Fried White Carrot Cake from Chey Sua Carrot Cake (青山菜頭粿).
Located in Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre (#02-30), this humble shop has actually been listed in Singapore Michelin Bib Gourmand for consecutive years since its first edition. Started in 1950 as a pushcart business by Mr Tay Hoe Seng, it has operated from its corner since 1973, now run by his daughters since 1991. They only have the white version on their menu, giving me high hopes on their standards, and my anticipation peaked when my buzzer rang for my collection.
Taste: 8/10. Generously scattered with ingredients and spices, it resulted in a nicely balanced flavour full of umami. Their chili is made with a secret in-house recipe, adding a sweet and mildly spicy note which made me not miss the black version as much. It was also well fried for some crisp areas for a bitter note, further elevated by the smokiness of the wokhei. It was quite oily, which might come off too much for bigger portions, but thankfully still acceptable in my $2.50 serving.
Texture: 9/10. They are one of the few remaining shops who still make their own radish cake, preparing them in aluminium molds and cutting and collating them in a larger container. Their effort shows in the soft and smooth texture of the cake, also helped by their smaller sizes. This contrasts the crunch from not only the preserved radish, but also fine orange carrot strips, something not all stalls offer. Egg only covers one side of the block, making it thin and crisp to round off the array of textures in each bite
Overall: 8.5/10. Retaining the same recipe from their father, the owners have also managed to maintain standards and serve this gem of a dish. Their accolades are definitely well deserved, and made my early morning hunt well worth it. This perfectly shows the beauty of our hawker culture, letting us enjoy Michelin food at extremely reasonable prices. Prices do not always justify the quality of food, in this case, quality experienced the injustice.
The prices and opening hours may vary.