Helmed by a team of young hawkers, Tong Sheng Mian Jia was previously located in Tampines before moving to their new location at Redhill Food Centre. Their signature dish is a mashup of wonton mee and laksa, a combination that, to me, seemed rather random.
As a fan of both dishes, I was curious to see how they fused the two. After heading down to taste their food, I found myself pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
The Wanton Laksa ($5.50), as its name suggests, is a blend of the two familiar favourites. It features a generous serving of wonton, char siew, cockles, tau pok and fish cake slices in laksa soup, and you can choose between mee kia or thick bee hoon to complete the dish. Per the stall owners’ recommendation, we decided to go with the latter.
The star of this dish was definitely the laksa soup—the coconut milk wasn’t too overpowering, and provided a hint of sweetness that gave the broth a more full-bodied flavour. It also had a fairly smooth and creamy consistency, without any overt graininess that’s sometimes present in other laksa.
What stood out to me next were the char siew slices. They were extra thick and surprisingly tender, with a good balance of sweet and savoury notes. Similarly, the wonton had a soft, delicate skin, and were adequately stuffed with filling. We were later told that these are house-made, which explains their pleasant taste and texture.
The laksa ingredients did not disappoint either. Not only were the cockles fresh, large and juicy, the fish cakes were also delightfully QQ. As for the tau pok, they soaked up the rich flavours of the soup well.
Combined with the springiness of the thick bee hoon, every bite of this dish was incredibly satisfying.
Next, we had their Dry Wanton Noodle ($4). Here, mee kia is tossed in a dark sauce with optional house-made chilli, served with thick char siew slices, as well as boiled and fried wontons. Like most dry wonton noodles, it also comes with a small bowl of soup on the side.
The mee kia was cooked to al dente, and I liked that there was no unpleasant alkaline taste. While I found the sauce to be lacking in depth, the house-made chilli’s fragrance and mild spiciness made up for it.
For me, the fried wonton were just as good as the boiled ones. They were well-fried, with a thin, crispy skin and just the right amount of filling.
The accompanying soup was also clear-tasting, and complemented the dry noodles nicely with its savoury notes.
If you’re a big wonton fan, we also recommend ordering a serving of Dry Wanton. For just $4, you get 12 plump wonton drenched in a piquant sauce and garnished with chopped spring onions. The stall also offers soup and fried options for the same price.
Redhill Food Centre is just a short three-minute walk from Redhill MRT Station. It’s also accessible via a sheltered route, which made the hot weather that day a little more bearable.
The food centre itself is pretty big, with many seats to go around even during the peak lunch hour. As we chose to arrive around 11:30am to beat the lunch crowd, there wasn’t a long queue for the stall while we were there.
The next time I’m craving a bowl of laksa or wonton mee, I’d definitely pay Tong Sheng Mian Jia a visit. Besides offering affordable and delicious food, they’re also generous with their ingredients, which is why I’d highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys these two dishes.
Redhill Food Centre is also home to other highly rated stalls such as Jia Xiang, which is known for their hearty bowls of mee siam. Alternatively, you can walk over to Abundance for massive gua bao and other Taiwanese-inspired dishes!
Address: 85 Redhill Lane, #01-38, Redhill Food Centre, Singapore 150085
Opening hours: Daily 7am-3pm
Tong Sheng Mian Jia is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Daryl Lim.
This was a media tasting at Tong Sheng Mian Jia.
Summary
Pros
– Generous portions
– Flavourful laksa soup
– Delicious house-made wonton
– Convenient location
Cons
– Dry wonton noodles lacked depth
Recommended dishes: Wanton Laksa ($5.50) and Dry Wanton ($4)
Opening hours: Daily 7am-3pm
Address: 85 Redhill Lane, #01-38, Redhill Food Centre, Singapore 150085
Haidilao VivoCity has a $3++ DIY bubble tea buffet bar! Get unlimited servings of milk…
Tomahawk King Steakhouse & Grill has Singapore's first Raising Cane's-inspired chicken and XL Wagyu steak…
The Commune Life Style Mall is a new shopping centre in Johor Bahru with a…
Check out these best Japanese restaurants in Singapore for a variety of different Japanese food,…
Restoran Kak Kak is a restaurant in Johor Bahru selling cheap dim sum from just…
Coriander coffee might sound like an abomination of culinary expressions, but don't knock it until…