[CLOSED] ENG'S Char Siew Wantan Mee (East Village)

It seems that decades ago, Uncle Ho Hoi Ching or “Ah Ching” use to be the head cook at the original famous Geylang Claypot Road for over twenty years. He then left to start his own stall in a coffeeshop in Bedok South, but these days, you can find him at:

430 Upper Changi Road, #01-09
East Village
Singapore 487048

This eatery is owned by Mr. Teng and occupies two units. It used to be called “Eng’s Wanton Mee & Claypot Rice East Village” but the signboard has since been changed and doesn’t include the word “Eng’s” any longer. Our friends who took us there, chose to sit outside under the evening sky as the weather was really pleasant. Mr. Teng then brought me to the kitchen to have a peek at Uncle Ah Ching and his assistant at work. The heat was so intense from the multiple charcoal stoves, the younger man’s shirt was soaked through with sweat.
The claypot rice was indeed every bit as amazing as May described. One of the wait staff did the final touches for it right at the table - lashing on the thick black sauce before giving the contents of the claypot a thorough mix.
I found the salted fish used to be of superb quality - it’s moist and intense, lending a stunning funky savouriness to the dish. The rice was very fragrant, and the chicken pieces - large, juicy and incredibly tender to the bite (yes, even the breast meat). As for the “lap cheong”, it was decent and there was a reasonable amount of “chye sim”. We were also given some sambal chilli to spice things up if we wanted.
The portion May got was good for 4 to 5 pax and it proved plenty partly because she also ordered a few other dishes, but that’s another story which warrants its own post 😊

I know, this place is famous for their wanton mee, but I found a dish better than that or their claypot rice. Their hor fun ($12/15) is really quite expensive for their portion but it's probably one of the best ones I've had. Good amount of wok hei, generous amount of ingredients and perfect consistency of sauce to mop it all up. This is one dish I find myself trying to clear up the scrapes instinctively.

Eng's Wanton Mee and Traditional Claypot Rice

Enjoyed this! Noodles were springy, flavourful and less greasy than I remembered.

Most people are familiar with ENG’s for their wanton mee but in this East Village outlet, you get to enjoy traditional claypot rice too!

While it’s quite a long wait if you don’t call ahead, it’s still pretty worth it. Granted, I haven’t been eating a lot of claypot rice but I think this might be the best claypot rice I’ve had in awhile😬.

Usual suspects of vegetables, lapcheong, salted fish; and the chicken was incredibly tender. I loved the generous addition of salted fish for that burst of flavour and the sauce is added in moderation without being too salty.

The grains had a nice bite and the contrasting crisp texture of socarrat from scraping the pot is pretty addictive.

Prices are quite reasonable for this hearty dish!

Claypot Rice, medium $13. Loving their Claypot Chicken Rice here!! Generous servings of chicken and it’s super flavorful, tender and juicy!! It also comes with salted fish, Chinese sausage and vegs! Their professional staff will assist with adding the right amount of black sauce and stirring it to 💯 perfection with a lil crispiness of the edges of the claypot!! Heavenly delicious!

Claypot Rice, medium $13. Loving their Claypot Chicken Rice here!! Generous servings of chicken and it’s super flavorful, tender and juicy!! It also comes with salted fish, Chinese sausage and vegs! Their professional staff will assist with adding the right amount of black sauce and stirring it to 💯 perfection with a lil crispiness of the edges of the claypot!! Heavenly delicious!