中泰小食 Zhong Tai: Hidden zi char stall with black pepper Hokkien mee & mermaid eggplant in Woodlands

I explored the residential area in Woodlands opposite Woods Square in search of 中泰小食 Zhong Tai, a zi char stall that was recommended to us by one of our readers of Sethlui.com. Ironically, I didn’t expect to be back at the same neighbourhood where my partner and I usually park the car to explore Causeway Point.

I was on Google Maps, searching for the coffee shop and suddenly… there it was, right in front of me. It was rather elusive and located below a multi-storey carpark; it’s no wonder I hadn’t noticed its existence till that day.

中泰小食 Zhong Tai has been in operation for the past 7 years and the menu offers a wide spread of zi char dishes. I had a tough time deciding on my food as there were so many options.

What I tried at 中泰小食 Zhong Tai

If you’ve been reading my articles, you’d notice that I always try to order the non-conventional menu items. I spotted K.L Hokkien Mee (S$6.50/S$11/S$14) on the menu, but I found it boring since it’s gaining popularity everywhere.

So as an alternative, I went for the Dried Fried Hokkien Mee with Black Pepper (S$6.50/S$11/S$14) instead. The S$6.50 portion is sufficient for 2 pax if you order other dishes as well.

The fat udon-like noodles were stir fried with prawns, fishcake, pork slices, tau geh, cabbage, egg and garnished with slices of lettuce.

The noodles had a nice underlying spiciness and aroma coming from the fine specks of black pepper which were clinging onto the dough surfaces; it also possessed a slight sweetness at the end. From what I know from my experience, I suspect they use a pre-mix black pepper sauce to stir fry this dish.

While the wok hei was hardly noticeable, I found the noodles to be absolutely delicious, and the ample gravy coated all the ingredients perfectly.

The stall didn’t skimp on the ingredients; the slices of pork, prawns and bits of fishcake were all substantial and fresh. The dish was a breath of fresh air compared to the usual plates of KL Hokkien mee I’ve eaten.

The next dish that I tried had a cute name— Mei Ren Yu Eggplant (S$12); it translates to mermaid in Chinese!  It consisted of deep-fried eggplant strips and dried sole fish stir fried with dried chilli, curry leaves and slices of lemongrass.

When I picked up the pieces of eggplant, they actually resembled mermaid tails. But after discovering the pieces of dried sole fish (deep-fried) that were tossed together, I knew that the dish name was derived from these small crispy fellas (mei ren yu fish).

You’ll be greeted by 2 waves of crispiness hitting you one after another. Firstly, the eggplant pieces had a solid crunchy exterior but still maintained a slight fluffiness within. Next, the pieces of dried sole fish had a crackling effect to them; both were ASMR-worthy!

The slight sweetness coming from the rock sugar honey glaze was satisfying, and the fried curry leaves and dried chilli enhanced the piquancy even further.

We then moved on to the Dry Curry with Pork (S$12). There were slices of pork with onions, tomatoes, curry leaves and lemongrass doused in curry. I was surprised that the dry curry turned out to be an oasis rather than a desert with the amount of gravy that I could scoop up.

The pork slices were tenderised to death and the curry had a prominent and aromatic flavour profile that immediately awakened my taste buds. The blend of tomato chunks, curry leaves and lemongrass created a symphony of tastes which uplifted the dish.

The last dish we tried was the Chinese Sausage Omelette (S$7). It was just a basic open-faced Chinese-style omelette with slices of Chinese sausage lying on top of large pieces of lettuce.

The omelette itself was fluffy and moist, providing a delicate canvas for the flavours of the Chinese sausage to shine. It wasn’t an overly complex dish but had a comforting and nostalgic taste which reminded me of my late grandmother’s home-cooked food.

Final thoughts

I had a great time sharing a zi char meal with my dining partners.

We relished the family-style dishes and it sparked our curiosity about the flavours of their other offerings. I guess we shall find out next time.

Expected damage: S$5 – S$11 per pax

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