Knife Laugh Noodles?

With the influx of mainland Chinese folks looking to make a living in Singapore, it's with no doubt that we're bound to start seeing Chinese food stalls popping up around Chinatown. Some dishes are hard to stomach, like the mega spicy mala hotpot. On the other hand, there are those that are easy on our palates because they present familiar tastes, textures and/or form.

So my Spanish colleague (who's somewhat adventurous with trying new stuff) was apparently receptive towards Dao Xiao Mian and we had been trying to direct her with verbal instructions to this stall in People's Park Food Centre for as long as I can remember. In the end, decided to head there for lunch and bring her along. I had the one with Mutton while she ordered the one with braised beef.

Dao Xiao Mian (刀削面) refers to noodles prepared by "shaving" strips off a flour ball directly into boiling hot water using a specialized knife. It requires delicate skill on the chef's part in order to ensure that each strip is made with the exact same thickness. The middle portion of each strip is thick and chewy while gradually thinning out on the sides.

One thing to note would be that depending on the meat you go for, the noodles will served with different soups. My colleague's braised beef noodle came in a darker colored beef broth while my mutton noodle came in a clear soup that also had glass noodles and seaweed strips. Either soup, they're both served with a thick layer of oil. While it causes a panic attack in the stupidly health conscious, take note that it does serve a purpose which is to keep the soup hot for a longer period of time because heat is unable to escape from the surface. That in itself is a double edged sword so you gotta be careful when drinking the soup. The seaweed strips in the soup add a springy yet jelly like texture on top of the noodle's chewy bite but I found them to be a tad strong for my liking. That is a personal preference issue, I'm not a fan of eating the konbu type of seaweed in general.

As the main ingredient in this dish, the mutton is very well prepared. They're not amazingly "fall off the bone" tender but are good enough to bite and pull out the bones with. Singaporean Chinese eaters should take note that these mutton pieces are slightly gamey so if you're used to having your mutton light on the gamey taste it's best to go with the beef instead. Nevertheless, very nice to bite with as each diced mutton piece comes in a good ratio between fat and lean meat.

All in all, I really enjoy heading to this stall for all of their stuff. Aside from Dao Xiao Mian, they also serve regular Chinese noodles like Dry noodles in bean sauce. Another star product of theirs would be the Mutton/Beef soup with Pita Bread. It's a peculiar dish whereby they replace noodles with broken up pieces of pita bread that's left there to soak in the soup. Essentially you're left with soup and small little chewy pieces of pita bread surrounded by softened flour. Be warned, though, you'll be left with a sore jaw/temple and a very full stomach should you try it.

I can't remember the actual stall number but if you're looking for it, it's located deep inside the alleyway between People's Park Food Centre and People's Park Complex. Enjoy!