I met and spoken to (2nd brother) Mr Tang on several occasions in my course of work. He is one of those sticks to tradition. He shared with me that his attention to detail (i.e., supplies that come in daily) is similar if not higher than Sushi Chefs. He is a true professional and one that is approachable. After watching this video, I will visit and buy him a bottle of wine again. =)
Lousy answer from the hong lim branch. As a franchise owner, it js your responsibility to ensure consistency through audits, training, and SOP. If u cant ensure, then dont expand so fast. Affects your brand
Funny how his response is "give them (i.e. the franchise chefs/owners) some time". As consumers, if we have a bad experience why on earth would we keep going back to the same place patiently waiting for it to one day reach a high quality standard. This is our time and money we're using to gamble on whether it'll be a hit or miss...
No pride in his grandfather's legacy and no understanding of the value of the Bib Gourmand. He will lose the Bib Gourmand. End of any confusion - along with that is his reputation. His uncle's approach will at least safeguard his reputation.
thank you CNA for this rather, interesting "Food Feud" series. drama & rivalry is evident in this industry. reminds me of the classic HK movie, Chicken & Duck Talk. keep the show going, CNA!
One Tai Wah stall opened near my mother's place in woodlands. Gained a quick following but then quickly lost it again when the cooks kept rotating and the quality fluctuates WILDLY. Closed within 6 months, IIRC
Loving this new series! Was surprised to see 'Tai Wah' popping up in heartland coffeeshops (and thought it was the original Crawford Lane one). A very interesting way to learn about our food heritage as well :)
Feels like its Adidas and Puma and the Dasslers. People will have their own preferences for the noodles, one opted for keeping one branch to maintain consistency, one opened several branches to ensure survivability. The one who prides himself with consistency now has the challenge to find a successor who can do it consistently. The one who expanded now has the challenge of standardizing the flavor. This should be an eye opener for both. If they dont adjust, both of them will not survive. I used to eat at a decent chinese restaurant which was great. Opened a couple more branches and the quality suffered. They went bankrupt after a couuple of years. Good luck to both.
Tai Hwa beats Tai Wah hands down. Some of the chain shops of Tai Wah suck so bad. The cook takes their own sweet time to cook and yes, the quality varies a lot in a bad way. Tai Wah is of course not too bad, but compared to Tai Hwa, I can clearly taste why one has the ONLY street food Star in SG. Tai Hwa at $10 is of course steep for street food SG pricing. but I will pay for this anytime over Tai Wah. Sorry to the female food taster. you might need to change job/title if you say that you are not able to tell the difference for a blind test.
It really seems that their business strategy is to serve customers and cook food at a glacial pace so that they can maintain a queue as much as possible. Pretty sneaky tactic.
Who cares about Michelin-starred hawker? We don't need westerners to tell us what is considered good and what is considered bad. Trust your tastebud people, and we should treasure our hawker food regardless of their accreditation so long as their food is tasty and affordable to the common folks.
a friend of mine went to a michelin-starred restaurant in hong kong and he said 'nothing impressive' ...There are too too many eateries offer very delicious foods with no michelin star .
It matters for the hawkers as it's an accreditation of their skills and dedication to their food. It also brings more business to them which is what matters most to them.
@@Mew77778 Honored in Europe. But westerners dont know food taste and culture in other continents. They only stubbornly force others to follow their culture and taste.
This is exactly what happened to Hawker Chan. They opened so many franchises that they can't maintain the quality and consistency. The original branch still ok, but ALL THE OTHERS were abysmal, including the LONDON branch nonsense.
Tanjong Pagar hawker upstair, opp soya bean stall, that minced pork noodle, is one of the best, no need to waste life queuing or spending exp amount to eat
When I visited Sg in 2019, my Singaporean friend brought me to Tai Hwa n he queued for almost an hour to b served, pretty good but no matter how good or Michelin Stars, I would queue that long for it…The Bedok, block 85 or 89 is pretty good too.
I used to work at Bestway Building and Tai Wah was our favourite stall there. The son still looks the same after all these years, respect to him and his parents for working in that hot kitchen those days. I'm happy with the many outlets so it's easier to eat and happy that their hard work has paid off. Quite surprised that they are still running their own stall at Hong Lim, thought jackpot and retire liao hehe..
At the end of the day, a Michelin star is nothing more than a suggestion of where to eat. Whether you will come back as a regular customer still depends on your enjoyment of the food (or not).
The last time I visited the Crawford lane stall , the mee pok was abit hard and the sauce was bland . Queued 30 mins for the hong lim stall once and it was my last time . Very ordinary taste . Nowadays, my go to BCM is MacPherson minced noodles .
i didnt know there were two different stalls, they all sound the same to me! watching this vid makes me wanna have BCM so baddd now i'm gonna try both versions to have my own verdict!!
With a dish like bcm, variations confirm will exist, unless u use robots to make it. You want perfrct consistency, it will be like Macds. I am in f&b for 12 years and for me i am glad to see the expansion of tai wah. When a craving hits, the convenience of a nearby outlet instead of travelling across the island is also a factor to take into account.
As a European tried several Michelin star restaurants around the world, there is nothing wow about them except the price. You can always find better and cheaper options elsewhere
I think that is dramatic. Been to Michelin starred restaurants that happen to be ranked top 50-100 in the world in Singapore and the US. Have had great experiences even at 1* restaurants.
Thanks for clarifying this for us normal consumers CNA! The original shops run directly by the owners are for sure still the best. I had the franchise one at Bendemeer few times, the ingredients are fixed so can't really go wrong, but the noodles really big difference. Admittedly though, running so many stalls is never easy. We understand also lah.
Deserves all praise for the passion and commitment for staying true to the original recipe with traditional ingredients giving the authentic favours which only old customers could tell despite changing manufacturing styles. Home made fish cakes, fish balls, chopped scallions or spring onions will give the extra "oomph. Even the using established soya sauce, vinegar, pepper and salt will add the extra favours to it instead of the cheaper ones.
Honestly CNA giving too much emphasis about Michelin Stars. Let's be clear, Michelin is no longer as prestigious as it once was backs in the 90s or 2000s. If a hawker vendor can have a star, and a fine dining restaurant like Poise or Labyrinth can also have a star, honestly what's the value of the stars or what is it worth ? Putting that aside, BCM is indeed a dish close to every local's heart. Especially it's one of the very few dishes that we did not copy from Malaysia, and it's only unique to Singapore.
michelin star and "feud" aside, there really is no such thing as bad press, no? this video serves both parties well.... as to the quality, "tai hwa" and "tai wah" are very similar on their best days..... but in all honesty, they are equally hit and miss..... but if i really had to pick, i give up on tai wah and its branches.... the staff are not properly trained, food quality varies by a wild margin and the portions including quality also swings wildly.... i guess that is the price you pay when you expand rapidly and not give a crap about maintaining quality. i am quite lucky because my wife's relatives happen to stay in the same block as tai hwa crawford lane.... i cannot count the amount of bowls i have eaten for the past 20+ years.... there can be variations in quality and the chilli does taste different from batch to batch (to be fair, not wild variations by any means), but the lard is consistently fresh.... i cannot really remember ever having rancid lard from tai hwa... the precious sole fish bits are also a highlight.... it is however pretty pricey ($12+ fully loaded?), portions are nothing to write home about, but it is what it is if you want to partake in the long queues.... i for one cannot be really bothered because they are not really the best in quality vs price point in my opinion... of course, tai hwa is no slouch and their noodles are easily among the top 10 in recognitionm but there are better variations out there, really depends on personal taste. case in point: if you do not like vinegar and decide to leave it out (which many people do), then tai hwa will be a very normal bowl of $5 noodles that you paid $12 for.... having said that, the chain store tai wah is somewhat a disappointment... they too charge a pretty penny for their noodles, but the quality consistency is loads worse.... the main problem is cooking inconsistencies..... a tai wah branch popped up in hougang green and let me tell you, the anticipation was palpable among the clients.... by another stroke of luck, i myself lived right beside hougang green. when it first opened, the queue was al least 20 people deep at any one time, the queues form about 30mins before the stall is even ready! they had like 7 people working, pumping out noodles.... people fought and quarreled over alleged queue jumping, the delivery guys were taking away 15-20 portions an order.... simply chaos.... didn't last though.... stall shut down after about a year.... and they really deserved it. the crowds dwindled to nearly nothing... the food quality got so atrocious as business continued to dwindle in a downward spiral.... they would skip giving out the beloved sole fish.... i have never seen such complete looking pieces from tai wah as in this video.... the bits i always got looked like fido already had a go at it.... they strangely took a lot of care weighing out itty bitty noodle portions but they had no control when it came to the consistency of sauces... they essentially did whatever they wanted.... one day it was very sour, another day there may be nearly no vinegar at all.... ingredients portions would vary, the lard can sometimes be flaccid and rancid... i also tried the other branches after this one shut down..... also inconsistent. the hong lim branch is the only decent one.... the rest are like poor facsimiles at best. ironically, i empathize with tai wah..... it is really not easy to run a food stall.... it is a daily battle between quality of ingredients delivered, whether your employees woke up from the right side of the bed that day, whether the methods and processes were strictly followed or their "experienced cooks" reverted to their own methods just because..... this is all happening in one stall, let alone a bunch of outlets... but since it is my hard earned money, i would be a lot less forgiving if i paid $10+ for a sub-par bowl of passionless noodles that i could have gotten anywhere else for half the price. as a consumer, i can only vote with my wallet.
I ate the one at Hong Lim, one inside Boon Keng, and of cos Lane Crawford. Definitely there is difference. I personally prefer Lane Crawford. And I started eating when he was at Marina Sq, and the brother at end of Shenton Way.
At the Hong Lim stall, I had only patronise once after watching the workers chatting and taking their time to prepare customers' orders. No wonder the queue is long because of the waiting time. One can argue that to maintain their standard, food must be prepared well. For this stall, I beg to differ because the worker's time is spent chattering.
Do you think there is a significant enough difference between the other few hundred BCM stalls and these two (original) stalls? Such long queues... I guess I would like to try it, but I can't see myself waiting so long for noodles 2-3 times a week.
I have always eaten both at Crawford as well as Hong Lim, and both are consistently cooked to high standards. I was excited when outlets started opening in the heartlands but alas, the standards are nowhere close. The one at Lorong Ah Soo is the worst - I concur completely with the food bloggers' findings there.
Clear differences but then interestingly saying it is similar due to the amount of pork balls and dumplings given. Isn’t the same price so same amount for each stall?
Personally got to encounter Tai Wah (High Street)'s owner during my F&B stint as they were considering to enter the food court market instead of hawker stalls/coffee shops. He's a terribly cocky fella for someone who tries so hard to copy his uncle. Just lucky his uncle made their recipe famous. The uncle was also very tolerant of him and you can see his skirting around the topic of his relationship with his uncle while his dad, noticeably, having zero comment about his brother because he would probably just spilled the beans.
That would be against the narrative of this show. It's called Food Feud. But as the Hong Lim stall owner said they each do their own business and there is no bad blood between them.
One is about keeping quality and tradition, other is about earning money. Every item is carefully prepared and each process is deliberate. Quite obvious, especially with so many subpar outlets.
not sure how a food writer can't tell the difference between the two establishments. I'm not a food writer and even i can tell the difference. the vinegar alone is a dead giveaway.
Crawford lane is better hands down. In fact, I remember a franchise of Tai Wah at the airport many years ago serving a bak chor mee that was possibly one of the saddest bak chor mee... Their quality control has improved in recent years, but still not quite the same as Tai Hwa for sure. But good enough, let me go get my fix!
there used to be Ah Kow mushroom minced pork Mee in Hong Lim center, it’s my best ever BCM, sad the stall is still there but completely different taste, so sad, this is the one I miss most in Swiss
Been eating only from marina square to Crawford lane, funny I never ate when at hill st. I hope their relationship doesn’t end just over the business. The experts know which is which, nothing to worry about.
in hong lim hawker second floor there's a laksa stall with michelin guide stickers for 5 years but the laksa was below average. Tried on 2 different occasions, broth equally bland. So michelin doesn't mean good
Mr Tang of Tai Hwa BCM is the truly original one. I used to live 1 street away from their kopitiam stall back facing S’pore River in Hill Str & would eat there weekly with my parents. Back then Mr Tang was a young man & many rich customers would come in big luxurious cars. Waiting time was already like 1h.
A lot of Tai Wah franchises cannot make it. They open then closed. Plus the noodles is too little. And the prices are on the high side for HDB estate. They came to AMK Blk 347, closed down already.
There are quite a lot of Michelin stars for small shops and restaurants in Hong Kong, 1 such is Tsim Chai Kee Noodles for its famous won ton short soup noodles in Wellington Street, Central, anyone going to Hong Kong must try, cheap too, affordable, 4 years of Michelin Stars, not just 1 Michelin star. Proud of
Rmb eating this at chinatown, for a hawker food the price was ridiculous, noodle was abit more vinegary compared to other bak chor mee, but soso only. The price was really a turn off for me, i think $6,$7,$8, add noodle was an additional $2 😅
One branch opened at AMK and at first the standard was good, but the 2nd time and last time I went they got progressively worse. Especially with the rotating staff, the last cook was a female china cook who cooked the worst mee pok I ever tasted. The soup ended tasting watered down. True enough, less than several months the place closed down. The prices are steep which I don't mind if the food is good, but this lack of quality control in the pursuit of profits is awful!
In any case, given that hawker stall rentals at SEHCs have skyrocketed and SEHCs have used “Ah Long” style of management operating these hawker stalls, as revealed by Mr Seetoh
Tai Wah let down Tai Hwa. Full stop. One is to make money, one is to preserve the recipe. The Michelin star is well deserved, Maybe the Bib Gourmand one need to pluck out.
The best part is that if the hawker fails to pay the $600 “consulting fee” in time, he will be charged 12% interest or “such higher rate as may be determined from time to time by the Consultant” for any outstanding amount owed
For whatever reasons, the chef always undercooked the pork for ba chor mee - like maybe 90% cooked. You can still see the reddish part of the meat. The pork liver is also about 90% cooked as well. I assumed the remainder is supposed to be cooked from the hot soup. That fine if you have a strong stomach else you will be visiting the washroom in due time.
Not everyone is agreeable to the title of the best because not all taste buds or preferences are the same. Have your own judgement from the various recommendations. Why have feud over advertisement claiming authenticity, instead you can only advertise your product and locations. It have been proven wrong that the best recommended may not be the best in your opinion. So don't buy the idea from advertisement or word of the mouth, try it yourself. Such claim of been the originator or authentic must first given proof before advertisement, this also avoid false claim. Any act of false claim should subject to some form of breaking the law punishment. Finally, do not let advertisement or claim drown your own good food judgement, only until you try it.
Ate the one at Hong Lim. Not bad, brings back good memories of another teochew style BCM. Wished the sauce was stronger. To be fair, I bought takeaway so probably it affected the taste
The Toa payoh outlet was pretty bad.. the vinegar taste is too mild for my liking there's obvious lack of standard in his franchise . What his uncle did was right. My honest opinion Tai Hwa still better Tai Wah but the queue is just way too long.
This story is slightly different outcome as compared with the Ang Ku Kueh story. Appreciate the 2nd Uncle who is not too bothered with his nephew approach. Though he subtly hinted that for BCM purist, one would be able to taste the difference. The nephew however responded that it takes time for his staff to maintain or keep the branding standard... to me ....is somewhat lack professionalism and pride to his grandfather's brand. He allows franchising but I believe he didn't bother much to keep the consistency of his franchisee. In time to come, the brand will suffer.
very obvious that the younger chap is more business-minded and out to leverage the famous brand name to make more money - he even has outlets at the airport which is quite impressive. he must be making quite a bit of money to afford the rent for so many locations. but to be honest, i cannot blame him. if i had the opportunity i would do the same.
“They (social enterprises) operate the new hawker centres like a hard core commercial Food Court management system. Hence, I am seeing some issues that raises some concerns,” Mr Seetoh said.
actually its expected, you give 10 chefs same recipes to 10 chefs and ask them to cook, versus 10 customers with different palates and also mood of the day. imho, once a stall gets a star / bib, taste would change, unless you have same chef cooking everyday but not possible lol
That is why everyone is on their case. Tai wah nephew only started to expand rapidly after his uncle's success. Everyone knew he is riding on his uncle's coat tail.
Most of the franchisees of the Hong Lim Park Hawker Centre one (Michelin Bib Gourmand) serves terrible noodles. Overcooked and mushy. Michelin Star is like Singapore Airlines. Michelin Bib Gourmand is like Scoot. I don't know why Sinkies are so silly to be confused by the two.
there's no battle, both sucks, people need to wake up their idea on what is a bowl of bcm, not some noodle douse in vinegar. I stay quite near Tai hwa, ate at their stall once every 2-3 years, because i always thought my judgement was the issue and there cant be such a long queue if it doesnt taste good, and this was long before they got their michelin. Every. Single. Time. It. Is. Disappointing. Even when it's cooked by the owner. My friend stays at the block right above the stall, i think he ate it once in 10 years, quite sure people living in the area are amused by people queuing for it.
Tai Hwa is WOW, special. Many other noodles can beat Tai Wah in one aspect or another and Tai Wah can similarly beat them …..just different ,above average noodles.
Tai Wah - the timing of the expansion, the lack of quality, how the current owner explains or doesn’t explain, I think we can all have our own analysis but likely come to same conclusion. Come on….even the Hong Lim stall is inconsistent and lacking in some areas. But that’s money talking. Tai Hwa - my 1 thought after decades of eating is that he doesn’t give enough credit to his helper. I believe he meant his son when he refers to the third generation but his son is still quite far in standard from the helper and in my 3 decades eating, 80% of the time, it’s the helper cooking….maybe just my luck.
![VENEZUELA vs. ARGENTINA [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SJfoPdeOPCQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I met and spoken to (2nd brother) Mr Tang on several occasions in my course of work. He is one of those sticks to tradition. He shared with me that his attention to detail (i.e., supplies that come in daily) is similar if not higher than Sushi Chefs. He is a true professional and one that is approachable. After watching this video, I will visit and buy him a bottle of wine again. =)
Thanks for having us! Really appreciate the opportunity to share our take on Bak Chor Mee!❤❤
Lousy answer from the hong lim branch. As a franchise owner, it js your responsibility to ensure consistency through audits, training, and SOP. If u cant ensure, then dont expand so fast. Affects your brand
Exactly, only looking for fast profits and losing the family's reputation. Sad.
And he act blur still call his uncle,”why the advertisement?” Lolx
He should go take a franchise management course or learn Starbucks or KFC how they manage their food quality
Funny how his response is "give them (i.e. the franchise chefs/owners) some time". As consumers, if we have a bad experience why on earth would we keep going back to the same place patiently waiting for it to one day reach a high quality standard. This is our time and money we're using to gamble on whether it'll be a hit or miss...
No pride in his grandfather's legacy and no understanding of the value of the Bib Gourmand. He will lose the Bib Gourmand. End of any confusion - along with that is his reputation. His uncle's approach will at least safeguard his reputation.
thank you CNA for this rather, interesting "Food Feud" series. drama & rivalry is evident in this industry. reminds me of the classic HK movie, Chicken & Duck Talk. keep the show going, CNA!
One Tai Wah stall opened near my mother's place in woodlands. Gained a quick following but then quickly lost it again when the cooks kept rotating and the quality fluctuates WILDLY.
Closed within 6 months, IIRC
Loving this new series! Was surprised to see 'Tai Wah' popping up in heartland coffeeshops (and thought it was the original Crawford Lane one). A very interesting way to learn about our food heritage as well :)
Feels like its Adidas and Puma and the Dasslers. People will have their own preferences for the noodles, one opted for keeping one branch to maintain consistency, one opened several branches to ensure survivability.
The one who prides himself with consistency now has the challenge to find a successor who can do it consistently. The one who expanded now has the challenge of standardizing the flavor. This should be an eye opener for both. If they dont adjust, both of them will not survive.
I used to eat at a decent chinese restaurant which was great. Opened a couple more branches and the quality suffered. They went bankrupt after a couuple of years. Good luck to both.
Tai Hwa beats Tai Wah hands down. Some of the chain shops of Tai Wah suck so bad. The cook takes their own sweet time to cook and yes, the quality varies a lot in a bad way. Tai Wah is of course not too bad, but compared to Tai Hwa, I can clearly taste why one has the ONLY street food Star in SG. Tai Hwa at $10 is of course steep for street food SG pricing. but I will pay for this anytime over Tai Wah. Sorry to the female food taster. you might need to change job/title if you say that you are not able to tell the difference for a blind test.
Yes taje sweet tine to cook ...ince the guy cooking jus talking abd do other chores leaving the p queue...dun understand logic
They cooked differently for the reporter of course.
Tai wah at hong lim is lousy. Q is long cos took own sweet long time to cook. No heart to cook.
@@ericchew3836fully agreed n not worth paying
It really seems that their business strategy is to serve customers and cook food at a glacial pace so that they can maintain a queue as much as possible. Pretty sneaky tactic.
Really enjoying this Food Feud series! Would love to watch more, particularly interested in nan hwa chang fish steamboat. Hopefully it happens!
Who cares about Michelin-starred hawker? We don't need westerners to tell us what is considered good and what is considered bad. Trust your tastebud people, and we should treasure our hawker food regardless of their accreditation so long as their food is tasty and affordable to the common folks.
a friend of mine went to a michelin-starred restaurant in hong kong and he said 'nothing impressive' ...There are too too many eateries offer very delicious foods with no michelin star .
It matters for the hawkers as it's an accreditation of their skills and dedication to their food. It also brings more business to them which is what matters most to them.
exactly. Not to mention Michelin standard has been dropping. Last time it was an honor to receive one. Now they distribute it freely.
@@joeyh3167 Haha, I went to many Michelin starred in many countries, most taste too ordinary compared with non Michelin.
@@Mew77778 Honored in Europe. But westerners dont know food taste and culture in other continents. They only stubbornly force others to follow their culture and taste.
it cant be just me right...😂does Crawford Lane uncle look like Najib? 😅
Can't unsee that now 😂😂😂😂
Hahahaha that's my first thoughts as well!
Omg yes! Uncanny resemblance!
HAHAHA
Nope for me he doesn’t look like him
This is exactly what happened to Hawker Chan. They opened so many franchises that they can't maintain the quality and consistency. The original branch still ok, but ALL THE OTHERS were abysmal, including the LONDON branch nonsense.
Can you guys do Engs wanton noodle next?
that one like can eat popcorn while watching lol
@@chank1e 🤣🤣
@@chank1ethink can do 2 episodes
juicy. what's the tea about this one?
bump@@sunchildtine
Tanjong Pagar hawker upstair, opp soya bean stall, that minced pork noodle, is one of the best, no need to waste life queuing or spending exp amount to eat
The 2 main stores are still ok. if you can’t maintain quality consistency across franchise, don’t tarnish reputation. Stick to 2 only.
When I visited Sg in 2019, my Singaporean friend brought me to Tai Hwa n he queued for almost an hour to b served, pretty good but no matter how good or Michelin Stars, I would queue that long for it…The Bedok, block 85 or 89 is pretty good too.
重点不是拿star不拿star而是the consistency of the noodles 可惜老板领悟不到重点
His consistency is as long got "Yusoff Ishak". Tasted these so called "franchises", nothing like his uncle's.
u think he care meh. your sharetea CEO care woodlands branch sharetea abit sweeter?
My wife mention her colleague's hermes handbag 5 times in 20 mins. Yep she don't care at all.
@@bananaman22 if you don't care, that's how your business go down
that's why people always say don't expand unless you can control the quality
Try Crawford lane .. 10 dollar bowl one but cannot fill me up .. the amount of noodles is too little. The only thing big is the bowl.
I used to work at Bestway Building and Tai Wah was our favourite stall there. The son still looks the same after all these years, respect to him and his parents for working in that hot kitchen those days. I'm happy with the many outlets so it's easier to eat and happy that their hard work has paid off. Quite surprised that they are still running their own stall at Hong Lim, thought jackpot and retire liao hehe..
At the end of the day, a Michelin star is nothing more than a suggestion of where to eat.
Whether you will come back as a regular customer still depends on your enjoyment of the food (or not).
The last time I visited the Crawford lane stall , the mee pok was abit hard and the sauce was bland . Queued 30 mins for the hong lim stall once and it was my last time . Very ordinary taste . Nowadays, my go to BCM is MacPherson minced noodles .
The one at Hong Lim is lousy. Q is long not because of over demand but slow slow cooking
Macpherson is good but miles away from Tai Hwa's standard
i didnt know there were two different stalls, they all sound the same to me!
watching this vid makes me wanna have BCM so baddd
now i'm gonna try both versions to have my own verdict!!
With a dish like bcm, variations confirm will exist, unless u use robots to make it. You want perfrct consistency, it will be like Macds. I am in f&b for 12 years and for me i am glad to see the expansion of tai wah. When a craving hits, the convenience of a nearby outlet instead of travelling across the island is also a factor to take into account.
As a European tried several Michelin star restaurants around the world, there is nothing wow about them except the price. You can always find better and cheaper options elsewhere
I think that is dramatic. Been to Michelin starred restaurants that happen to be ranked top 50-100 in the world in Singapore and the US. Have had great experiences even at 1* restaurants.
Thanks for clarifying this for us normal consumers CNA! The original shops run directly by the owners are for sure still the best. I had the franchise one at Bendemeer few times, the ingredients are fixed so can't really go wrong, but the noodles really big difference. Admittedly though, running so many stalls is never easy. We understand also lah.
Deserves all praise for the passion and commitment for staying true to the original recipe with traditional ingredients giving the authentic favours which only old customers could tell despite changing manufacturing styles. Home made fish cakes, fish balls, chopped scallions or spring onions will give the extra "oomph. Even the using established soya sauce, vinegar, pepper and salt will add the extra favours to it instead of the cheaper ones.
Honestly CNA giving too much emphasis about Michelin Stars. Let's be clear, Michelin is no longer as prestigious as it once was backs in the 90s or 2000s. If a hawker vendor can have a star, and a fine dining restaurant like Poise or Labyrinth can also have a star, honestly what's the value of the stars or what is it worth ? Putting that aside, BCM is indeed a dish close to every local's heart. Especially it's one of the very few dishes that we did not copy from Malaysia, and it's only unique to Singapore.
michelin star and "feud" aside, there really is no such thing as bad press, no? this video serves both parties well....
as to the quality, "tai hwa" and "tai wah" are very similar on their best days..... but in all honesty, they are equally hit and miss..... but if i really had to pick, i give up on tai wah and its branches.... the staff are not properly trained, food quality varies by a wild margin and the portions including quality also swings wildly.... i guess that is the price you pay when you expand rapidly and not give a crap about maintaining quality.
i am quite lucky because my wife's relatives happen to stay in the same block as tai hwa crawford lane.... i cannot count the amount of bowls i have eaten for the past 20+ years.... there can be variations in quality and the chilli does taste different from batch to batch (to be fair, not wild variations by any means), but the lard is consistently fresh.... i cannot really remember ever having rancid lard from tai hwa... the precious sole fish bits are also a highlight.... it is however pretty pricey ($12+ fully loaded?), portions are nothing to write home about, but it is what it is if you want to partake in the long queues.... i for one cannot be really bothered because they are not really the best in quality vs price point in my opinion... of course, tai hwa is no slouch and their noodles are easily among the top 10 in recognitionm but there are better variations out there, really depends on personal taste. case in point: if you do not like vinegar and decide to leave it out (which many people do), then tai hwa will be a very normal bowl of $5 noodles that you paid $12 for....
having said that, the chain store tai wah is somewhat a disappointment... they too charge a pretty penny for their noodles, but the quality consistency is loads worse.... the main problem is cooking inconsistencies..... a tai wah branch popped up in hougang green and let me tell you, the anticipation was palpable among the clients.... by another stroke of luck, i myself lived right beside hougang green. when it first opened, the queue was al least 20 people deep at any one time, the queues form about 30mins before the stall is even ready! they had like 7 people working, pumping out noodles.... people fought and quarreled over alleged queue jumping, the delivery guys were taking away 15-20 portions an order.... simply chaos.... didn't last though.... stall shut down after about a year.... and they really deserved it. the crowds dwindled to nearly nothing... the food quality got so atrocious as business continued to dwindle in a downward spiral.... they would skip giving out the beloved sole fish.... i have never seen such complete looking pieces from tai wah as in this video.... the bits i always got looked like fido already had a go at it.... they strangely took a lot of care weighing out itty bitty noodle portions but they had no control when it came to the consistency of sauces... they essentially did whatever they wanted.... one day it was very sour, another day there may be nearly no vinegar at all.... ingredients portions would vary, the lard can sometimes be flaccid and rancid... i also tried the other branches after this one shut down..... also inconsistent. the hong lim branch is the only decent one.... the rest are like poor facsimiles at best.
ironically, i empathize with tai wah..... it is really not easy to run a food stall.... it is a daily battle between quality of ingredients delivered, whether your employees woke up from the right side of the bed that day, whether the methods and processes were strictly followed or their "experienced cooks" reverted to their own methods just because..... this is all happening in one stall, let alone a bunch of outlets... but since it is my hard earned money, i would be a lot less forgiving if i paid $10+ for a sub-par bowl of passionless noodles that i could have gotten anywhere else for half the price. as a consumer, i can only vote with my wallet.
I ate the one at Hong Lim, one inside Boon Keng, and of cos Lane Crawford. Definitely there is difference. I personally prefer Lane Crawford. And I started eating when he was at Marina Sq, and the brother at end of Shenton Way.
I don't think there's anyone who prefers the Hong Lim one.
At the Hong Lim stall, I had only patronise once after watching the workers chatting and taking their time to prepare customers' orders. No wonder the queue is long because of the waiting time. One can argue that to maintain their standard, food must be prepared well. For this stall, I beg to differ because the worker's time is spent chattering.
Do you think there is a significant enough difference between the other few hundred BCM stalls and these two (original) stalls? Such long queues... I guess I would like to try it, but I can't see myself waiting so long for noodles 2-3 times a week.
Can u feature the next family feud between Chew Kee and Chiew Kee Soya Sauce Chicken stalls at Upper Cross Street?
What a wonderful family heritage ❤️
Both have a lot to thank Ah Kong for.
And Singaporeans will continue to enjoy BCM
Amazing video!
I have always eaten both at Crawford as well as Hong Lim, and both are consistently cooked to high standards. I was excited when outlets started opening in the heartlands but alas, the standards are nowhere close. The one at Lorong Ah Soo is the worst - I concur completely with the food bloggers' findings there.
Clear differences but then interestingly saying it is similar due to the amount of pork balls and dumplings given. Isn’t the same price so same amount for each stall?
Personally got to encounter Tai Wah (High Street)'s owner during my F&B stint as they were considering to enter the food court market instead of hawker stalls/coffee shops. He's a terribly cocky fella for someone who tries so hard to copy his uncle. Just lucky his uncle made their recipe famous. The uncle was also very tolerant of him and you can see his skirting around the topic of his relationship with his uncle while his dad, noticeably, having zero comment about his brother because he would probably just spilled the beans.
Changi V Hor Fun more exciting lei. Two hawker stalls facing each other.
Just try Tamah Jurong 399 Market bak chor mee, nicer than all these over hyped over price So call Star noodle
i agree with you, go to Crawford Tai Hwa try taste it and is not my preference. Overated.
Not at all. Tai Hwa is way better
Would be nice (or even heartwarming) to bring the two 'feuding' sides together.
That would be against the narrative of this show. It's called Food Feud. But as the Hong Lim stall owner said they each do their own business and there is no bad blood between them.
Actually the Michelin stall owner has a real legal case against the bib gourmand one. Trademark dispute. He should consult a lawyer.
they are the same family no need sue here and there la
@@jaredtan890 nice family members shouldnt take advantage of another's brand success lol
@@jaredtan890 can see the nephew taking advantage of his uncle's success..... Same family will do that meh??
One is about keeping quality and tradition, other is about earning money. Every item is carefully prepared and each process is deliberate. Quite obvious, especially with so many subpar outlets.
not sure how a food writer can't tell the difference between the two establishments. I'm not a food writer and even i can tell the difference. the vinegar alone is a dead giveaway.
Haha .. CNA and hawker 😂😂
The only hawker media 😂
Crawford lane is better hands down. In fact, I remember a franchise of Tai Wah at the airport many years ago serving a bak chor mee that was possibly one of the saddest bak chor mee... Their quality control has improved in recent years, but still not quite the same as Tai Hwa for sure. But good enough, let me go get my fix!
there used to be Ah Kow mushroom minced pork Mee in Hong Lim center, it’s my best ever BCM, sad the stall is still there but completely different taste, so sad, this is the one I miss most in Swiss
Been eating only from marina square to Crawford lane, funny I never ate when at hill st. I hope their relationship doesn’t end just over the business. The experts know which is which, nothing to worry about.
in hong lim hawker second floor there's a laksa stall with michelin guide stickers for 5 years but the laksa was below average. Tried on 2 different occasions, broth equally bland. So michelin doesn't mean good
Can you do the Nam Hwa Chong (Ah Chew) and Nam Hwa Chong (Seafood) foof feud edition?! 😅😅
the food feud is just a cat fishing phase to attract us to watch it haha!!
Mr Tang of Tai Hwa BCM is the truly original one. I used to live 1 street away from their kopitiam stall back facing S’pore River in Hill Str & would eat there weekly with my parents. Back then Mr Tang was a young man & many rich customers would come in big luxurious cars. Waiting time was already like 1h.
Both served really nice bak chok mee.
Not so much with the franchised stalls all over sg from HongLim Tai Wah tho...
A lot of Tai Wah franchises cannot make it. They open then closed. Plus the noodles is too little. And the prices are on the high side for HDB estate. They came to AMK Blk 347, closed down already.
Wow. Looks delicious
There are quite a lot of Michelin stars for small shops and restaurants in Hong Kong, 1 such is Tsim Chai Kee Noodles for its famous won ton short soup noodles in Wellington Street, Central, anyone going to Hong Kong must try, cheap too, affordable, 4 years of Michelin Stars, not just 1 Michelin star. Proud of
Not interested in archaeology
I love Ho Hung Kee, Kam's Roast Goose
Yet another person who can't tell the difference between a Michelin Star and Bib Gourmand.
Tsim Chai Kee is Bib Gourmand, not star.
CNA offers actual journalism for every Asian country that isn't Singapore.
都试过，觉得不怎么样，试了一次，不会刻意再去吃。
Rmb eating this at chinatown, for a hawker food the price was ridiculous, noodle was abit more vinegary compared to other bak chor mee, but soso only.
The price was really a turn off for me, i think $6,$7,$8, add noodle was an additional $2 😅
With so many outlets, there is no need to visit Hong Lim outlet anymore
One branch opened at AMK and at first the standard was good, but the 2nd time and last time I went they got progressively worse. Especially with the rotating staff, the last cook was a female china cook who cooked the worst mee pok I ever tasted. The soup ended tasting watered down. True enough, less than several months the place closed down. The prices are steep which I don't mind if the food is good, but this lack of quality control in the pursuit of profits is awful!
Everybody born with one mother and one father. Some simply have more than one. So they assume they are smarter than the others party.
In any case, given that hawker stall rentals at SEHCs have skyrocketed and SEHCs have used “Ah Long” style of management operating these hawker stalls, as revealed by Mr Seetoh
Martin Chee SJ...??? 😂🤣😅
Time Asia created its own ‘Michelin Star’ guide.
Hands down, Crawford is my only go to. Tried Hong Lim & Hougang totally off especially the Hougang, total disappointment
Tai Wah let down Tai Hwa. Full stop. One is to make money, one is to preserve the recipe. The Michelin star is well deserved, Maybe the Bib Gourmand one need to pluck out.
The best part is that if the hawker fails to pay the $600 “consulting fee” in time, he will be charged 12% interest or “such higher rate as may be determined from time to time by the Consultant” for any outstanding amount owed
There are controllable and many uncontrollable factors in cooking an appetising dish. Franchising increases the uncontrollable.
had the yishun one with all my colleagues from office. never returned.
Food writer who can't tell the difference between both stalls' bak chor mee? Looks like it's a really easy job.
they were talking about a blindfolded tasting. I mean, you've seen elite chefs fail to distinguish between apples and onions when blindfolded.
For whatever reasons, the chef always undercooked the pork for ba chor mee - like maybe 90% cooked. You can still see the reddish part of the meat.
The pork liver is also about 90% cooked as well. I assumed the remainder is supposed to be cooked from the hot soup.
That fine if you have a strong stomach else you will be visiting the washroom in due time.
Not everyone is agreeable to the title of the best because not all taste buds or preferences are the same. Have your own judgement from the various recommendations. Why have feud over advertisement claiming authenticity, instead you can only advertise your product and locations. It have been proven wrong that the best recommended may not be the best in your opinion. So don't buy the idea from advertisement or word of the mouth, try it yourself. Such claim of been the originator or authentic must first given proof before advertisement, this also avoid false claim. Any act of false claim should subject to some form of breaking the law punishment. Finally, do not let advertisement or claim drown your own good food judgement, only until you try it.
Ate the one at Hong Lim. Not bad, brings back good memories of another teochew style BCM. Wished the sauce was stronger. To be fair, I bought takeaway so probably it affected the taste
The Toa payoh outlet was pretty bad.. the vinegar taste is too mild for my liking there's obvious lack of standard in his franchise . What his uncle did was right. My honest opinion Tai Hwa still better Tai Wah but the queue is just way too long.
This story is slightly different outcome as compared with the Ang Ku Kueh story. Appreciate the 2nd Uncle who is not too bothered with his nephew approach. Though he subtly hinted that for BCM purist, one would be able to taste the difference.
The nephew however responded that it takes time for his staff to maintain or keep the branding standard... to me ....is somewhat lack professionalism and pride to his grandfather's brand. He allows franchising but I believe he didn't bother much to keep the consistency of his franchisee. In time to come, the brand will suffer.
very obvious that the younger chap is more business-minded and out to leverage the famous brand name to make more money - he even has outlets at the airport which is quite impressive. he must be making quite a bit of money to afford the rent for so many locations. but to be honest, i cannot blame him. if i had the opportunity i would do the same.
tbh alot of his branches closed down when the quality went so bad. his strategy seems to be opening as much as possible
Not worth it if you consider the long wait. Kills the dining experience
The bcm at St John's Institution (Bras Basah Road) Canteen was so good!
Why does the hong lim branch guy give me rao zi jie vibes? 😂
“They (social enterprises) operate the new hawker centres like a hard core commercial Food Court management system. Hence, I am seeing some issues that raises some concerns,” Mr Seetoh said.
actually its expected, you give 10 chefs same recipes to 10 chefs and ask them to cook, versus 10 customers with different palates and also mood of the day. imho, once a stall gets a star / bib, taste would change, unless you have same chef cooking everyday but not possible lol
lol. bib gourmand is for the hong lim outlet right? why the last slide is as if every outlet has a michelin bib gourmand.
doesnt work like that
That is why everyone is on their case.
Tai wah nephew only started to expand rapidly after his uncle's success. Everyone knew he is riding on his uncle's coat tail.
tpy branch is destroying the name. please take some time to conduct audit
I'm glad I ain't the only one who noticed.
Tai Wah expanded too fast. Shut down the Owen Road branch within months, and the bak chor mee there tasted meh sadly.
結霜橋才是我的最愛😂
There's one hawker sell kolomi (char siew noodle) in my hometown Bau Sarawak who does not even have Michelin 🌟 but serve thousand of bowl everyday.
Cover eng’s wanton mee next
Most of the franchisees of the Hong Lim Park Hawker Centre one (Michelin Bib Gourmand) serves terrible noodles. Overcooked and mushy.
Michelin Star is like Singapore Airlines. Michelin Bib Gourmand is like Scoot. I don't know why Sinkies are so silly to be confused by the two.
Tried a few of the TH franchise stalls, badly disappointed with quality and consistency.
can CNA also do the same show on the 2 hong lim "tanglin crispy curry puff"?
Which roasted chicken rice stall no longer holds Singapore's michelib star?
Hawker Chan
It's not roasted is soy based
once they start the franchise the taste and quality sure drop in standards.
All the other Tai Hwa outlets in the heartlands have something lacking and no QC, by letting them use their name I think it dilutes their brand name.
there's no battle, both sucks, people need to wake up their idea on what is a bowl of bcm, not some noodle douse in vinegar. I stay quite near Tai hwa, ate at their stall once every 2-3 years, because i always thought my judgement was the issue and there cant be such a long queue if it doesnt taste good, and this was long before they got their michelin. Every. Single. Time. It. Is. Disappointing. Even when it's cooked by the owner. My friend stays at the block right above the stall, i think he ate it once in 10 years, quite sure people living in the area are amused by people queuing for it.
So which bcm do u recommend?
Nice video
I like the one in Hong Lim
Tai Hwa is WOW, special. Many other noodles can beat Tai Wah in one aspect or another and Tai Wah can similarly beat them …..just different ,above average noodles.
Tai Wah - the timing of the expansion, the lack of quality, how the current owner explains or doesn’t explain, I think we can all have our own analysis but likely come to same conclusion. Come on….even the Hong Lim stall is inconsistent and lacking in some areas. But that’s money talking. Tai Hwa - my 1 thought after decades of eating is that he doesn’t give enough credit to his helper. I believe he meant his son when he refers to the third generation but his son is still quite far in standard from the helper and in my 3 decades eating, 80% of the time, it’s the helper cooking….maybe just my luck.
Did not think Mister Miyagi had a restaurant.
BCM at macpherson Cofy shop, opp The venue residences beats TW hands down