I found myself back in Bedok North on a Carousell meetup adventure. He asked to meet at 538 market and food centre. This was a hawker centre I had never visited before, so naturally I was excited. I could eat something new while I handed over money.

The excitement was very short lived. Arriving there at 2pm, I quickly realised this hawker centre gave off strong “morning only” vibes. 99% of the stalls were closed for the day already. Ah Kiat’s brightly lit sign was still beaming strong, with 3 staff bustling about inside the stall, hence I gravitated towards them.

I always order the signature dish when I go to a stall for the first time. Ah Kiat’s is the wanton mee, so this was to be my lunch. It did start well, just as I was about to order, a man pushed in front of me. He was complaining his fried wantons were not cooked enough and he wanted them put in the fryer longer. I hoped I wouldn’t have to send mine back, I was too hungry.

The standout part of this dish are the noodles. Each individual strand is separated from each other, perfectly cooked. The noodles are very thin, springy, and with a hint of overall sourness. Its like a great bowl of pasta, I could eat a mountain of these noodles. The sauce coats the noodles nicely, with a decent chilli kick, although the salt could be reduced a little - its not like the stall is peddling drinks on the side. The soups was nice, but nothing really stood out. The wantons had a wonderful silky texture and slight crunch when chewing - water chestnuts?

The char siew is my least favourite part of the dish. Its dry, dare I say bland, and tastes almost artificial. I need my char siew to taste like the wonderful pig it came from.

Come here just to try the noodles, but I suggest trying some other than the char siew.

Price: $3.50

Hawker centre: Block 538 Bedok North Market and Food Centre
Address: #01-92, 538 Bedok North Street 3, 460538
Hours: 4:30am - 3pm (closed thursdays)