Growing up in the East, Eng’s was a household name and it was the go to place for a weekend wanton mee breakfast when the fancy struck, which was often. Recently though, the situation has gotten decidedly more complicated.
There are now 2 Eng’s, located across Tanjong Katong road from each other with almost the same name, exactly the same menu , and exactly the same pricing ( SGD 4.5/5.5 for a small and big bowl respectively)
Eng’s 1 (287 Tanjong Katong Road) which is still in the original location had been jointly helmed by the founder Ng Ba Eng and his business partner. After Mr Ng passed, his son Desmond took over the business and there was a dispute between Desmond and the business partners. This led to Desmond breaking away and opening up Eng’s 2 (248 Tanjong Katong Road), which opened earlier this month. To complicate matters, Eng’s 1 is no longer owned by the original business partners, with Mr Thomas Hong (chief executive of soup chain Lao Huo Tang) taking over the business.
Now that we’re all sufficiently bamboozled, let’s move on to the most important question …
which Eng’s is better?
Well to be honest, both of them taste very similar which is not surprising . They have the same signature spicy chilli, the same condiments ( pork lard, green chilli etc), and probably the same recipe. My personal preference though, is for the newly opened Eng’s 2. An issue I always had with Eng’s was that their noodles were just a tad bit oily. I find that with Eng’s 2 that is no longer the case and the sauce accompanying the noodles also tasted slightly sweeter. I find Eng’s 2 to be a more pleasant dining experience as it is better ventilated, and the seating is not as cramped. That being said, both Eng’s are still goods so it may be down to personal preference as to which one is better!
Eng ‘s 1
Eng’s Wantan Noodle (at the original location, and helmed by the founder’s business partner)
287 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore
11am to 9pm
+65 8688 2727
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Eng’s 2
Eng’s Char Siew Wantan Mee ( newly opened by the founder’s son)
248 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore
10.30am to 9pm
+65 8798 6088