Ding At Wild Market Review: Good Ol’ Chai Tow Kuay Gets A Tasty Twist

Food at Ding Prior to visiting this store, I was always a black carrot cake kind of girl. The crusty caramelisation that the black version provided made it difficult for me to want something else, and besides, I never had a white one blow me away.

Fun fact: the owner of this place is the daughter of Lim Hai Sheng, and she used to help her late father run the stall at Ang Mo Kio Central Market & Food Centre for over 30 years before taking over. Similar to that stall, Ding only serves the white version of carrot cake that is fried using vegetable oil, which explains why you might find the taste familiar if you’re a returning customer. When I first caught a whiff of the Special Salted Egg Sauce Carrot Cake ($5 /$6) , I knew it would be an instant hit.

This bad boy was slathered in their salted egg sauce that lent a creamy texture to the dish, and the carrot cake was fried with a generous amount of eggs till golden brown. For something completely different, we went with the Grilled Squid Carrot Cake ($4/$5) .

The dish’s name will throw you off – there’s not a single chunk of squid in this. The unique savoury taste was accompanied by a slight spice that didn’t overshadow the grilled squid seasoning and made the dish really addictive.

Still, it was an enjoyable dish to have especially since the carrot cake was studded with chye poh (preserved radish). We ended our meal with BBQ Carrot Cake ($4/$5) , and this was like eating Lays BBQ chips, chai tow kway style.

I was rather underwhelmed by the taste and found it to be an easily forgettable dish. Ambience It isn’t just the carrot cake that’s revamped here.

Wild Market is essentially an upgraded food hall that has more atas food options at affordable prices. Wild Market has the option of cosy sofas, good ol’ chairs, benches, as well as bar and alfresco seats, so you’re bound to find a spot you like.

The food hall is air-conditioned, but there wasn’t a strong smell of cooked food that clung to our clothes or hair. The verdict Out of all the plates of chai tow kuay I’ve eaten, Ding takes the (carrot) cake.

With good food, great ambience and chill vibes, there’s nothing more this girl can ask for. Besides, with the other stalls at Wild Market, you can bring down the pickiest of friends and still dine together!