Wah Soon Kei Carrot Cake – Crispy Carrot Cake With Wok Hei, Prawns & Extra Chye Poh in Katong Shopping Centre!

Fun fact: Katong Shopping Centre was actually the first air-conditioned mall in Singapore! And hidden away in the basement of it is one of the east side’s best-kept secrets that will make for the perfect breakfast or lunch — Wah Soon Kei Carrot Cake. What sets it apart from other carrot cake stalls? They go heavy on the chye poh (preserved radish) and have a prawn rendition as well! 

The stall is helmed by Kelvin Chen, a former executive at SMRT Corporation who made a sudden switch to the hawker trade after close to ten years in the corporate world. After joining the National Environmental Agency Hawkers’ Development programme, he decided to hone his skills in cooking carrot cake, a dish he has loved since his younger days. It also didn’t hurt that he comes from a family of hawkers (three generations!) so it’s in his blood (along with a lot of hard work and dedication). 

His mentors happen to be fairly known in the hawker community (hint: it’s a father-son duo with the latter having made waves for sporting quite the bod online). 

Apart from your typical White ($4/5/6) and Black ($4/5/6) carrot cake, Wah Soon Kei sells a combination of Carrot Cake with Prawns ($6/9/12) as well! They also have a Mix of Black & White Carrot Cake ($6/9) for folks who can’t pick between black or white.  

The Carrot Cake with Prawns was initially birthed from suggestions from customers and boy, am I glad Kelvin made the decision to give it a go. Starting with the white carrot cake itself, it was plenty eggy with nice, crispy edges. The radish cakes were neither too hard nor soft, meeting the perfect middle ground that gave it just the right amount of bite. 

As I made my way through the dish, I realised that the crispiness of the carrot cake wasn’t solely on the exterior alone but rather, throughout the carrot cake — which made it stand out. There was also a generous amount of chye poh that was not only cooked with the radish cake but served on the side as well. It definitely hit the spot for me as a fan of chye poh! 

The prawns were plentiful enough, and you know you’re getting your money’s worth. They were also seasoned well with a bit of char, but not to the point where it clashes with the flavours of the carrot cake itself. This was truly the combination I never knew I needed. 

The Black Carrot Cake also won my heart without even trying. The fragrance emitting from the caramelisation of the eggs and dark sweet sauce is enough to seduce you. From the first bite, you can taste a nice wok hei in the carrot cake, and there was a good ratio of dark sauce that didn’t threaten to overwhelm. There was also a pleasant hit of spiciness from the chilli added and together with the extra chye poh, this was indeed caloric heaven. 

Wah Soon Kei Carrot Cake definitely deserves more credit and recognition for their yummy carrot cake. One should never underestimate what can be found hidden away in Katong Shopping Centre!

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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