Yong He Eating House

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We five, not full from JB Ah Meng–well, actually I think only Yan Dao and I were the ones who were still hungry–so we went to Yong He for their soya bean curd. I predict the recent beancurd jelly war will bring people back to the roots of eating the traditional beancurd. And of course, we ordered many other things. Price list:

soya bean drink $1.20

Bean curd $1.70

yu tiao $1.10

taiwan noodle (mee sua) $3.80

The food was really quite solid. The Mee Sua, which I usually dislike, was robust and packed a punch. The beancurd was quite smooth and the yu tiao (fried dough) was cripsy and very delicious but just a tad too oily. We, adventurous, tried the salty beancurd with cai-po, soya sauce, white pepper and green onions. You’d think it strange but it was actually very appetizing. It’s like eating a healthy alternative of chwee kueh.

Service was Superwoman quick. And the ambience–well, if you want to escape the gangster street of Geylang, this seems to be a good shelter. Quite old school coffeeshop chic. I endorse this shop. Open 24 hours. Eat already can go on the streets to earn back the dinner money some more, unless you’re an old uncle lah, then you’ve to pay. Uncles are the only human species with no market value: women of all ages and young boys have. Sigh, we live in a sexist world, I, an uncle, feel discriminated against.

This Yong He eating house was introduced by my friend who said that the tau hway and youtiao are not bad. But the last time he ate there was a few years back and it was located over at Geylang Lor 9 back then. It has since shifted to its new location at Lor 27A and after reading the online reviews we were not really sure whether their standards are still up there. 

Apparently, they have quite a bit of history going back to the 90's and I even read somewhere that they used to have the biggest youtiao in Singapore (that's why the name is youtiao king 油条大王 I guess).

Reviews online also complained that some of the staff had some attitude going on. And yes, we did met one auntie who gave us the black face but there was another auntie who was quite nice. So, there's always a mix of rotten and good apples I believe. Anyway back to the focus of the day, the tau hway with or without peanuts (both cost $1.70) was really not bad. I especially like the one with peanuts because it was a tad sweeter. As for the youtiao ($1.10), it so oily that my friend hesitated to dip it into his tau nee (soya bean drink). Otherwise, it's crispy enough.

Our hot tau nee was served in a bowl and the cold one served in a cup. Hmm why the difference I wonder? Both cost $1.30 as well. I think Mr Bean's tau nee tastes better. Simply because the tau nee here tasted like plain water. What? It was that bland and diluted!

Verdict:

I think that their tau hway and tau nee cannot be compared to the Rochor Beancurd which is also in the vincinity. So if I do ever come to Geylang again, I don't think I would pay Yong He eating house a visit again.

Pls click here for the whole review with pics!

It was a sad evening for nostalgia. This was a must have with the beef kway teow in Lor 9 back in the day. I have not dined in this establishment since 5 years back. So for nostalgia sake we sought out their new location to get a blast from the past.

The trouble started when they do not have a variant of less sweet soya bean drink. I forsee peopel who are genrally gowing older getting wiser and cutting their sugar intake, yet this place does not even want to offer it as an option. Hmmmmmmm ok no worries. The snacks came and it was the ubiquitous you tiow which was ok. Others included pan fried dumplings, spring onion pancake and a bowl of mee sua. I got ntg good to say about them except the mee sua which I did not have any of.

I guess I got better places to explore and waste my calories intake. Nostalgia sometimes just bites u where the Sun don't shine.

Just a few years back at Geylang Lor 9, the beef horfun, frog porridge and Yong He’s beancurd enjoyed a ‘tripartite’ relationship, almost a formidable force for a great night’s supper. Now that the old Yong He location had gave way to a clothing store and they moved to a bigger location at Lor 27A, the usual fanfare and taste was apparently missing.

Yong He had expanded its food repertoire to include more Taiwanese street delights from Braised Meat Rice, Taiwanese Meat Dumplings, and Stewed Pork Buns.

The aunties were champions for speed. Right after I ordered, the food came within 45 seconds. Amazing. I was just on my way to wiping the chopsticks.

Major mistake number 1: The dough fritters were COLD.

Major mistake number 2: The fried guotie was COLD.

With the fried items tasting a little more rubbery than crispy, along with an old taste of oil and a clammy texture, my favourite dough sticks had dropped the ranks right to the bottom of the supper chart. No wonder the items came so fast, they must had been prepared way before hand. Wasn't freshness the key?

More reviews at http://DanielFoodDiary

 

I am wondering why the location looks so different. If it really moved, then that explains all. Do not expect good service from this black-faced group of workers.

You Tiao - cripsy, not as oily as before, taste ok

Sweet Soya Bean (HOT) - A layer of thickened soya bean was floating after awhile, taste so-so

T.Bun with Egg & Meat Floss - Filling, i prefer it without egg and it can be slighly less oily

Onion Pancake - Oily but crispy, Taste pretty good. One of the 'good-food-are-unhealthy' food.

Taiwan Noodle - Best among the rest ordered. Near to the standard of Xi Men Ting's Ah Zong Mee Sua. Note that its near but not same!

Overall: Good food, not a must try though.

The only beancurd that comes along with peanuts, adding more sweeter to it.  I got a sweet tooth.

I've been patronizing this eatery for as long as I can remember. Recently, I chanced upon it at this new location. Since K and I needed a quick bite before heading home, we had supper here.

The new premises are definitely cleaner, brighter and more spacious but sad to say, the move has resulted in a drop in standard and if not wrong, a price hike as well.

Although the taiwan mee sua (台湾面线) tasted just as robust and the fresh garlic added a welcomed kick, the amount of ingredients had clearly diminished quite a bit. I didn't find the soya bean milk (豆浆) too diluted but the dough fritter (油条) was a tad greasy. It was still crispy and fluffy but I had to avoid dunking it in my drink.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the standard would not deteriorate any further. Till then, I'd pop by whenever I'm in the vicinity.

Reviwer: Chua Yew Ann Date

Visited: 310110

Address: 517 Geylang Road (Near Lorong 27A)

Went to this place after playing mahjong with jiayao, kokhui and sean. According to my brother, they\'re super famous for the tao huay and you tiaos they serve. It opens 24/7.

AMBIENCE : 6.0/10

Yong He Eating house feels like some kind of lup-sup hong kong cafe with no air-con and comfortable cushioned chairs. The place is however rather clean and spacious. Hmmm. I mean what ambience can you expect from an eating house in Geylang? Anyway the place was quiet when we ate there at around 8, but it usually gets very crowded/packed/lively/busy fom midnight onwards, so its definitely a great place for late suppers at night. And also for prudes and cynical bitches who think Geylang is flooded with social escorts everywhere, Yong He\'s only a 5-10 mins walk from the housing estate and is almost entirely free from hookers.

FOOD: 7.5/10

HALAL : NO

The menu comprises of mainly small dishes like onion fried pancakes, mee sua, tau huay, soy bean drink, you tiao, xiao long baos, dumplings, beef noodles and etc. Great place for supper but might not be suitable for people looking for a complete meal as the place offers little variety for main courses. Its a no go for our muslim friends tho, because it serves pork. I did not manage to try the you tiaos because I ordered tau huay instead of tau nee. But if you ever visit the place, please try the you tiaos because they are apparently DAMN good.

1. Beef Noodles - $4.00: 5/5 Probably one of the best beef noodles I have tasted. The soup base is great, with some resemblance to those uber yummy beef-cup noodles we had in Taiwan. The soup tastes authentic (definitely way less msg than cup noodles) and slightly spicy. The noodles served are handmade, slightly chewy with just the right texture. Best part of the dish is definitely the beef. Not only is the serving generous, but the meat is also ridiculously tender with the perfect distribution of fats and lean meat. Just thinking of the meat now makes me drools.

2. Onion Fried Pancake - $2.50: 2.5/5 According to Kok hui, this tastes slightly like roti prata. The pancake tastes slight salty with fragrance of onion (like duh). Tastes good on its own, even without any chilli sauce. Maybe its because I ain\\\\\\\'t exactly a big fan of pancakes, but it did not impress me as much as the beef noodles.

3.Xiao Long Ba0- $5.00: 3/5 This is really not so bad a deal as you get 8 xiao long baos for only 5 bucks. The standard of the dish, however, cannot be compared to those from ding tai feng and crystal jade. The xiao long baos lack soup inside and the texture of the skin is slightly rough. But the amount of pork stuffed inside is generous and the price is definitely economical, and hence the decent rating given by me.

4. Tau Huay (with/wo peanuts) - $1.20: 4.5/5 Adequate serving, silky smooth tau huay with just the sweetness. Suitable for those who love traditional tau huay. Apparently its what the place is famous for so do try it if you ever dine here.

SERVICE : 5.0/10 Their service is typical of those road side restaurants in geylang. Nothing much to comment but one shouldn\'t expect any sevice that makes one feel like a VIP when dining at such a place.

VALUE: 8.0/10 GST: YES SERVICE CHARGE: NIL Adequate servings with relatively low prices.

OVERALL : 7/10 Overall, the food here is great when you take into consideration of the price. A great place for friends to chit chat over late night suppers.

Had a sudden desire to drink tau nee with you tiao at night, so decided to go to Yong He. This shop has been around for quite a while, with its signature signboard seen from afar at its old premise. Somehow, with a change in location, the quality has dropped.

After trying quite a bit of stuff, I would recommend to stick to just tau nee and you tiao, and maybe pork bun if you want a bit of variety.

Things tried:

1. Tau Nee - remember to ask for sweet version

2. You tiao - crispy and dip it fast into the tau nee!

3. braised pork bun (aka kong ba pao)- overall taste was quite nice with some pickles, small amount of meat

4. Mee sua - very thick gravy with strong pepper taste. if you the version from Shihlin Street Snack, I don't think you will like this.

5. pork floss bun - cold and not crispy. not worth it.

Will still go back for the tau nee and you tiao when the craving arises!

when late night supper of dao huay beckons, we never fail to think of Yong He. a favourite supper joint since our undergrad days.

since it has moved to the current location in geylang lorong 27a, space is a luxury. customers can breathe easier, seats & tables are plentiful too...

supper there can be rather costly though. a porkfloss bun (w/egg) costs $2.80, $2.30 with red bean filling.

the aunties in Yong He can be very rude, getting impatient if you are not fast in giving her your food orders.

in my recent trip there with 2 other friends, we ordered 2 youtiaos (our usual favourite) but were disappointed with the standard of the youtiao. they were cold and soft unlike the usual hot and crispy ones we like.

thankfully, our toasted buns w/ egg and porkfloss did not disappoint.

sitting at Yong He, we are always entertained by the ongoings in the neighbouring streets or near us... 'business deals' negotiations and transactions...