Signature Noodles Laifaba 來發吧 Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles is a spot that has been sitting around in our to-try list for quite a while — missed the opportunity to do so when these folks were located within The Scarlet Hotel near Maxwell Food Centre when they were still there a couple of years ago and their current location within Prestige Centre at Bukit Batok Crescent does prove to be a little more difficult considering how it is actually situated within the industrial estate in Bukit Batok. That being said Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles does exude some serious old-school eatery vibes in their space at Prestige Centre at Bukit Batok Crescent; the interior is filled with nostalgic elements with the mix-and-match furniture that features wooden and marble accents that carries a rustic look — all of which matched against the various decorative pieces such as those old food-related product posters hanging on the walls and even some old-school salon fittings that can be found in the space as well amongst many others. Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles has been a spot notable for their wanton noodles right from the start during their days being located at The Scarlet Hotel; their core focus had never deviated from that, with patrons still making the trip specially to this end of Bukit Batok just for a taste of so — even garnering their own following despite its rather out-of-the-way location. The menu at Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles did seem to have expanded over time; while most of the items in the Sides section were something that they have been serving up since their The Scarlet Hotel days, they have also included a section of the menu dedicated to ala-carte (sharing portions) of their roasted meats — this includes their Signature BJT Char Siew, Crispy Roasted Pork, and Wood-Fired Roasted Duck, while they do also have the Signature Rice as well. Beverages available at Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles also includes Nanyang-style Kopi and Teh, as well as other beverages such as the Signature Yuan Yang, drinking chocolate, lemon tea, honey lemon and fresh honey lemon cooler — just to name a few.
Since this was our very first visit made to Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles, it was needless to say that we had decided to go for the Signature Noodles — the very same item of which that had made Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles the establishment that it is notable for. Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles describes their Signature Noodles to come with elements such as egg noodles, BJT Char Siew (i.e. Bu Jian Tian Char Siew), Poached Wanton, Fried Wanton, Lava Egg and HK Kai Lan, served with a pork bone and scallop broth on the side. It is interesting to note that Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles does allow patrons to customise their order of the Signature Noodles by opting for their desired cut of the BJT Char Siew, with patrons being able to pick between the Lean, Mixed and Fatty cuts. We went for the Mixed cut for our order; it is also noted that in reality, the pork bone and scallop broth is actually served as a bowl of the soup on three side containing the Poached Wanton as well. Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles also makes available three (3) different house-made chili at the table that patrons can help themselves with; their Chilli Sauce For Noodles, their Home-Made Pickled Green Chili (Bottled) and, their LFB’s Lava Sauce (Bottled). Giving everything a toss before digging right into the noodles, it is interesting to note that the sauce mix leans closer to that of one that included the use of pork lard; seemingly close to the white sauce that one might expect to come with Malaysian-style Kolo Mee though with a slight mix of some broth for an extra depth of flavours; this is further enhanced with some bits of crispy pork lard that can be found in the bowl that helped to also add a crunch for a textural contrast.
The egg noodles were executed well here — pretty springy and QQ, though the BJT Char Siew was definitely the element that stole our hearts here. Opting for the BJT Char Siew in the Mixed option sees the right texture where there is still some bite without the meat being overly gelatinous and fatty; but still tender and juicy — exactly what Bu Jian Tian Char Siew (i.e. the meat from the underarms of the pig) should be all about. The honey glazing comes aptly sweet with a smoky char from the roasting process — definitely right on-point and amongst one of the most memorable Char Siew dishes that we have had; a feat considering how establishments mostly known for their wanton noodles rarely serves up such exemplary versions of roasted meat. The boiled wantons do deserve a mention; the wantons were generously filled with the meat fillings while the wanton skins were slippery, smooth and silken — what we really liked about was the pork bone and scallop broth that is savoury but in a light-tasting way with a clean finish; the fried wantons in the meanwhile were crisp with its golden brown fried exterior without being greasy. The lava egg comes with a soft white and somewhat of a molten lava egg yolk within; something similar to what one would expect to find in a bowl of Japanese ramen; even comes with a slight savoury note from the marination of the egg in soy sauce. The HK Kai Lan in the meanwhile provided a balance between all of the meaty and carb-y elements, with itself giving a refreshing crunch. Our favourite of the three (3) chilies available was the LFB’s Lava Sauce (Bottled) — this was a chili sauce coming with a bright red hue that comes with an intense kick of spiciness that would do well for those who love their food extra spicy; there is a note of fresh chilies, with the flavour profile being a tad similar to the chili sauce that comes with 荣 Rong's Wantan Noodle / ENG’S Char Siew Wantan Mee / Dunman Road Char Siew Wanton Mee 德明叉烧云吞面 / Wanton Fu.
We also managed to give their Iced Nanyang Kopi a go; this came in a form of a really thick and rich cuppa not unlike that of the type of iced Kopi that we would usually come across at Nanyang-style Kopitiam esque establishments. While it does not come with the overflow aesthetic, the Iced Nanyang Kopi here comes with a frothy look and with a good kick of caffeine that isn’t overly sweet. Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles’ Signature Noodles might come priced a little bit high considering how it costs $12++; that being said, Laifaba Authentic Wood-Fired Roast & Noodles does put in quite a bit of effort to make their Signature Noodles uniquely theirs — something a little more premium than the usual Wanton Mee that one can find in coffeeshops / food courts / hawker centres and the quality does indeed show. We do reckon that we would be back for it a little more often if it wasn’t the fact about the location being a little far-flung — definitely a spot worth checking out at least once despite its location!
