he leaves the noodles to braise in the sauce for a few minutes so it absorbs the flavours and excess moisture. Very aromatic and slurp-worthy. Pity we didn’t get to try it with Chun Sang’s sambal belacan, which he says is still a work in progress.

Wok-Fried Chow Mien with Pork, $6.90 

Chow Mien is essentially stir-fried thin egg fried noodles with egg and veggies like cabbage and onions that’s popular in Hong Kong (and also in American-Chinese diners), says the hawker. Like Dai Lok Mee, we had ours with pork slices. Though a little greasy, the noodles are springy and each mouthful is flavourful and brimming with wok hei. Even the cabbage strips are slightly charred at the edges. To make the noodles springier, Chun Sang blanches and flash fries them before cooking with other ingredients upon order. We recommend getting a topping of tobiko (add $1) for pops of brininess. 

Bottom line

The details

Ah Fu & Co is at #01-659, 27 Bendemeer Rd, S330027. Open daily 11am to 8pm. More info via Instagram and Facebook.

Photos: Alvin Teo

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