WaWa Lala Bee Hoon, the newly opened eatery at 38 Margaret Drive (near Queenstown MRT station in Singapore), specialises in dishes featuring “lala” clams.
There is another outlet at Fortune Centre (Middle Road) near Bugis.
For those unfamiliar with “lala,” it refers to a type of clam commonly found in Southeast Asia, known for its delicate and slightly sweet flavour.
What sets WaWa Lala Bee Hoon apart is its focus on making “lala” the star of the meal, rather than a mere side dish.
The eatery’s team is passionate about these bivalves, and has created an entire cuisine centered around them.
The focal point of their dishes is the live clams used in their broths, in order to provide a fresh and vibrant taste experience.
One of the main challenges in working with live clams is the presence of sand.
To overcome this, their Executive Chef Kiang has dedicated two years to mastering the art of handling live clams.
Each clam is meticulously sorted through to discard any impurities and lifeless specimens. This painstaking process cannot be mechanized and requires several hours of manual labour.
The Asari clams used at WaWa Lala Bee Hoon are harvested daily from the coast of West Malacca and Perak, ensuring their natural sweetness and sea salt flavour.
To maintain the utmost freshness, the lala clams are kept alive in a self-built seawater tank (which you can see outside their shop) and hand-picked to remove any dead ones before they are cooked.
This attention to detail ensures that the clams retain their freshness.
The menu at WaWa Lala Bee Hoon offers a variety of local meets Western dishes, such as Clam Noodles with Chinese Wine ($8.90), Fresh Cockles Marinated in Wawa Special Sauce ($12.90), Fresh Clams in Signature Homemade Garlic Butter Sauce ($8.90), to Spaghetti Vongole ($10.90).
There are side dishes such as Fresh Clam Chawanmushi ($4.50), Crispy Butter Toast with Garlic Butter Sauce ($3.50), to Spicy Buffalo Drumlets ($8.90).
Among them, the Signature Drunken Lala Bee Hoon ($8.90) stands out.
The dish was generously filled with live-cooked lala clams (which you could throw the shells into the mini bins provided).
It featured a flavourful clam soup base that is enhanced with Chinese wine which I found quite comforting and belly-warming to have.
The broth carries a subtle hint of spice, adding an extra dimension.
Another dish I tried wasthe Power Sambal Clams with Tasty Rice ($10.90).
While the clams were cooked in a spicy sambal sauce, the rice could benefit from being more hot, fragrant and buttery.
For those looking for alternatives to bee hoon, WaWa Lala Bee Hoon offers Fresh Cockles Marinated in Wawa Special Sauce.
These fresh and juicy live cockles are carefully handpicked, half-boiled, manually half-shelled for easy consumption, and bathed in the eatery’s homemade special sauce.
WaWa Lala Bee Hoon – Margaret Drive
38 Margaret Drive, Margaret Market 01-02/03, Singapore 141038
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9:30pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
WaWa Lala Bee Hoon – Fortune Centre
190 Middle Road, Fortune Centre #01-11, Singapore 188979
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 9:30pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
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