Imagine this scene
Two stalls side by side looking sparse and you can’t see the food with only the yellow signboards in Chinese characters telling you the name of the stall.
The men manning the stalls were all wearing matching good morning TShirts.
Or could be Yves Saint Laurent. Who knows 🤷🏼♂️?
Either way, they looked stylish, dapper and timeless.
The offerings of the stall is Yong Tau Foo soup plain and simple.
There is no rice no noodle no nothing. No dry or soup. No other condiments. No variation.
It’s either big or small.
It opens at 1 Pm but when I joined the queue at 1220 Pm, there were 9 people ahead of me. Within 15 minutes time, the queue was about 25 strong.
So today I was going to break my rule of only eating at stalls with a 30 mins wait, not longer.
Hordes of old ladies had come like triad gangs waiting for a rumble.
They started talking about the offerings and started gesticulating and a cacophony of high pitched conversation ensued.
I wanted to join in and out scream them. But they looked robust and could beat me up.
So I demurred.
I am queuing at the most touted champion Yong Tau Foo stall in People’s Park, the haven of authentic YTF in Singapore boasting 4-5 such stalls.
But this stall is legendary.
Once it started, the queue moved fast but the 25 strong queue did not abate the entire time I was there.
People were streaming from everywhere like rats being led by the pied piper.
This better be good.
Wah. Damn good.
So clean, so fresh, so delicious.
I was transported to the 50s before I was born. In a little village where everyone ate Yong Tau Foo and nothing else.
I wanted to rush home and change into a good morning Tshirt.
The fishball bounced with youth and vigour. The soft tofu was seductive and alluring. The fried stuff savoury yet clean tasting.
I felt my dicky heart gouging itself of all blockages and did itself a self clean when I drank the tasty soup. So clean and balanced and healthy.
Then I went for char kway teow🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️.
Yong Xiang Xing Dou Fu
Address: 32 New Market Rd, #01-1084, Singapore 050032
Opening Hours: 1pm to 4pm daily. Closed on Mondays.
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