Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (Lavendar)

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle in operation for over 75 years, is famous for its Pork Noodle also know as Bak Chor Mee (BCM) / Minced Pork Noodle. First started operation in 1936 in Hill Street before shifting to Marina Square in 1986, its present location is now at Crawford Lane. Located 5 minutes away from Lavendar MRT station, Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle can be found in a coffee shop (the coffee shop is called Tai Hwa Eating House) at the back of Immigration & Checkpoint Authority of Singapore (ICA). 

I first got to know of this Bak Chor Mee stall in 2006. Since then, this has always been my favourite Bak Chor Mee. Long queues are a norm during lunch and dinner period. And in this case, long queue means at wait of 30 to 45 minutes (when the queue stretches out of the coffee shop)! 

You may notice this sign stating that they are the one and only Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. The reason for this was because of a law suit a few years back. In brief, Mr Tang Chay Seng, the owner of Hill Street Tai Hwa sued his nephew, Mr Authur Tung Yang for passing off his noodle stall (at Vivocity) as Mr Tang's. Even going to the extend of advertising in Chinese papers and stating that the stall at Crawford Lane had move.  Eventually, Mr Tang was compensated with just $1,000 as there was insufficient evidence to show that his goodwill was damage.

During this visit, I arrived during dinner time. Had to wait for a good half an hour before it was my turn. The Bak Chor Mee comes in $4, $5 and $6. If you are with a group of friends, order a bowl of mixed soup (with dumplings and meatballs). 

Bak Chor Mee (dry with chilli) $5

As they ran out of Mee Pok, I ordered the $5 Bak Chor Mee with Mee Kia. 

Bak Chor Mee (dry with chilli) $5

This Teochew style Bak Chor Mee will blow you away just like how PSY's Oppa Gangnam Style blew the world away. Everything was perfect. The ingredients were so fresh and cooked to perfection. The Pork Liver which was cooked just right deserved a mention; soft and tender with no unpleasant taste or smell. Can't find any fault with their meatballs, minced meat, dumplings, fried crispy fish and pork lard. They were all so good. In addition, the Mee Kia was well cooked; al dente and springy. Toss everything up with the mixture of chilli and vinegar sauce. The vinegar they used intensified the oomph factor of this dish. Irresistible!

The bowl of soup here packs a punch! Rich and tasty. Full of essence of pork flavour that can only be achieve through hours of boiling pork meat and bones. 

As I was preparing to leave after my meal at 730pm, I noticed that the queue still stretches all the way out of the coffee shop.

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle's Bak Chor Mee is still my favourite Bak Chor Mee after all these years. In fact, its the best (die die must try!) Bak Chor Mee in Singapore. Fresh quality food that is well worth the money spent and time queuing. This is one food worth the wait! Can't wait to have more of this! Do remember this is the one and only Hill Street Tai Hwa! There are no other outlets!

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (Lavendar)
Block 466 Crawford Lane
#01-12 Tai Hwa Eating House
Tel 6292-7477
Open from 9.30am to 9pm; closed on the first and third Monday of each month
Website
Location

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Teochew St Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 潮洲街香菇肉脞麵 (Chinatown)

Chinatown Complex Food Centre is one of the biggest hawker centre I have ever been too. I am not familiar  with what is nice over here. So what I did was to do a quick walk around and spot where the queues are and then zoom in to one that interest me. 

After walking round the whole hawker centre that took a whole 15 minutes (not thanks to the layout), I decided to try the Teochew St Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 潮洲街香菇肉脞麵. What caught my attention was the word Teochew and the queue. There was a queue 5 people in front of me. I queued for at least 20 minutes before it was my turn to order. 20 minutes when there was only 5 people in front? Well, you heard this correctly!

There were only 2 people manning the stall. A uncle, who did the cooking and preparing. While the auntie took the order and collected the cash. Normally, in other stalls, the person takes the orders from customers  also prepares the ingredients for the chef (uncle). Not in this case. In fact, the uncle prepares all the ingredients himself. I even saw him going to the fridge and taking out more ingredients. Despite the queue, he was not anxious (kan chiong) and did take any short cut (kudos to him). I was certainly impressed as he took great care in cooking each bowl of noodles. 

Bak Chor Mee $3

I ordered the Bak Chor Mee 肉脞面. 

Bak Chor Mee $3

This bowl of Bak Chor Mee was excellent! The Mee Pok was cooked perfectly! Soft yet springy. A generous portion of ingredients such as braised mushroom, lean meat, minced meat, fish cake, crispy fish  and even pork lard was given. I especially like the braised mushroom as it was not only flavourful but also soft. The sauce; a mixture of vinegar, chilli, oil and (who knows what other secret ingredients) complemented well with the noodles and ingredients. It enhanced the taste of the whole dish and was lip smacking despite the spiciness. 

Bak Chor Mee $3

The soup (pork stock) was simple yet flavourful. The meat ball and fish ball was average, nothing to shout about.

It was a fulfilling meal for me. Not only did it taste good, it was also value for money with generous portion of ingredients and worth the wait (queue). This is one stall worth patronising and I am sure there are many more stalls worth a try at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Anyone who frequently patronise the food centre here has any other recommendations? With so many stalls, I am sure there are lots of hidden gems here. 

Teochew St Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle 潮洲街香菇肉脞麵 (Chinatown) 

Blk 335 Smith Street

#02-23 Chinatown Complex Food Centre

Opening Hours: Wed to Sun 1230pm - 9pm

                         Closed on Mon and Tue
Location

Minced Meat Noodle (Sim Lim Square Food Court)

Most people visit Sim Lim Square to shop for electronic goods and do not pay much attention to the food court located at the basement. I have heard that there is a famous Minced Meat Noodle (Bak Chor Mee) store located at the food court. Hence, decided make a trip down to this place during lunch on a weekday.

There was a short queue during lunch time; around 15 minutes wait.

Menu

Glad to know that there's no charge for extra mee!

Menu

I have no idea why I had a sudden craving for Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle. I ordered Mee Pok (chinese yellow noodle - flat) dry with chilli. As you collect your order, you can actually help yourself to the free flow of pork lard. First time I have seen such a practice. It is place along with the sauces and chilli.

Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle $5.00

Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle $5.00

Look at the portions of ingredients (mushrooms, fishball, meatball, minced meat, bean sprouts, fish cake, dumpling, lettuce, scallion) given in the Abalone Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle. The portions given are so generous, which is a rarity in food court today. Of course, only1 piece of abalone was given. A piece of dried crispy fish was added inside. The noodle was well cooked and the sauce at the bottom of the bowl contained a mixture of chilli, black vinegar and soya sauce. When tossed properly, the sauce complement the noodles nicely.

However, Hill Street Tai Hwa's version is certainly better. (Hill Street Tai Hwa's sauce was more aromatic) Still this is a very decent bowl of Minced Meat Noodle compared to those at other food courts if you are unable to visit Hill Street Tai Hwa.

Minced Meat Noodle (Sim Lim Square Food Court) 
1 Rochor Canal Road
Basement 1, Stall 23, Sim Lim Square 
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 11pm
Location

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58 Prawn Noodles, Minced Meat Noodle (Bedok Reservoir Road)

58 Prawn Noodles, Minced Meat Noodle is located along Bedok Reservoir Road under Blk 704 at See Beh Ho Eating House. What a name for a coffeeshop! See Beh Ho a Hokkien dialect means 'Very good'.

The stall owners are very sensitive to the camera! 

They sell just 2 items; Prawn Noodle and Minced Meat Noodle (Bak Chor Mee). I have no idea what is nice at this coffeeshop, but a quick observation shows that most people order from this stall. Hence, I decided to order from this stall.

I waited at least 15minutes before my Minced Meat Noodle (Bak Chor Mee) was served. The good news is that all you need to do is order and go back to your seat and wait for it to be delivered to you. 

Minced Meat Noodle (dry with chilli) $3.00

Lets start off with the noodles shall we? I ordered Mee Kia (thin noodle). It arrived topped with a very generous amount of crispy deep fried shallots. The Mee Kia was well cooked and springy. The chilli sauce and the shallots complemented the noodles adding on an extra oomph to the taste.

Soup

This bowl of soup is a star dish on its own. The taste of it reminds me of the soup from Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. I have no idea what they used to cook this bowl of soup, but was visible was minced pork, dumplings, spring onions, fried shallots and fried garlic. The soup was so tasty that I drank all of it and did not feel thirsty after that.

I must also highlight two other ingredients in the soup. The minced meat was super soft! Yes, soft! How can it be right? The dumplings are unique too.

To sum this up, I am very impressed by this the Minced Meat Noodle I had. I like everything that I ate, from the noodle, the sauce, the minced meat to the soup. This type of Minced Meat Noodle is vastly different from the Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle's Bak Chor Mee. Hence, I will not compare it. 

Try this place out when you are in the area and let me know what you think.

58 Prawn Noodles, Minced Meat Noodle (Bedok Reservoir Road)
Blk 704 Bedok Reservoir Road
See Beh Ho Eating House 
Opening Hours: Daily 6am - 4pm 
                         Close on alternate Mondays 
Location

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Malaysia Peddler Sidewalk 大马路边摊 (Yishun)

*CLOSED*

Malaysia Peddler Sidewalk 大马路边摊 specialises in serving authentic Malaysian noodles such as Tuk Tuk Mee (Wanton Noodle), Curry Laksa, Ipoh Hor Fun and Bak Chor Mee. Today, they have six outlets in Singapore.

Minced Meat Noodle $3.00 (dry)

Minced Meat Noodle $3.00 (dry)

Minced Meat Noodles also known as Bak Chor Mee. This is Bak Chor Mee follows the Malaysian style where black sauce is used. The Mee Kia was overcooked. As a result the noodles were not springy and were very soft. It was saved by the aromatic black sauce which they made themselves. But still the noodle was overcook which was an impression that stuck to me. A generous amount of minced meat and liver was given. However, the liver was overcooked. (Another negative factor..) Other ingredients include meat slices, fried shallot, spring onions and meat ball. What a pity, if only the noodle and the liver were cooked properly, with their black sauce, it would have been delicious.

Penang Prawn Noodle $3.50

Two type of chilli provided. One sambal chilli and the other is chilli powder.

Penang Prawn Noodle $3.50

Chilli Powder

Add the chilli powder should you prefer the prawn noodle to be more spicy.

The Penang Prawn Noodle was average. Prawns were firm and fresh. However, the prawn broth was too light. It was not tasty enough and I felt that the essence of the prawn flavour was not brought out fully.  In addition, yellow noodle and thin bee hoon (幼米粉) did not complement each other well as they were of different size. Comparing this to Zhen Zi Prawn Noodle, this pales in comparison. Zhen Zi Prawn Noodle was  so much better. If you like your prawn soup to be light in terms of flavour and taste, then this will be suitable for you.

Ipoh Hor Fun $3.50

Ipoh Hor Fun $3.50

My 3rd dish, the Ipoh Hor Fan did not disappoint! I was surprised, this was fantastic! The key in this dish is the gravy. The gravy was perfect. Made of mushroom sauce, oyster sauce and other ingredients, it was not salty nor was it thick. In addition, it was flavourful and tasty. Make sure you mix it well with the flat rice noodle (hor fan). Coupled with the fresh ingredients, this was definitely the best dish! Furthermore, the mushrooms were succulent and had adsorbed the gravy! 

Well, that marks my visit to Malaysia Peddler Sidewalk 大马路边摊 at Yishun. It is quite obvious which is the dish I like. Their other outlets are located at Suntec, Tampines Mall, Tampines Mart, V-Hotel and Greenwich. 

Malaysia Peddler Sidewalk 大马路边摊 (Yishun)
Blk 233 Yishun Street 21
Tel: 6853 9555
Opening Hours: Daily 7am to 10pm
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Location

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (BCM)

The owner of Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle Mr Tang Chay Seng recently lost a lawsuit. He sued his nephew, Mr Arthur Tung Yang for trying to pass off his noodles (VivoCity stall) as the one being linked to Hill Street. 

I have eaten the Bak Chor Mee (BCM) (which means minced pork noodles) here since 2006. The standard has not dropped, but price has increased to ($4,$5,$6)

One and only Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

The man whipping up the noodles

The queue

For good food, you will not mind waiting. The queue stretches all the way out of the coffee shop! It will be at least a good 30minutes.

BCM dry with chili $5 (medium)

My BCM, mee pok (broad noodles) version. Springy mee pok, seaweed, pork slices, liver, dumplings and a piece of dried crispy fish. Felt that the mee pok was a bit hard, not sure if it is supplier issue or cooking duration issue. The piece of dry cripsy fish add an extra punch into the taste of this BCM. Wish that more was given! Black vinegar was added in too. No idea why their back vinegar taste so much better and really intensify the oomph factor into the taste department.Wonder how they mix all the sauce together and what sauce they use.

Mixed Soup $5

Order the mixed soup. Pork slices, Liver, meatballs, dumplings and seaweed! So tasty! I can practically drink the whole bowl of soup.. every single drop. 

This is certainty my favorite/best BCM in Singapore. Worth the money. Quality food.

Its just a stone throw away from Lavendar MRT station, behind ICA. If only I live near Lavendar. Be prepared to queue at least 30 to 45 mins during lunch hour from Monday to Saturday. As for dinner time, I been there once the queue was much shorter about 15 minutes wait only! This is a die die must try BCM especially if you love BCM. I will certainty be returning for more. Hopefully the standard do not drop. =)

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
Block 466 Crawford Lane
#01-12 Tai Hwa Eating House
Tel 6292-7477
Open from 9.30am to 9pm; closed on the first and third Monday of each month

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