Empress Place Teochew Beef Kway Tiao – Brilliant Alternative To Hock Lam

Our country might seem peaceful, but our food scene is in a constant state of flurry. Novel dining concepts come and go, and rivalry run fierce among legacy hawker stalls – all in a bid to win over our tummies (and wallet). Think chicken rice (Tian Tian v.s. Ah Tai), Rochor Beancurd, Katong Laksa, and the bak chor mee at Bedok 85, just to name a few.

And in the case of beef noodles, we recently tried Empress Place Kway Tiao, an offshoot of the famed Hock Lam Beef Kway Tiao. While the brand name franchise went to the son, the daughter started selling beef bowls at Empress Place. And they have since been serving up hearty bowls of beef noodles for four generations.

They focus on Teochew-style beef noodle, which means that theirs do not come with the usual thick gravy. Instead the Mixed Beef Kway Tiao (Dry) ($6) that we had was dressed simply with some chilli and sesame oil. But the taste was far from simple – the chilli had a deep, fiery punch that coated the rice noodles. The beef slices were also cooked to just the right pinkness.

We also had the Beef Kway Tiao ($6), which features a mellow, soothing broth with slices of tender beef, tripe, and beef ball. This comforting bowl might be plain-tasting to some, but their homemade chilli sauce will quickly remedy that. Current owner, Uncle David, revealed that pineapples and lime are added to this vibrant concoction – one that many can’t get enough of. He also recommended coming later towards the night, to better appreciate the sweet broth as it builds up in flavour over the day.

The stall also serves up other permutations of beef and kway tiao, such as the Beef Fried Kway Tiao ($5) and the premium Tendon Beef Kway Tiao ($9). Give this quiet sibling of Hock Lam a try the next time you’re in the mood for beef noodles with a clean broth and stellar chilli sauce.

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid for the meal at the stall featured here.