Many noodle stalls open to a breakfast crowd, journey the lull, then serve lunchtime earlier than closing up after midday. Ru Ji Kitchen is not any totally different and probably has even tighter hours. I convened with a good friend at Holland Drive Market & Meals Centre earlier than midday in an try to beat the group.
We couldn’t assist however query the cost-effectiveness of working two stall areas in the identical hawker centre. The one on the left sells fishball noodles whereas the opposite (apparently opened extra lately in 2017) specialises in bak chor mee. It’s already a burgeoning franchise; they’ve 3 different retailers and 1 lately opened at Tam Chiak Kopitiam.
What I attempted at Ru Ji Kitchen
Bak chor mee would have been my go-to order on every other day. Reluctantly, I relinquished that to my good friend for Fish ball noodles with further add-ons (S$5). Banking on the stall holding true to their phrase, I requested ‘much less spicy’ for as soon as.
Every chew of the mee pok produced a constant al dente suggestions alongside the crunch from bits of pork lard so satisfying it robbed no matter heed I used to be paying towards the bowl of fish balls. The chilli had a vinegar-like tang, regularly constructing numbness as I assailed the noodles.
I scooped some soup to douse the flames and it took my tongue just a few seconds to register its lightness in opposition to the rising warmth. A number of extra spoonfuls confirmed the fragile savouriness. Like light faucets on my style buds, the flavour by no means bordered on tasteless.
Not like the uniform texture of frozen fish balls, Ru Ji Kitchen’s are inconsistently formed. These had been fairly probably the bounciest fish balls ever. There was an nearly rubbery resistance as I bit it in two. The faint sweetness went down nicely with the soup and after downing two extra, it dawned on me why these had been so widespread.
The perimeters of the fish desserts held firmly sufficient for a pleasing mixture of textures. These had been simply nearly as good because the fish balls.
My good friend’s order of bak chor mee with extra liao (S$5) supposedly had much less spice. Whether or not the employees heard the final 2 phrases stays doubtful – each strand of kway teow was slathered with chilli.
He slurped some kway teow from his bowl and revealed that there was a extra pronounced zest and really some ketchup as nicely. Braised mushrooms introduced depth to the dish with honest hints of umami for his or her dimension. I may completely see myself ending on his behalf if not for the spice.
The meatball soup was by some means extra mellow than that served with the fish balls and with noticeably extra fats swimming in it. The additional oil helped amplify the soup’s soothing impact on my burning tongue and that was a lot appreciated. Every hand-kneaded meatball broke aside too readily however tasted nice nonetheless.
Remaining ideas
By the tip of the meal, we had drained our soup and wanted a drink on prime of that. The spiciness was to not be trifled with.
You possibly can decide from 5 noodle sorts – mee pok, kway teow, mee kia,yellow mee, bee hoon, andmee tai mak, actually not discovered at most fish ball noodle stalls. Additional supplementing with darkish soya sauce and oil as a substitute of the standard ketchup or chilli sauce can also be an choice.
Of the 4 Ru Ji Kitchen retailers, the one at Holland Drive is essentially the most fascinating for his or her dual-stall setup. Worth for cash is debatable as noodle parts for our orders weren’t significantly massive. The highlights listed below are undoubtedly the soup in addition to hand-made fish and meat balls so should you’re not postpone by queuing purely for these alone, it’s positively price a go to.
