The Beef House: Hakka Yong Tau Foo & Hakka Beef Ball Soup @ Gar Lock Eating House (Jalan Besar) [Singapore]

One amazing thing about Singapore is that people are passionate about food and that results in a high concentration of eateries; many of which are located in areas that some Singaporeans might not even have been to their entire life.

If not for my staycation at Hotel NuVe Urbane, and the suggestion by the Great Kon, I don't think I would ever check out the nearby Gar Lock Eating House. 

With a continuous stream of customers, it's interesting to note that two separate, side by side stalls were helmed by just one gentleman who toggled between serving its authentic Hakka yong tau foo and beef ball / slice / tendon soup. 

Even the signboard was a combination, with mentions of signature dishes. 

We were lucky; with just one guy in front of me, I managed to secure the food in less than five minutes and I think my order should be sufficient to cover a majority of its signatures! Let's review.

Hakka Abacus Seeds - named simply because of its similarity to the abacus beads, they had a soft texture and were full of flavors from the yam and mushroom! Only thing is that I am accustomed to having chilli stir fried into the dish but hey, I am not Hakka and presume this version I had at Gar Lock is the authentic one.

 

Hakka Beef Ball Soup - with an appearance like plain water, the soup was blessed with a meaty sweetness that paired perfectly with the beef balls that had to be one of the best I have ever eaten; although texture was on the rough side, that was compensated by the rich, delicious taste of beef! 

Hakka Yong Tau Foo - clear, sweet broth that was soybean based, this was nice yet lacked the robustness to make me crave for it whenever I think of yong tau foo. The homemade ingredients were good and I particularly enjoyed the dumpling and the mushroom with a generous amount of meat! 

Noodle - topped with minced meat and looking somewhat like a thinner version of my favorite mee pok, it didn't have any kind of sauce; e.g. chilli, ketchup. 

The lack of sauce meant there wasn't much of a flavor, apart from those you get from the minced meat. Texture wise, it was a tad too dry for my liking. 

However, people order noodle with yong tau foo and the taste was very much enhanced once you throw the noodles into the soup! Not sure if that's the authentic way though but I am not really much into authenticity in the first place. 

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Address

217 Syed Alwi Rd, 

Singapore 207776 

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

8.00 am to 5.00 pm

Closed on Fridays

p.s. heard that Yong Tau Foo is usually sold out by noon. 

Pricing

Total - S$10.00