Singaporean who frequented the old National Library at Stamford Road will no stranger with this wanton mee stall which clocked more than 40 of those years at the old hawker center in front of the library. Nam Seng Noodle House, the actual name of the old National Library wonton mee stall, is a noodle restaurant that has over 50 years of history.

On our #FoodInLoveSINGAPORE trip, we visited Nam Seng Noodle House which now located on the first floor of Far East Square. There are no seating arrangements inside the shop but there is a row of alfresco-styled tables by the side of the building where you can have your wanton mee.

Upon reaching the shop, you’ll see an old lady sitting right in front at the counter who shouts your order to the ladies behind her who promptly prepared my noodles while she collects the payment from you. She is Leong Yuet Meng, a 90-year-old grandma who’s still getting up every day at 4am to prepare and sell wanton mee at Nam Seng  Noodle House for 60 years. We think she is the oldest working hawker that we have ever met.

The story of Nam Seng Noodle House is not apart from grandma Leong, who used to handle much of Nam Seng’s operations on her own, from housekeeping, slicing char siew, making wantons, taking orders, and so on. Nowadays, she’s got a fair amount of younger staff helping out at her stall, but this by no means has led to her slowing down, as she’s still actively cooking and serving up her decades-perfected dish with a smile.

For almost 50 years, Nam Seng Noodle House has been serving signature Cantonese dishes to many. Their signature dish, Wanton Noodle (云吞面) is a must-try for those who miss wanton noodles from the good old days. Other signature dishes include Venison Hor Fun (鹿肉河粉) and Shrimp Dumpling (水餃面／汤). So if this stall has survived for 60 years, it must be good right?

Wanton Noodle

If you are a Wanton Mee lover, then this is certainly one stall to add onto your list. Their signature wanton noodle is served with succulent BBQ pork on tangy egg noodle together with a bowl of home-made wanton soup. You will not be impressed since the noodles nook quite plain and the fluorescent red char siew, dry and unappetizing. However, when you take your first mouthful of the noodles, you would be rewarded with a great tasting noodle and a secret sauce which will make you stop and wonder.

Taste wise, some may not like this because the sauce is not like your typical wanton mee. Made with vegetable oil, salt, sesame oil, and some secret ingredients, it somewhat salty, but very tasty which blends almost perfectly with the noodles. Each plate of noodles is accompanied by a bowl of wanton soup, and the wantons are really good with generously stuffed with meat.

Venison Hor Fun

Besides Wanton Mee, the other dish that’s also very famous is Venison Hor Fun, a dish with wide rice noodles with a slippery texture topped with a thick sauce. The twist of using tender slices of venison instead of beef in the black bean and pepper sauce is interesting. The taste was superb. Hor fun was velvety smooth and very soft. The venison meat is tender and has soaked up the thick, savory gravy really well. It’s almost impossible not to finish slurping down the last mouthful of gravy.

Overall, it’s a fact that Nam Seng’s noodles have the best bite with the simplest, cleanest, sesame seed oil dressing and the juiciest bite size wantons. We heard the queue during lunch hour can be crazy, so it’s best to arrive earlier. Nam Seng also offers soy sauce chicken noodle, seafood hor fun, and another hot favorite, fried rice. Grandma Leong once said, “The stall is my lifeblood. I get the greatest satisfaction from customers returning to look for me and eat my food.” So next time you pop by Far East Square and you see a grandma skilfully making wanton mee, order it and savor it, you’re enjoying a 60-year-old legacy!

How to getting there:
By MRT: Take Exit B of Telok Ayer Station

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Nam Seng Noodle House

Far East Square
25 China St, #01-01
Singapore 049567

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri (8 AM – 9 PM)
Sat (8 AM – 3 PM)
Closed on Sunday & Public Holidays

Telp: +65 6438 5669

How to getting there:
By MRT: Take Exit B of Telok Ayer Station

MAP

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