There are some dishes that you won’t find too many reviews of, both off and on the web, for a couple of reasons. One is that they are too mundane and common (like chicken rice, which everyone has an opinion of, so your dissertation on its “flavourful al-dente grains” won’t be glossed over nor much appreciated) and the other are dishes that are soon making its way to the “bucket list” of hawker makan here, like lo mei (boiled pig head parts and offal snacks) or even fresh made sat kay mah – a fried malt flour snack. I can think of only one chap who still makes fresh it by hand in Chinatown today.

So I made my way past the infamous or famous (depending which side of the bed the owner got up on that day when he served you) Lor 35 Geylang coffeeshop where boss Danny once woke up fresh, perky and floored Anthony Bourdain with his crab beehoon that evening. It was a scorching afternoon and at a time when Danny hadn’t prepared for business for the day yet. I peered into the shop and suddenly I realized that once, before that place received its fame and sometimes shame for Danny’s fabulous fresh seafood and service, like 18 years ago, I had already penciled in an entry of a couple of other street food masters hawking their craft there. One was a stewed duck stall which and ex-food columnist Margaret Chan (an inspiration for what I am doing today) sent me to photograph over 20 years ago. They then used this giant wood fired ancient clay jar to stew their wonderfully soft and smooth Teochew style ducks, which, get this- had a thick herbal soy stew sauce that has not been changed nor discarded for over 20 years, then. It’s an old traditional way of preparation and they just replenish it with water and herbs ever so often. But stewed duck stalls are common found at many places today.

Less herbal and the sweet taste of the terrapin
shines through in his turtle soup

Then, at the corner, is Kin Turtle Soup selling this perceived herbal aphrodisiac (to some it’s more than perception). But this certainly isn’t the version that will make you go “wah, they cook that cute and gentle looking giant leatherback I saw on Discovery channel ah, how can.” It’s not a dish many would have regularly nor are these stalls found at every food centre (the Jalan Berseh one is known as turtle soup central). In the 1700s, these soft shelled terrapins were already a delicacy in the US in Maryland, and I thought we were ahead of the curve here. Mr Poon Chee Kin’s family is known as the royal family of turtle soup in Singapore. They are the folks behind the Turtle House (at Guilemard Road) and the Tai Seng names in the business. But that’s where the commonality lies. They all tout a different recipes but I find favour with Kin’s version because I am no big fan of overbearing herbal flavours in such soups. Chee Kin has been doling out that same lighter and sweeter rendition for over 25 years and the clarity of the sweet reptile resonates. Herbs like wolfberries and wild herbal yams (wai san), among others, play small bit but necessary roles in his soup, which he splashes with hints good grade brandy. He surprised me with a “Now, even more youngsters are eating at my stall,” when I asked if his is a “bucket list” dish, adding “I have noticed them coming since ten years ago and many are regulars now’.

Mr Poon has been at it for over 30 years (25 at this stall alone) and his brandy does help lift the soup’s flavour.

The meat and the soft shell cartilage in his soup are artfully done- he first steams them to extract flavour and to the right texture, then warms and seasons it in the pot when you order. “I only have turtle eggs when I get supplied with pregnant ones, so try your luck if you are fans of it.” he tell us all. He gets his supplies from Indonesia which has exportation limits on these 3kilogram reptiles. Chee Kin had always known that his old regulars consume this for a belief that it helps in the function of the kidney and eyes. Many younger patrons like the soft cartilage as it’s cheaper and safer than going to the skin surgeon.

To me, I like because his sharp chilli sauce helps take this dish to another level altogether.