Bei-Ing Wanton Mee’s 3rd-Gen Hawker Opens New Stall, Sells Char Siew Don & Chicken Katsu Noodles

While many next-generation hawkers aspire to elevate their family trade through deliberate business planning, Ray Yeo’s expansion of his family’s wonton mee stall has been somewhat serendipitous. The 29-year-old’s father is the owner of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodles, a popular stall that has been operating in the kopitiam of Roxy Square 1 in Katong since 1984, after taking over the business from his aunt, the original founder whom the stall is named after.

Last September, Ray opened Bei-Ing Wanton Mee at hawker-bar The Bullion, also in the Katong area. This marks the first expansion for the stall. “It wasn’t planned at all. I was very comfortable working at Roxy, with the short working hours (the Roxy stall is open from 11am to 4pm) and air-con environment,” admits the young hawker, sheepishly. Ray has been helping out at his family’s stall since he was 18. 

At his new venture, Ray brings modern touches to the menu with fusion fare like Japanese-style rice bowls and fried wonton with mentaiko, on top of the usual wonton mee. Prices for the signature noodles are the same at both outlets.

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Drawn by the chill vibe of his new digs

Ray was a regular patron at The Bullion, a bright and modern kopitiam along East Coast Road, a five-minute drive away from his family stall. “I always come here to chill and drink, and I used to say [jokingly] that if there’s a stall available here, I’d like to take it because I like the vibe here.” What was said in jest quickly became a reality when a unit was available for lease last July. After a quick discussion with his business partner Jean Ong, 29, the duo decided to go for it. “We didn’t have a formal plan. We just thought ok lah, just try.”

Ray and Jean met when they were enrolled at Republic Polytechnic’s Restaurant and Culinary Operations diploma course. “He dropped out after the first year because he didn’t want to study anymore. He said he wanted to go back to help his parents,” quips Jean. “It was too much theory! I prefer hands-on work,” admits Ray.

Both owners have F&B experience

While Ray has been working at the Roxy stall for over a decade, Jean, too, boasts experience in F&B. She completed a six-month internship at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa’s western kitchen as well as a brief pastry stint at Atlas, a swanky bar and lounge that serves mod European bites. Jean has also worked at the Roxy stall as a part-timer for the past four years while helping out at her mum’s joss paper business. 

“I like cooking, but I didn’t want to work in restaurants. It was too tiring and the pay was too low,” says the candid hawker. The pair opened Bei-Ing Wanton Mee eight months ago with their own savings. Business-wise, the new stall is run separately from the original outlet, though the young hawkers tell us that Ray’s family members frequently drop by to help out after closing their Roxy stall at 4pm. Ray will eventually take over the family’s business one day.

Felt guilty about leaving the Roxy stall

Initially, Ray was conflicted about leaving his family’s joint to open a new outlet. The hawker cooked all of the noodle dishes at the Roxy stall while his mum took care of elements like the house-made char siew and dumplings. Raymond’s dad, who’s “not a cook”, takes orders – a boisterous affair thanks to Mr Yeo’s iconic booming voice while calling out queue numbers. 

“I didn’t know if my parents could cope if I left. We found it very hard to hire someone to help – we tried to hire a few helpers but it didn’t work out,” says Ray. The issue was finally solved when Ray’s younger brother, who’s 24, stepped up as a full-time assistant to prepare the ingredients, like frying wonton, while his mother took over the noodle items.

“They have no plans to retire yet,” he adds. “Our original intention was to open a standalone place together, but uncle [Mr Yeo] doesn’t want to leave Roxy Square. He’s scared that regulars won’t be able to find him if we move,” shares Jean.

Ray and Jean remain open to the idea of opening a bigger location someday. For now, their focus is on running the new outlet. Business has been pretty good – we’re told the stall sells over 100 orders of wonton mee on busy days.

Warm, friendly service here too

With his full-sleeve tattoos, giant plug earrings and chunky silver bling, Ray’s punk rock appearance may seem intimidating at first glance. Don’t be fooled, though – behind the mask is a jovial lad who’s just as friendly as his chatty, outgoing father.

The bubbly Jean is also seen greeting customers cheerfully, on top of her other duties like roasting char siew – a skill that she picked up from Mrs Yeo during her part-time days – and preparing all the sides and rice dishes. Ray continues to helm the noodle station at the new stall.

The menu

The menu here is much more extensive than Roxy’s, with over 20 items to choose from. Besides signature noodles like wonton mee and shrimp dumpling noodles, which are also available at the original outlet, you can find exclusive dishes such as Japanese-style rice bowls topped with char siew or chicken katsu, and sides like mentaiko fried wonton and spicy shrimp dumplings. Prices range from $5 for wonton mee to $9 for a chicken katsu don.

Mentaiko Fried Wonton, $6 for nine pcs

Bei-Ing’s beloved fried wontons get a trendy makeover with squiggles of house-made mentaiko (pollock roe) mayo, seaweed and bonito flakes. Filled with minced pork, the golden wrappers are incredibly crackly and carry the fancy fixings well. A tasty side to have with your meal, or as a snack on its own.

Chicken Katsu Noodle, $8 (8 DAYS Pick!)

Quite the spectacle when served, this dish comes with Japanese-style panko-coated fried chicken – based on a recipe from Jean’s uncle, who used to own a Japanese pub in Harbourfront – and creamy house-made sauce with truffle oil and mayo. The mee kia, artfully twirled around chopsticks, is dressed with a small dollop of sambal on top of the signature wonton mee black sauce.

We were concerned that the dish may be too heavy, but were pleasantly surprised to find that the flavours are well-balanced. The crispy, juicy cutlet is drizzled with tangy tonkatsu sauce (a Japanese-style condiment that contains Worcestershire sauce), which cuts through the richness, while the fiery sambal gives the chewy noodles a moreish quality that pairs well with the fried chook.

Spicy Shrimp Dumpling, $6 for five pcs

Silky and tender with a springy nugget of prawn and pork filling, the dumplings are bathed in a classic chilli-vinegar dressing topped with aromatic sesame seeds and scallion. A simple but satisfying dish.

Char Siew Don, $8 (8 DAYS Pick!)

Think of this as an upgraded version of char siew rice rather than a traditional Japanese-style chashu don. Thick-cut caramelised pork, roasted daily at the stall, is served with short-grain rice doused in a sweet, sticky char siew sauce and topped with seaweed flakes, shredded red pepper and scallion. The meat is on the leaner side, but still moist and tender. Blowtorched before serving, the pork has a fantastic, deep smoky flavour.

Wonton Noodle, from $5 (8 DAYS Pick!)

Glossy, springy noodles are strewn with barbecued pork, cai xin and a mix of fried and boiled wontons (the latter is served in soup). Crispy pork lard and green chilli are available at the self-service counter next to the stall. The sweet-savoury sauce is considerably darker than most local wonton mee’s. It’s a bit similar to Malaysian-style tossed noodles, which is generous on the dark soy sauce, but less heavy-handed on the lard compared to our neighbour’s.

The signature dark soy-smeared plating is still found here (Ray started it in 2018 to introduce “something special” at the Roxy stall) – the young hawkers tell us Mrs Yeo has stopped serving wonton mee this way after their departure as “she doesn’t have time [to do so]”.

It’s no surprise that the wonton mee here tastes the same as what we last had at the Roxy stall, given that the same cook (Ray) was at the helm back then. The noodles are cooked perfectly, with an al dente bite, and the robust, sauce-laden plate will suit those with heavier palates.

Bottom line

This new-gen hawker has the chops for cooking both traditional wonton mee and fun fusion items like the chicken katsu noodles and char siew don. Ray’s modern plating style imbues the dishes with a restaurant-quality flair in a hawker setting. Meat items, like the char siew and fried chicken, are well executed and the noodles cooked perfectly – no surprise, given his decade of training at Bei-Ing’s HQ at Roxy Square. Tip: there’s less of a crowd for now at this newer outlet, if you want to avoid the lunchtime queues at the original stall.

The details 

Bei-Ing Wanton Mee is at The Bullion Hawker Bar, 396 East Coast Rd, S428994. Open daily except Thur, 11am - 8.45pm. Facebook Instagram

 

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Photos: Alvin Teo