Da Cheng Kway Chap 大成棵汁 - Popular Kway Chap in Toa Payoh Lor 1

An unassuming small store that sells only Kway Chap and Pig Organ Soup, there is always a short queue at Da Cheng Kway Chap, located at Toa Payoh Lor 5 (?) Hawker Centre. For an extremely affordable fare of $3.50, you get a piping hot bowl of comfort food.

For a single serving, the plate of mixed organs and meat was more than sufficient. Da Cheng Kway Chap had the usual ingredients – taupok, pork belly, pig intestines, and braised egg. What was surprising was that we also found fish cake in the braised dish! Perhaps it was to make up for the lack of soft tofu we usually find in traditional Kway Chap.

We also had a bowl of kway to go with the meat. For those that are not a fan of strong herbal taste, you will find this to your liking as it was a pretty light soup base, not too overpowering. To be honest, it might have been on purpose as I found the gravy for the meat too salty, so it was a suitable pairing. I must also admit that I am a huge fan of that sweet herbal “medicine” taste, so I found the kway a little too bland and not sweet and aromatic enough.

Nonetheless, because of how strong the gravy is, all of the braised meat tasted absolutely delicious as it fully absorbed the gravy. (Just try not to drink the gravy on its own!) You can just tell from the colour of the pork belly that it must have been braised for hours. My personal favourite was the intestine as every piece explodes in your mouth with a small amount of gravy.

Lastly, I am also a fan of the kway as it was more chewy than a typical kway. I am not sure if it is handmade, but I sure enjoyed slurping it piece by piece in its light soup and having that extra texture.

I can understand the queue for Da Cheng Kway Chap and I am so glad we got to try it. They added their own twist for a taste that is uniquely theirs and I will be back to try the pig organ soup which seem to be just as popular as their Kway Chap.