Hor Fun King (Asia Square)

Settled at the Food Garden food court at Asia Square for lunch not too long ago and was fairly intrigued by a curry rice that another diner was having — didn’t recall that the Food Garden food court had any tenants that serves up Hainanese-style curry rice; turns out that Hor Fun King 河粉星 had recently introduced a new line-up on its menu. For those whom are not aware, Hor Fun King is a concept that is run by the very same folks behind the Gochi-So Shokudo ごち惣食堂 brand; other brands that they also run includes Tun Xiang Nanyang Delights 豚香南洋館 — both brands can also be found alongside Hor Fun King within the Food Garden food court at Asia Square. In line with the introduction of their “Hainan Curry” series of offerings, Hor Fun King seemed to have installed a display case at its counter where one can also find various meats being stocked up — the different types of meats that are listed under the “Hainan Curry” line-up includes that of the Honey BBQ Pork Curry, Pork Chop Curry, Chicken Chop Curry and the Crispy Prawns Curry.

Speak about “Hainan Curry” and we most obviously would not be able to give their Braised Pork Curry a miss — the pairing of braised pork belly (or even the crispy pork chop in fact) with Hainanese-style curry bringing the most quintessential form of Hainanese curry rice. While Hor Fun King does describe on the elements that comes along with their dishes, it is noticed from the illustration on the menu that the Braised Pork Belly variant does come with braised pork belly, braised vegetables, sunny side-up and rice that is fully drenched in a braised sauce and curry gravy. With that being said, it does seem that the folks had missed out on the sunny side-up for our order if the illustrations is something representative of what is being actually served.

Digging into the rice first; we really liked how the rice comes completely drenched with curry gravy — there is definitely more than sufficient curry to go along with the portion of rice here, while the curry is also noted to be thick and rich; one that is definitely punchy without being overly “Lemak” with the coconut milk just like how one would expect out of Hainanese-style curry. The addition of the braised sauce actually helps to add a bit of depth to the notes of the curry gravy as well. We would probably liked it even more if the pork belly was to be drenched with some braised sauce for a deeper flavour; that being said, the pork belly does come a little more leaner here — comes with a fibrous bite and was sufficiently meaty, and also comes without any noticeable, undesirable porky stench that would have hindered the entire experience. The braised cabbage also does come with some pieces of black fungus for a bit of a chewy and springy texture; the braised vegetables coming with a soft bite with a subtly sweet note that went well with the curry-drenched rice. At $7.50, the Braised Pork Curry from Hor Fun King is likely something that we would have again — the lowest-priced item from the “Hainan Curry” series at Hor Fun King is the Honey BBQ Pork Curry at $6.50, and the highest-priced would be the Crispy Prawns Curry at $8,; also items which we are happy to give a go some other time as well!

Was enticed by this when I saw a group of people carrying the plates as it looks huge and nice 😋
$8.50 for pork collar hor fun which is one of the more affordable options
Taste decent albeit a little too salty. Love the crispy hor fun bits as it adds dimension to the food

Not a new-new addition to Food Garden at Asia Square Tower 1 when we have decided to try them out, but still a relatively new addition to the food court nonetheless. Hor Fun King is yet another concept from Gochi Shokudo Pte Ltd. — the group is also behind concepts such as Gochi-So Shokudo and Tun Xiang 豚香南洋馆; both of which are situated beside the Hor Fun King stall at Food Garden. With its emphasis being on their rendition of the Hor Fun, there is essentially only one item served at Hor Fun King — the only variations to the Hor Fun here would be the meat options that they come with. Being part of the Gochi-So Shokudo brand also means one is likely to find items like the Pork Collar Slices Hor Fun, as well as the Iberico Pork Hor Fun — this is considering how both Gochi Shokudo and Tun Xiang does have an emphasis of serving different cuts and types of pork across their menus. For those who prefer other meat options, Hor Fun King does serve up the Assorted Seafood Hor Fun and the Tender Chicken Slices Hor Fun as well.

The Pork Collar Slices Hor Fun stood out to us considering how it is one of the more wallet-friendly options here. Hor Fun King takes pride in both their gravy and their “Golden Crispy Hor Fun”; the latter in which they claim to be a first in Singapore. If anything, the Hor Fun here is definitely one of their own rendition rather than what would usually expect to have out of a tzechar stall in the neighbourhoods — the gravy is said to be simmered using Iberico Pork Bone and Seafood for 36 hours over a slow fire; described to be collagen-rich, we found the broth to be a more richer and dense version of the same we would find in a plate of Fried Hokkien Noodles. It’s considerably light and savoury on its own, though if compared to the broth of Fried Hokkien Noodles, the gravy does seem just a slight bit heavier probably due to the Iberico Pork Bones used — not quite to the point that it gets too similar to a Tonkotsu broth, but certainly gives the seafood gravy a bit of a meatier touch. The flat rice noodles are fried the same way as one would do for a typical Hor Fun dish served at a tzechar stall — dark sauce with a slight char, though Hor Fun King does also add a “Golden Crispy Hor Fun” which are just deep-fried Hor Fun that creates a good bite and crunch for a variety of textures in the dish; somewhat replicates the crispy noodles of Sang Mein (i.e. Seafood Crispy Noodles) in a way. The pork collar slices here are pretty easy to chew; free from any undesirable porky stench, and adds a meatiness to the hor fun. The only gripe here would be how the gravy is served lukewarm despite the long wait and it does seem to be purposefully done so considering how it has been a consistent remark from various parties that had tried Hor Fun King before — not sure why it is done so, though the dish gets really jelak when it cools down (which it did fairly quickly since it wasn’t piping hot in the first place) and the temperature where it is served at isn’t really to our liking.

If anything, Hor Fun King is yet another interesting concept by the folks by the folks of Gochi Shokudo Pte Ltd — one that seems to have gone through quite a bit of thought considering all that which have went into the gravy, as well as the addition of the “Golden Crispy Hor Fun”; it isn’t just a typical Hor Fun offering, but one which they can truly call their own. That being said, that experience is slightly marred with that intentionally lukewarm broth that just makes it a little more difficult to have especially given how fast it cools down — something which they should probably look into. Nonetheless, with items that range between $8.50 to $14.50, Hor Fun King is rather suitably priced against its counterparts in the same area; items that are comfortably priced below $10 that may appeal to some as an everyday eat, while those wanting to splurge a little can get the more pricier ones.