Hawkeyed For Hawkers

Located in beautiful Nyonya kueh-coloured Jalan Kukoh, this pig organ soup stall has been around for nearly 4 decades. It looks like any old pig organ soup. But what do you expect pig organ soup to look like? Carefully housed in a bread bowl with 5 peppercorns on the side and a tiny mallet to crush them? That's not how it's supposed to be.

This, on the other hand, is exactly how it's supposed to be. The stall owners are friendly, and obviously take pride in what they have to serve you. Feel free to let them know what ingredients you want (or don't want), and they'll tailor the order accordingly. The chef operates like a well-oiled machine, you won't see any hesitation as he frags ingredients and tosses them into the boiling tank in front of him.

I was so enthralled by the entire process that I couldn't tear my eyes away from the bowl even as I turned to leave the shop. The uncle cheekily told me to look up or I'll bump into someone as I walk. Wise words for a hungry guy. The walk to my seat was arduous. The shallot oil was incredibly aromatic and I was tempted to abandon my lunch mates and tuck in right there and then.

The meat was delightful,and the organ pieces were cooked perfectly. You won't have to worry about it being gamey or tough. What really sold the dish to me were the tiny bits of meat floating around the soup. It made every mouth feel more substantial and hearty. This is comfort food done right.

Be warned, the grande dames of all things noodly treat the eatery as the Forbidden Palace. Don't mess with them if you're not familiar with the ordering and seating protocol.

If you're clueless like my dining buddies and I were, wait to be seated and also wait for your orders to be taken. We messed up. Twice.

We were left unattended and we decided to walk over to the counter to place our orders. We were barked at to return to our seats. Came here expecting lunch and we were served double appetisers of attitude even before we placed our orders. Sorry ma'ams.

We nearly left there and they, but we were brought out of the Cold Palace by the sudden change in attitude in the dowagers. They must have been really busy earlier, but we're forgiving people (as long as the food is good).

Got myself a bowl of Mee Pok with chilli. It arrived in half the time it took for us to get a seat and place our orders, which was a rather pleasant surprise. The portions of both noodles and ingredients were pretty generous. These are remarkably well cooked, and will probably be some of the best noodles you'll ever taste. The chilli was just enough to leave every mouthful satisfied, and the soup carried enough flavour to be stand on its own.

In short, come here if you want perfectly cooked noodles and some marvellously meaty goodness. Don't come here if you don't want a side of snark with your lunch.