Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-Milled Rice Noodle Rolls: Raffles Hotel ex-chef dishes out wrinkly chee cheong fun & loaded congee

Let me ask you… if a stall’s operating hours are from 6.30am to 12pm, what time do you think an item would get sold out? Well, I swung by Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-Milled Rice Noodle Rolls at Chinatown around 9.30am, confidently waltzed in, and found out that their congee had finished (the last thing you want to hear on a tasting).

For this feature, I made 2 visits, arriving at 8.50am on my second trip (lesson learnt).

The stall is run by Chef Leung, an ex-Raffles Hotel chef of 18 years. Together with his wife, also a former chef, at Hilton Shanghai, and their son Lucas, they operate the establishment.

“Chef Leung has been in the kitchen since the age of 17 in Hong Kong. He is now almost 70!” His wife shared this with me with pride. That’s a whopping 53 years of experience — mad skills, for sure.

Chef Leung told me that he had spent a total of 8 years perfecting his chee cheong fun craft (I’d give up after 8 days). His rice rolls are not your typical smooth and pristine variety. Instead, it’s as if they had forgotten their daily skin regime, resulting in a wrinkly, grandparent-version.

“The skin must be elastic enough to achieve such a look,” he added.

What I tried at Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-Milled Rice Noodle Rolls

By 9am, my breakfast would usually be well on its way to digestion. So with the 45-minute delay, you can imagine how hungry (and excited) I was when I started with the Pork Steamed Rice Roll (S$4).

At first glance, the skin looked slightly thick and I was fearful that it would be tough and doughy. However, the first bite taught me not to judge too quickly. Despite its rough appearance, the skin was the complete opposite — smooth and soft.

Instead of measly morsels of minced pork, I was greeted with huge chunks. Just 2 of these fellas were all it took to completely cover the spoon’s surface. The sauce was light and gently seasoned, while the meat had a great consistency and tasted fresh. When eaten together, it was an orchestra of deliciousness.

The Prawn Steamed Rice Roll (S$5) was stuffed with plump, springy prawns that will definitely appeal to seafood fans. I know some of you might violently protest (I had one next to me), but the slivers of spring onions actually add a touch of freshness to the ensemble.

The sambal by the side tasted as if there was a ton of dried shrimp added in — full of umami goodness. It also packed a significant amount of heat, which made my forehead shiny due to the beads of sweat that pushed their way through my pores.

My jaw dropped when I was served the Watercress and Fish Congee (S$6.50) — its portion was a cut above the rest. The congee was crowned with fine ginger strips, peanuts and golden wanton skin crackers. To lower its temperature, I gave it a good mix, revealing the rest of the hidden goodies in the process.

The congee’s consistency appeared thick initially, but after a while, it started to get slightly more runny. My dining partner, who treats ginger like her worst enemy, was complaining that the ginger flavour was slightly too robust. On the other hand, the 2 of us who didn’t mind it, felt that it was a refreshing and necessary addition to make it less cloying.

Besides slices of fish that were firm and fresh, there were also bits of watercress to help fufill my daily vegetable intake.

I’ve always spotted chee cheong fun with peanut sauce being featured everywhere, but I never had the chance to try it — until that day!

Besides the usual brown gravy beneath, a house-made peanut sauce, made with blended roasted sesame and peanut, was artfully drizzled on top of the Plain Steamed Rice Roll (S$3.20).

The combination of the slithery-smooth rice roll with the nutty sauce worked so well — why on earth did I not try this sooner? It was SOOOOOO good!

Adding the sambal was a hit-or-miss experience. As a peanut lover, I felt that the shrimpiness overpowered everything, whereas my dining partner enjoyed it.

The last dish, the Pork Ribs and Century Eggs Congee (S$5) was almost too good to be true — the amount of ingredients doesn’t justify the price. There were 3 meatballs, 3 pork ribs and century egg bits with the same garnishes as the earlier one.

The pork ribs were decent, though I wished they were a tad softer. The meatballs, I’ll admit, looked pretty ordinary — but they blew me away. Soft and flavourful, the round orbs reminded me of my Peranakan grandmother’s bakwan.

This combination was also slightly richer compared to the Watercress and Fish Congee, due to the creaminess of the century eggs and absence of ginger.

Final thoughts

To savour Chef Leung’s congee and painstakingly crafted chee cheong fun — an 8-year labour of love — I would advise you to arrive before 9am just for the congee to avoid disappointment.

For a great breakfast fix, head down to Chinatown today and say hi to the trio. In my personal opinion, I believe that Chef Leung’s CCF is probably one of the best versions you can find on our sunny (nowadays rainy) shores.

Expected damage: S$3.20 – S$6.50 per pax

The post Chef Leung’s Authentic Hand-Milled Rice Noodle Rolls: Raffles Hotel ex-chef dishes out wrinkly chee cheong fun & loaded congee appeared first on SETHLUI.com.