Ipoh Koay Teow

"Ee-poh Ku-way Tee-yoh?" She was just smiling at how I pronounce it.

This was what came into view to my right the moment I reached the top of the escalator to the third level of terminal 1 of Changi Airport.

Street dining? It's gonna be a fine street dining, I thought. Imagine having street dining in the world's best airport? I would even call it elite dining.

It was an open restaurant that is enclosed only by what seemed to be wooden fences. I did not bother checking if those were really woods or steel painted with wooden shade.

I was looking for a place to dine while waiting for my flight. I made a quick round at the third level and none of the other restaurants appealed to me. I ended up where I came from. PappaMia!

A menu book was on display beside the entrance to the dining area.

I was flipping over the pages and kept hesitating. I do not know which is spicy or not. Then a lady crew came to help out. At first she was just standing by. When I asked which is not spicy, she pointed at Ipoh Kaoy Teow Soup with Prawns and Chicken.

"Are you sure it is not spicy?" I asked and she laughed. I guess I was obviously afraid of spicy dishes.

"Yes, not spicy lah."

"Ee-poh Ku-way Tee-yoh?" She was just smiling at how I pronounced it.

Then she continued,"or you may want one set."

She flipped over the pages and pointed set C of their All Day Dining Favourites. I followed her finger and caught what she pointed at. It is the same Ipoh Koay Toew Soup with Prawns and Chicken but with drinks and dessert this time. I remember they have big servings in Singapore so I declined the whole set. I just ordered the ala carte.

She noted my order and asked if it's okay for me to take a high chair at the end near the escalator. I looked around and there seems no available table so I said it's okay. I will take the high chair.

I went to the cashier to pay and was a bit surprised when the cashier said "ten dollars." I remember the menu stated 8.50++ and then I realized that they do not include taxes on the price tag. The prices on their menu can be misleading because I am not used to it. In the Philippines, we have a law that prohibits excluding any other charges on the menu. Everything that the customer has to pay should already be included on the price. The very small disclaimer at the bottom of the menu that says something like "price does not include X% service charge and other government taxes" is prohibited.

I just paid and went my way to supposedly the high chair.

When I was near the high chair, I realized that there is one table available to the right. It was being blocked by a group of diners on a table before it so I thought all tables were occupied. Instead of going to my high chair, I took the vacant table.

When a guy crew came with a bowl on his tray, he was looking at the high chair where I was supposed to be then he looked at me. He looked again and back, and finally asked me.

"You were supposed to be sitting there, right?"

Oooppsss, that was a shame. I did not realize that they match the orders to the seats.

"I'm sorry. I thought I can take this table since it was vacant anyway."

"Can I see your receipt, please?"

I showed it to him.

"Yeah, right. This order is for you. I just want to make sure that I give it to the right person. It's okay, you can stay here." He laid the bowl on the table.

Cool. I thought he would still send me to the high chair.

The guy did not serve with with utensils so I looked around and noted this container with utensils, chop sticks and table napkins right on my table. Why, I did not notice this earlier. I guess I was busy with my phone again. And, there are tissue papers! At least I did not have to worry if I still have some sheets in my bag or not anymore.

I stared at the big bowl. Again, this is just another proof that they have big serving sizes here in Singapore. This can pass for two persons.

The noodles were flat and tender. The prawns and chicken were also tender that I wished there were more. I can not identify the seasonings of the soup but it was really good. Imagine that warm savory soup on a rainy day! Sluurrpp..

I looked at the flight monitors on the wall to my left and found my flight back to Manila. I still have more time before boarding.

That gave me time to search for Ipoh Koay Teow.

I searched for the whole phrase and did not get a good result. I searched for Ipoh and this is what I got:

Ipoh (/ˈiːpoʊ/) is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Perak. Located by the Kinta River, it is nearly 180 km (110 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur and 123 km (76 mi) southeast of George Town in neighbouring Penang.

So this noodle type came from Malaysia, I thought.

I searched for Koay Teow and Char Kway Teow came out on top of the results.

Char kway teow (Chinese: 炒粿條, Pinyin: chǎo guǒ tiáo), literally "stir-fried rice cake strips", is a popular noodle dish from Southeast Asia, notably in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.

Other blogs refer to Kway Teow as plainly "flat rice noodles." I think that is better and simpler.

Aside from the surprising price when you get to the cashier, PappaMia is a good choice to dine in when you happen to fly through Terminal 1 at Changi Airport. The service was good, the place was clean and the food was great! What else will you look for?

PappaMia
Level 3, Terminal 1
Changi Airport
Singapore

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Restaurant Information

PappaMia

Terminal 1 Level 3, Singapore 819642

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Ipoh Koay Teow
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