As long as I remember, there has always been a Yong Tau Fu restaurant on the way to Nee Soon (Yishun). Now there are two. Located on the northern stretch of Upper Thomson Road, this row of shophouses has existed for many decades, and could be called Nee Soon by its locality, long before the actual new towns of Yishun and housing estates of Lentor came into being.
It was my late uncle Tay Lee Soon who first brought my family here to try out its famous Yong Tau Fu, and my grandmother joking referred to it as Lee Soon Yong Tau Fu. This dish, essentially tofu items stuffed with meat and other ingredients and eaten with savoury and sweet sauces, was an acquired taste for us youngsters. But as tastes mature and refine themselves, yong tau fu (ytf for short) become a sort of delicacy or comfort food, eaten on special occasions.
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| Braised duck, stuffed intestines and boiled eggs. |
This time, we were guests of local writer and arts polymath Phan Ming Yen, a true-blue Hakka originally from Petaling Jaya, and his wife Amy Ho, a Hongkonger. That is guaranteed of quality in itself, and we were no disappointed. The big pile of yft may be eaten with rice or kway chap (broad rice sheets in soy sauce), but not before being dipped in copious savoury or sweet sauces. This restaurant also serves braised duck, which provides the meat content of this meal.
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| Real Hakka Phan Ming Yen swears this is the real thing! |
This ytf is rather different from those served in food courts, and that makes it rather special. The other ytf place was closed on this Monday evening, so that means another trip up north to make culinary comparisons.
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| With sweet and savoury sauces, it is guaranteed there will be no leftovers. |
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