Was scrolling through social media and got to learn that Huat Soon Golden Wu Xiang Prawn Fritters 發順五香蝦餅 had recently made their move to the food centre located at the roof top of Beauty World Centre — whilst most may not have heard of the existence of the stall, Huat Soon Golden Wu Xiang Prawn Fritters had been operating within a coffeeshop stall within the Alexandra Village neighbourhood for quite a while. These folks had previously been operating within the same coffeeshop as Poh Cheu; quite a notable establishment for their Ang Ku Kueh and Soon Kueh. Huat Soon Golden Wu Xiang Prawn Fritters occupies a stall that is fairly prominent within Beauty World Food Centre; these folks can be found along the same row of stalls that is located right across from Ye Tang Chendol, Big Boys Western and You Peng Noodle Dumpling House 友朋拉面饺子馆 — its bright red signage, fried bee hoon piled up in a bamboo steamer and the full display of various Ngoh Hiang fritters being quite a head turner for most. The stall operates as one that serves up economical Bee Hoon from 8am to 11am before switching things up and serving fried prawn crackers from 11am onwards. Interestingly, the stall does serve up canned drinks as well which is priced at a discounted rate of $1 a can for those whom are purchasing food items from them.

Considering how various items had already caught our attention whilst skimming through the display case, we found ourselves grabbing four (4) items for our order of the Assorted Ngoh Hiang; we had also added the Fried Bee Hoon for our order as well. The four (4) items we went for were the Chef’s Prawn Roll, Prawn Cracker, Crispy Goose Zai-Er and the Chestnut Cake. All items are being deep-fried upon order as it should be at all establishments serving up similar fare; an electronic buzzer is issued where patrons would be paged to collect the order from the stall once it is ready for collection. The fried items are served separately from the Fried Bee Hoon here, with the fried items being accompanied with slices of cucumber on the side as well. We felt that all of the items here are actually quite well-fried; none of the items felt soaked in grease and were drained off the excess oil pretty adequately — there is also no lingering hint of overused oil that came with the dish.

The Chef’s Prawn Roll does differ from the usual Prawn Roll / Ngoh Hiang a little considering how this item is pretty much similar to the usual Ngoh Hiang with evident hints of five spice powder, but it does also seem to come less meaty and also features chunkier pieces of prawn that helps add a bit of a bite and provides a natural hint of sweetness from the crustacean that is more amplified than what one would find in the typical Prawn Roll / Ngoh Hiang elsewhere. We also liked the Prawn Cracker which came a little bit on the larger side but did not feel overly dense and was sufficiently crisp yet umami — also included a single prawn that further enhances the flavours whilst giving a good bite as well. Another element that really deserves the mention would be the Chestnut Cake which provides a soft bite with crisp edges that has been browned and a slight eggy note whilst also being subtly sweet. Meanwhile, Huat Soon Golden Wu Xiang Prawn Fritters claims that their Fried Bee Hoon does come with the use of less oil and is thus a “healthier” version to go for; we do agree that their Fried Bee Hoon is actually not particularly greasy as compared to that of most other stalls we had visited with not much of a visible grease being observed on the plate — much like the fried Ngoh Hiang items. The Fried Bee Hoon also had a springy bite without being overly salty, and came with a consistent texture throughout the entire plate. Pairing everything up with the chili sauce adds a bit of a saltish tang and a fiery kick that should be manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness; gives everything a slight contrast of flavours.

Stalls serving up Ngoh Hiang and fried prawn crackers are seemingly becoming a rarity around the island; this is especially so considering how there have been a number of such establishments that had opened at Chinatown Complex Food Centre in recent times only to have shuttered after just a mere few months being in operation — this is also in view of the older generation of hawkers serving such fare whom are retiring from the F&B scene. Whilst newer stalls serving up assorted Ngoh Hiang and prawn crackers do seem to use more commercially-made ingredients with some classic items being omitted from the selection of items that they offer, Huat Soon Golden Wu Xiang Prawn Fritters does attempt to serve up their own rendition of some items like the Chef’s Prawn Roll which is a commendable attempt to preserve the spirit of the old-school stalls serving up similar fare; all that whilst carrying a good variety of items that such stalls usually serve up. They are also aware of the nuances of the shift in dietary concerns of the local palate — the offering of fried Bee Hoon prepared with less oil being a move that may work for those whom are health-conscious, yet looking for a cheat meal. Considering quality of the Ngoh Hiang items that we had went for, Huat Soon Golden Wu Xiang Prawn Fritters is worth giving a go for those whom are craving for a decent plate of old-school assorted Ngoh Hiang and prawn crackers served with fried Bee Hoon.