Back to block 79A, on Circuit Road. As I have mentioned previously, this particular block (which is within walking distance of MacPherson MRT) is packed to the brim with Chinese vegetarian stalls - So customers who visit will be spoilt for choice on what to order. Luckily I visited with a bunch of people, so was able to order from many of the stalls all at once. The auntie running this stall was very happy to see I was taking pictures of the stall and the food, and was eager to have me share news of her food. This stall has been around for over 30 years, and has a variety of dirt cheap food.Tang Leng Chay Vegetarian Food
Location: 79A, Circuit Road, #01-716
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Unknown
Our food journey at Tang Leng Chay begins with the Fried Kway Teow Mee. Visually the dish look fine upon arrival, however, I was quite disappointed with the flavours in the dish overall. Firstly, the flavour which I adore so much is completely absent from this dish - Wok hei. This is not the only flavour missing, the undertone of sweetness that is to be expected from char kway teow is also not there. Instead, this tastes merely like kway teow with black sauce. An additional disappointment came with the texture of the kway teow, which was quite clumped together.Price: $3.00. 5/10
We move onto the next dish, which is Chicken Rice. Price wise, there can be no complaints about this dish, which is superb value. Quality wise though, there are distinct areas for improvement. To begin with, the rice is virtually flavourless, texture wise it is clumpy too. The mock chicken is derived from beancurd, which is more healthier than the traditional gluten type. The one and only highlight came in the form of the chilli sauce, which was sweet and packed with flavour. It was not overwhelmingly spicy like conventional chicken rice chilli sauce, which was a welcome change for me.Price: $2.00. 5/10
The final offering was Carrot Cake (Black), which was unfortunately even more disappointing than the previous two dishes. Flavour again was an issue with this dish, with there simply not being enough taste packed into the ingredients. Wok hei was practically non-existent, and it was also lacking the salted turnips flavour, which is a prerequisite for a good carrot cake. Similarly to the char kway teow, it tastes just like carrot cake with dark sauce - Too simplistic. The final downside was that the chunks of carrot cake were too big, which added an additional hindrance to the flavour.Price: $3.00. 4/10
Conclusion - If you're looking for good quality Chinese food, then this is a place that certainly shouldn't be on your radar. The food is simply below average, with the flavour of all the dishes being poorly done. If you are, however, looking for a cheap and quick stomach fill, then this might tick the box. Not a place I would consider visiting again, though.
Overall Rating
Food - 5/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 6/10
Value - 6/10
