Fu Lin Tofu Yuen - Ampang Style Yong Tau Foo at Siglap

Fu Lin Tofu Yuen specializes in Ampang-style Yong Tau Foo, where ingredients are either blanched or deep-fried before being coated with a savory, starchy sauce. At Fu Lin Tofu Yuen, most of the ingredients are deep-fried, except for the vegetables which are blanched. The restaurant has multiple locations throughout Singapore, and we chose to visit the original outlet located in Siglap for the full experience.

There was a vast selection of Yong Tau Foo to choose from, with a minimum requirement of 6 pieces per order (S$0.40 – S$2.20 per piece).

We selected our favorites, as well as a few that we thought would be delicious when deep-fried, including Bean Curd Skin, You Tiao, Zai Er, Tau Kee, Bittergourd filled with stuffing, and Spinach.

The ingredients were deep-fried until they were a golden brown, with a generous serving of savory brown sauce spooned over them. The sauce contained bits of minced meat and mushrooms, unlike the sweet sauce commonly used as a condiment at other Yong Tau Foo stalls. The sauce clung perfectly to the fried ingredients, creating a delicious contrast of textures in every bite. The fact that they were fried and dry allowed the gravy to be thoroughly absorbed, much like You Tiao in soy milk!

We were contemplating between rice and beehoon to accompany our Yong Tau Foo. After a quick observation that most people chose the beehoon, we opted to try them too. The thick beehoon (the same kind used in laksa) appeared simple, with a brown sauce drizzled over thick Bee Hoon, and I couldn’t help but think, “Can this be that good?” I was pleasantly surprised to find out how wrong I was.

The sauce which I presume was the same sauce used for the Yong Tau Foo, complemented the noodles perfectly, with a chewy texture and just the right level of “slurp”. Every bite was satisfying and noisy as we slurped it up strand by strand. I was concerned that it might be too salty or savory, but it was actually seasoned well, with just enough seasoning to go with the plain white beehoon which I believe had no seasoning. I didn’t feel the need to drink anything between bites. I would happily eat the noodles on their own, without the Yong Tau Foo ingredients.

The noodles were definitely the highlight for me, and I would be more than happy to be back just to have them again!