Lau Phua Chay Char Siew (老半齋燒臘) - Second Only to Kay Lee! @ Alexandra Village Hawker Centre

Now, it's well known among my friends that i am incredibly fussy when it comes to char siew and the one sentence that i frequently said is "this is not even comparable to the epic Kay Lee char siew"! 

Hence, you can imagine my skepticism when two colleagues recommended this char siew stall in Alexandra Village food centre that was known to be so popular; it often pulled down its shutter much earlier than the stipulated closing hour of 7pm.

I had the fortune to get my hands on a plate one hot afternoon (with great thanks to the Lau sisters) and the first thought that came to mind was "wow, this actually looked very delicious"!

Before i start with the caramelised pork, let's talk about an important condiment that some Singaporeans cannot live without; chilli. As you could probably guess from the high concentration of chilli seeds, this was way too spicy for my liking! 

The special black gravy drenching the char siew and white rice was an amazingly unique concoction that featured an unconventional texture and a light sweetness that came attached with a delectable aroma! 

Similar to the old saying, it's the clothes that make a man; i have to agree that in this instance, the sauce was the addictive, deciding factor for me to re-patronise the stall. 

The cuts used were sadly lean meat (healthier according to some) which lacked the fattening juiciness that Kay Lee char siew was famed for! Nonetheless, they were still pretty tender for such a lean cut.

Another item worth noting was the salted vegetables soup; i have never had salted vegetables of such soft texture! Give me a second bowl anytime! 

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Location

Block 120, Bukit Merah Lane 1, 

#01-20 (Alexandra Village Hawker Centre)

Price

S$3.50 a plate