The history of fried hokkien prawn mee is uncertain—some tales speak of its story dating back as far as 1880, attributing it to a Hokkien immigrant whose assistant then imparted the recipe to his Teochew friends; others tell of a Hokkien ex-seaman who created and sold this dish on Rochor Road in the 1930s, lending itself to the very first name of the dish—Rochor mee. Yet another moniker for fried hokkien mee is Teochew Hokkien mee, since it was eventually fried and sold mostly by Teochew hawkers.
Whatever its story, hokkien mee is now one of Singapore’s most-loved hawker dishes, a far cry from the 1930s and 40s when it’s said that only wealthy Peranakans, Europeans, and Eurasians were willing to shell out the 10 cents each plate cost. Buoyed by our common love for fried prawn noodles, my colleague and I set out to suss out the best hokkien mee in Singapore.
Table of Contents
Everyone has their personal favourite plate of fried hokkien mee—I am no exception myself—but to make it more empirical, I’ve narrowed down four components with which to judge each plate of fried hokkien mee: value, chilli, flavour, and ingredients.
First was the idea of value, where we bought a $5 plate of noodles at each stall we visited, and looked at how big a portion we were served. In the very earliest versions of fried hokkien mee, sliced red chilli was the standard accompaniment, until pickled green chilli was introduced since it was more efficient. Much later, sambal belacan became the norm, and this is what we based our grading on. Personally, I like the chilli, or sambal belacan, with my fried hokkien mee to have a pronounced flavour of the fermented shrimp paste, without being too sour, spicy, or sweet.
Moving on, we have flavour. Our ideal plate of hokkien mee needs to be thoroughly nuanced with flavours of seafood, egg, and prawn, kissed with wok hei, all of which is braised into the noodles—regardless if it’s a plate of wet or dry hokkien mee. Lastly, though I’m one of those who eats hokkien mee for the noodles rather than the liao, I also put a score to the quality and amount of ingredients that appeared on my plate.
As with anything that’s not cooked to scientific precision, the caveat here is that hawkers have good days and bad, too, and so we’ve critiqued these 13 plates of noodles based solely on what we were served on our visit.
| Rank | Stall Name | Address | Opening Hours | Price Range | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee | Lor 19 Toa Payoh, Sing Hiap Huat Coffee Shop | Thurs-Tue 11am to 3pm | $6 – $10 | – Run by former Les Amis chef – Stock prepared with French techniques | – Only open for four-and-a-half hours each day |
| 2 | Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee | 127 Lor 1 Toa Payoh, #02-27 | Mon-Sun 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM | $6 – $10 | – Fresh-fried lard available with your order | – Closes at 2pm |
| 3 | Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee | #01-32, Whampoa Food Centre | Mon-Fri 3:30 PM – 11:30 PM, Sat-Sun 2:00 PM – 11:30 PM | $5 – $15 | – Rich prawn stock – Two types of chilli – Open till 11:30pm | – Need to request for pork lard |
| 4 | Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee | #02-01, Tiong Bahru Food Centre | Tue-Sat 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM | $4 – $6 | – Homely taste with fishcake | – May sell out before closing time |
| 5 | Kim Keat Hokkien Mee | 92 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, #01-264 | Thurs-Mon 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM | $11 – $20 | – Generous seafood portions – Great chilli – Claypot hokkien mee offered | – Can be very garlicky |
| 6 | Geylang Lorong 29 Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee | 936 Food Village Siglap | Tue-Sun 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM | $6 – $20 | – Strong wok hei flavour – Fiery house-made sambal | – Small portions for the price |
| 7 | Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle | #01-512, Guan Hock Tiong Eating House | Mon-Sat 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM | $4.50 – $5.50 | – Really delicious sambal belacan | – Quality can be hit or miss, depending on the day |
| 8 | Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles | Chomp Chomp Food Centre | Wed-Sun 5:30 PM – 12:00 AM | $4 – $6 | – Dry-style hokkien mee | – Mild in flavour – Small portion for the price |
| 9 | Original Simon Road Fried Hokkien Mee | #01-66, 209 Kovan Market and Food Centre | Tue-Fri 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Sat-Sun 11:00 AM – 8:30 PM | $5 – $10 | – Free-flow lard – Noodles simmered in the broth till glossy | – May not satisfy those craving stronger prawn flavour |
| 10 | Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee | #01-32, Old Airport Road Food Centre | Tue-Sun 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM | $5 – $8 | – Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee – Stock cooked with prawn shells and lobster liver | – Long waiting times if you don’t call to order in advance |
| 11 | Swee Guan Hokkien Mee | 5 Lorong 29 Geylang, Singapore 388060 | Thurs-Tue 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM | $8 onwards | – Smoky wok hei flavour | – Charred taste may not appeal to all diners |
| 12 | Hainan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee | #B1-34, Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583 | Thurs-Sun, Tue 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Mon 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM | $5 | – Cooked in small batches | – Not as generous with the prawns |
| 13 | Original Serangoon Fried Hokkien Mee | Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre | Mon-Sat 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM | From $6 | – Big portions | – Flavours are very mild and wok hei was lacking |
Original Serangoon Fried Hokkien Mee supposedly fries their hokkien mee according to a recipe handed down by the OG Serangoon fried hokkien mee legend himself: a crippled hawker who used to ply his trade across the road from where the present stall is located. Sold in portions priced from $6, this plate of hokkien mee belongs in the dry camp and comes in a pretty substantial portion. Unfortunately, they no longer serve it on opeh leaves, as they used to.
With just two averagely fresh prawns on the plate, as well as sotong, sliced pork belly, and a smattering of fried egg, we felt that this plate of hokkien mee lacked flavour and wok hei. It tasted more like plain fried noodles and thick bee hoon, with almost no hint of a seafood broth, and could do with more savouriness—a sentiment shared by recent reviewers on Google.
We found the sambal here to lean sour, even without the addition of lime. It’s not house-made, and we thought it was neither tasty nor spicy enough. Perhaps this stall’s hokkien mee has that nostalgic factor for those who grew up eating it, but reviewers online have commented that the standards have dropped. It was a pretty big plate of noodles but didn’t stand out to me as a plate of hokkien mee I’d want to have.
Value: 3.5/5
Chilli: 2/5
Flavour: 1.5/5
Ingredients: 2/5
Total: 45%
Address: 566 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218181
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 4:30pm to 11pm
Original Serangoon Fried Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
With a history that dates back more than 60 years and a perennially long queue, Hainan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is one of the landmark hawker stalls in Golden Mile Food Centre. There’s only one option on the menu: fried hokkien mee in standard $5 portions.
While not cooked plate by plate, the old hawker fries his hokkien mee in small batches, which contributes to the ever-present line.
This plate of hokkien mee stands in the dry camp, accompanied by a dark red, house-made sambal as well as sliced red chilli. The sambal packed a spicy punch, with a slight pungent note of bean paste which I didn’t quite appreciate.
As little as it matters to me, there was only one prawn, which leaned powdery in texture, on our plate. There wasn’t much egg either, and if you’re into that kind of thing, the tau gey still retained some of its crunch. The tender slices of pork belly also didn’t have any unpleasant porkiness, which was a plus for me.
Dig in when this plate of hokkien mee is hot, and you’ll find a pretty obvious prawny flavour that’s cooked into the noodles. This flavour mellowed as it cooled, bringing the alkaline taste of yellow egg noodles to the forefront, even though there was quite a fair bit of thin bee hoon. I thought I might come back for this again, but the cooled-down flavour and strong chilli swayed my mind.
Value: 3/5
Chilli: 2.5/5
Flavour: 2.5/5
Ingredients: 2.5/5
Total: 52.5%
Address: 505 Beach Road, #B1-34, Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583
Opening hours: Thurs-Tue 10am to 5pm
Tel: 6294 6798
Hainan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
I’ve always wanted to try Swee Guan Hokkien Mee, which many love for its super smoky, wok hei hokkien mee—fried over charcoal ever since they were founded in 1968, and till this day. There’s scant information to be found about the man behind the wok, who supposedly inherited the recipe from his father. At Swee Guan, there’s no menu, though prices start at a whopping $8 for the smallest plate. “$10, $30, $70 also can,” said his assistant in Mandarin, when I asked.
The portion of noodles, for $8, is pretty small, though it comes loaded with a fair bit of ingredients. For someone like me, who sometimes orders hokkien mee with no ingredients, this was a bummer. There are four prawns on this plate, which we found slightly powdery in finish, while the squid was somewhat tough.
Of egg there was lots, in large chunks, which I would have enjoyed, but for the fact that they were more charred than fried.
Unless you’re a huge fan of scorched flavours, I would suggest you skip Swee Guan. It was too much even for my colleague and me, even though we don’t shy away from strong flavours and charred bits, Even visually, it’s evident in how this plate of hokkien mee is browner, flecked with black, than yellowy-orange. Yes, the broth was braised into the noodles till it was silky, but we struggled to find hints of what’s meant to be a robust stock, under the bitter, burnt notes of chao ta food.
With so many strong flavours on the plate, it was too much that the house-made chilli was strongly spicy, sweet, and sour all at once. On its own, or with a less powerfully flavoured noodle dish, it might work, but not when it waged war with everything going on. In summary, it was all too much.
Value: 2.5/5
Chilli: 3.5/5
Flavour: 2.5/5
Ingredients: 3/5
Total: 57.5%
Address: 5 Lorong 29 Geylang, Singapore 388060
Opening hours: Thurs 4pm to 10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm to 10pm, Sun-Tue 4pm to 10pm
Tel: 9817 5652
Website
Swee Guan Fried Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee was one of the first spots that I put on my list when I was shortlisting hokkien mee spots for this list—they’re a long-time family favourite, which we’d call ahead to order and then drive all the way across the island to pick up. Be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes for your order if you’ve not called ahead for their noodles, which come in two sizes: $5 and $8.
They’ve been around since 1960, though the stall first started out in the ’40s; their recipe is 80-something years old! The cherry on this cake is that they’ve recently been listed as a Michelin Bib Gourmand hawker too.
Like at Hainan, Nam Sing uses a good lot of thin bee hoon with yellow noodles to fry their hokkien mee. Theirs, however, comes with more zhup on the plate, though you wouldn’t call this a plate of wet hokkien mee. On our visit, the hokkien mee had a prominent peppery taste, with an underlying umami from a stock base that’s said to be cooked with prawn shells and tomalley, AKA lobster liver.
We liked that the squid on this plate was pretty fresh, and not rubbery. They were also pretty generous with the eggs, though there was no lard or pork to be found. Their prawns are served in halves, of which there were four; in other words, you get two prawns here.
It’s as traditional as it gets with their choice of chilli—that is, none but sliced red chilli in light soya sauce. This way, the chilli merely enhances the flavours on the plate, rather than overpowering them with something like sambal belacan. I rarely ever eat Nam Sing’s hokkien mee fresh off the stove; after this experience, I would definitely recommend getting it to go for the flavours to develop and be completely absorbed into the noodles.
Do note that Old Airport Road Food Centre is currently under renovation till 30 September 2024!
Value: 3/5
Chilli: NA
Flavour: 3/5
Ingredients: 3/5
Total: 60%
Address: 51 Old Airport Road, #01-32, Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am to 6pm (off days are listed on Instagram)
Tel: 6440 5340
Website
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
Kovan and Hougang peeps are definitely familiar with Original Simon Road Fried Hokkien Mee, which recently relocated from its Hougang coffeeshop location to the Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre. Another heritage stall, these third- and fourth-gen hawkers have been frying their wet-style hokkien mee to the same recipe since 1960!
Right off the bat, we liked how this plate of hokkien mee looked like it’d been properly simmered in its broth, with the right amount of slightly thickened, glossy zhup on the plate and coating the noodles. Without the chilli, there was quite a pleasant egginess to the noodles, and a mild seafood flavour.
One of the highlights of this hokkien mee is the duo of house-made chilli that accompanies each plate: a bright, sourish and spicy chilli that’s spiked with lime juice, as well as a sweeter, more mellow-flavoured sambal. Oddly, we found this hokkien mee having a somewhat creamy finish, especially after mixing in the chilli.
You can also help yourself to fried lard at the counter. It’s free-flow, but not super crispy when we were there.
There were three small prawns on our $5 plate, though it seems that larger portions ($8/$10) are said to come with lots more seafood. I would return for this hokkien mee if I were nearby; it’s tasty, and I enjoyed that mild seafoody creaminess on the palate. However if you’re looking for a stronger, more prawny hokkien mee, this probably wouldn’t cut it for you.
Value: 3.5/5
Chilli: 3/5
Flavour: 3.5/5
Ingredients: 3/5
Total: 65%
Address: 209 Hougang Street 21, #01-66, 209 Kovan Market and Food Centre, Singapore 530209
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 11am to 8pm, Sat-Sun 11am to 8:30pm
Tel: 9820 2888
Website
Simon Road Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
Head to Chomp Chomp Food Centre for hokkien mee, and Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles is your best bet. It’s helmed by Mr Ng Hock Chuan, whose father was one of the hokkien mee pioneers who used to fry Rochor mee on Rochor Road some 70 years ago. He also cousin to Mr Ng Hock Wah, who heads Nam Sing—thus the similarities in the offerings from these two stalls. Available in portions of $4, $5, and $6, these noodles have previously been awarded Michelin Plate recognition!
Tending more to the dry end of hokkien mee, we preferred Ah Hock’s hokkien mee to Nam Sing’s, primarily because we found this much tastier, with the stock simmered into the noodles to super silky ends.
Fried with thin bee hoon, the portion was pretty small for the price. Although we enjoyed this plate of noodles, we did think that some might find it too mild and bland.
What it’s got going for it are the two big, fresh prawns, a truckload of squid, and a generous portion of eggs on our plate.
We did find Ah Hock’s sambal a tad too sweet, but it was, on the whole, a pretty good plate of hokkien mee that is worth the long wait, and deserving of its popularity.
Value: 2.5/5
Chilli: 2.5/5
Flavour: 4/5
Ingredients: 4/5
Total: 65%
Address: 57 Garden Way, Stall 27, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Singapore 557269
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 5:30pm to 12am, Sat-Sun 4:30pm to 12am
Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Noodles is not a halal-certified eatery
Over in Serangoon, there’s a young hawker who’s made a name for himself and his hokkien mee at Xiao Di Hokkien Mee, a stall which has gained something of a cult following. The young fellow behind the wok used to apprentice at several big-name hokkien mee stalls, before he struck out on his own with a recipe that he came up with on his own.
His wet hokkien mee is fried with springy, thick bee hoon, and perhaps one factor that lends itself to Xiao Di’s popularity is how they’re only open for four hours each day.
It was pretty gravy-ful as we dug in, but the stock, purportedly prepared with Thai prawn heads, was not as prawny as we were hoping for. We also felt that there could be more wok hei in this, and wished the noodles had been braised in the zhup longer, for a stronger, more punchy flavour in each bite. I got pieces of undercooked garlic as I was eating, which left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
You’ll get three prawns with the $5.50 portion; there’s quite a bit of egg too, and cubes of pork belly. We got a dash of fried lard on the side, but on our visit, it was more burnt than it should be.
The best part of Xiao Di’s hokkien mee is their house-made sambal belacan, which was the perfect sambal accompaniment that I was seeking. My colleague, who’d been to Xiao Di on previous occasions, said that the overall plate of hokkien mee had tasted better on his previous visits, so it might be a matter of consistency that ours failed to impress.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 5/5
Flavour: 2/5
Ingredients: 2.5/5
Total: 67.5%
Address: 153 Serangoon North Avenue 1, #01-512, Guan Hock Tiong Eating House, Singapore 550153
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10:30am to 3pm
Tel: 9062 1201
Website
Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle is not a halal-certified eatery
After 23 years at their East Coast Road location, Geylang Lorong 29 Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee has relocated to another space further down the same road. Fun fact: the founder of Geylang Lororong 29 Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee and the OG chef of Swee Guan are brothers! Today, his youngest daughter and her husband man the stall, and like Swee Guan, still fry their hokkien mee over white-hot charcoal.
Although this particular stall was only started in 2000, their recipe dates back to the 1950s, when their grandfather’s stall could be found in a Tanjong Katong coffeeshop. Their hokkien mee comes in four sizes: $6, $10, $15, and $20, and though I was excited to see opeh leaves, obtained from betel nut palm trees, at the stall, I was told that they’re only used for takeaway orders in servings of more than $15.
They don’t give much of their house-made sambal with each other, which is just as well, because it was pretty spicy and quite fragrant with what tasted like hei bee. We didn’t find it to be even of a presence with the noodles, rather playing quite a minor role on this plate.
This plate of hokkien mee leans dry, especially after it’s been allowed to sit for a bit. There isn’t much thin bee hoon on the plate as well, as compared to yellow egg noodles. We definitely preferred this to Swee Guan’s take, since this had wok hei, but not overwhelmingly much of it like at their relative’s stall.
Noteworthy is how their ingredients, namely two prawns, squid, tau gey and chives, were quite fresh—though we didn’t get much egg on our plate. There was pork lard, which didn’t look crispy but was. Some came in rather large chunks, which didn’t look so appealing, and occasionally you’d get a piece or so that lacked that crisp. Pro tip: our colleague recommended getting their hokkien mee to go for the next day so it tastes even better. I’d even go for the larger portions when I do so, for the added flavour of the opeh leaves.
Value: 3.5/5
Chilli: 3/5
Flavour: 3.5/5
Ingredients: 4/5
Total: 70%
Address: 936 East Coast Road, 936 Food Village Siglap, Singapore 459129
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 12pm to 8pm
Tel: 9733 1388
Website
Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
I’d like to preface this fifth position for Kim Keat Hokkien Mee by qualifying that we ordered the smallest claypot version they had, priced at $11, which is good for two to share—working out to $5.50 a diner. I’d previously had the non-claypot edition, priced from $4, and thoroughly disliked it, finding it overwhelmingly porky, but found the claypot hokkien mee a vast improvement.
Crowning each claypot of hokkien mee are clams, sotong, and big, fresh prawns—we had four—plus large pieces of ultra crispy, deep-fried pork belly, which are almost too salty when you have them on their own.
It’s almost like having sio bak with hokkien mee, which some might consider a super shiok combination and an obvious upgrade from just fried lard.
The hokkien mee arrived at our table almost looking like a soup noodle, bubbling hot in its claypot. On first taste, it felt too garlicky, and the noodles hadn’t absorbed enough of the savoury, robust stock to be tasty.
Go for their belacan-forward, fresh-tasting chilli, whose sour, spicy notes certainly elevated the hokkien mee, especially after squeezing in some lime.
Thanks to the hot claypot, the noodles continue to cook even after they are served, so I’d suggest giving it all a good stir with the sambal and lime juice, and allowing the gravy to soak up all that goodness before you dig in.
Value: 5/5
Chilli: 4/5
Flavour: 2/5
Ingredients: 4/5
Total: 75%
Address: 92 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, #01-264, Singapore 310092
Opening hours: Thurs-Mon 11am to 8pm
Tel: 9011 4400
Website
Kim Keat Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
Over in Tiong Bahru Food Centre, there’s Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee, which has held its position as a Michelin Bib Gourmand stall since 2016. Its third-generation hawker fries his hokkien mee in small batches, dishing them out in plates priced at $4, $5, and $6, frequently selling out before they close at 6pm.
This plate sits firmly in the wet hokkien mee category, which my colleague enjoys, and was the only version that came with slices of fishcake, lending it a very homey feel. I liked how the four small prawns on the plate came with their tails removed, thus making it much easier to eat.
Digging into this, we both were pleasantly surprised by how much this plate of hokkien mee tasted like the versions our mums cook at home, with a prawn-forward flavour that was cooked into the noodles. The portion was pretty hearty too, and we walked away feeling very satisfied.
If you find Hong Heng’s hokkien mee a tad lacking on its own, stir in their chilli for some kick—there was slight pungent flavour from belacan, though when mixed into the noodles this boosted the notes of seafood for a more flavourful dish. While some reviewers online have criticised this hokkien mee for its lack of wok hei, we did get that wok-kissed touch in our plate, so it might be a matter of luck being on your side when you visit.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 3.5/5
Flavour: 4/5
Ingredients: 3.5/5
Total: 75%
Address: 30 Seng Poh Road, #02-01, Tiong Bahru Food Centre, Singapore 168898
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 10:30am to 2:30pm, 4:30pm to 6pm
Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
A recent entrant onto the Michelin Bib Gourmand list is Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee, a popular Whampoa Food Centre stall that operates until 11:30pm all week. Their smallest plate of hokkien mee is priced at $5, going up to a $15 portion, which you order and receive from a lady perched on a metal stool by the side of the stall.
Before you @ me for not raising this earlier, you’ll have to request for the fried pork lard to be added to your hokkien mee when you pick it up. We loved theirs: each piece was just the right size, very crisp, and tasty.
Their hokkien mee leans wet, and comes a touch soupy, although this becomes a bonus on top of the rich prawn stock that’s already cooked into the noodles—they use thick bee hoon here, though theirs is thinner than some of the others we tried.
Their house-made sambal and sliced red and green chilli accompany each plate of noodles; we tried asking for more sambal, but this spoiled what was an already-good plate of hokkien mee by overwhelming the flavours. Spicy and bold, I did wish the sambal had a stronger belacan flavour, but we found that the hokkien mee tasted good on its own, even without the chilli, earning it a nod in our books.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 3.5/5
Flavour: 4.5/5
Ingredients: 3.5/5
Total: 77.5%
Address: 90 Whampoa Drive, #01-32, Whampoa Food Centre, Singapore 320090
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 3:30pm to 11:30pm, Fri 3:30pm to 11:30pm, Sat-Sun 2pm to 11:30pm
Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
Name hokkien mee stalls in Singapore, and Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, AKA 天天来 (tiān tiān lái) is sure to come up. The Toa Payoh stall has been around the block and back, operating since 1968, with hoards of loyal fans waking up early to get their hands on some hokkien mee before the stall closes at 2pm.
If you needed more persuasion, they’re also recommended by the Michelin Guide for their tasty hokkien mee, which is sold in $6, $8, and $10 portions.
We were impressed with the lard, which is given on request: it’s fried fresh daily and comes super crisp and well-fried.
This was one of our favourite plates of hokkien mee because while it was wet, it wasn’t overly so. Rather, the broth melded perfectly with the thick bee hoon and egg noodles to a glossy, addictive finish, with notes of seafood layered with wok hei.
The $6 portion comes with three prawns, and I liked how the chunks of egg were nicely fried. There was a noticeable whiff of garlic, but it lent fragrance, rather than being undercooked and pungent.
On its own, I found the sambal a bit too strong-tasting—it’s not house-made, but I was told they zhng it up themselves. All’s good, however, once you’ve mixed it into the hokkien mee. Together with the lard and all, this was definitely a great plate of hokkien mee.
Value: 4/5
Chilli: 4/5
Flavour: 4.5/5
Ingredients: 3.5/5
Total: 80%
Address: 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, #02-27, 127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Singapore 310127
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 8am to 2:30pm
Tel: 9671 7071
Website
Come Daily Fried Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
Finally, we come to the single best plate of hokkien mee we had, out of 13 plates in total; it was good enough that I was willing to have it again one day after OD-ing on hokkien mee for this list. Chef-owner of Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee, Xavier Neo was, before opening this stall, a sous chef at three Michelin-starred Les Amis, and his training shows in the hokkien mee that he dishes out. The stall is only open for four-and-a-half hours each day, unless the hokkien mee is sold out earlier, and regularly attracts super long queues—a testament to how good it tastes.
The key to an amazing plate of hokkien mee lies in the stock, and at Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee, this is prepared using French techniques, similar to the way in which lobster bisque is made.
It takes almost 10 minutes for a plate of hokkien mee, priced at $6, $8, and $10, to be cooked, and the umami, super prawny broth shines through in every strand of noodle.
It leans clumpy, but that’s how well-cooked the stock is into the mix of thin bee hoon and yellow noodles, so much so they’re all starchy and almost braised together—I’d compare it to pig trotter bee hoon that’s stickily flavourful with all the goodness of the stock. Something to note is how there is much more bee hoon than yellow noodles here. There’s a touch of wok hei that doesn’t overwhelm the flavours, and a nice balance of egginess too.
We had three large, very fresh prawns, with slices of pork belly that weren’t porky in taste, as well as lots of sotong.
The house-made sambal is said to be Xavier’s wife’s recipe, adapted from the version she used to make at her nasi lemak stall. It was pungent and spicy, and my colleague loved the kick that it brought, though I personally thought it was a bit too much. Regardless, this plate of hokkien mee stood head and shoulders above every other plate that we tried.
Value: 4.5/5
Chilli: 4.5/5
Flavour: 4.5/5
Ingredients: 4.5/5
Total: 90%
Address: 19 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, Block 19, Sing Hiap Huat Coffee Shop, Singapore 310019
Opening hours: Thurs-Tue 11am to 3pm
Tel: 8798 1525
Website
Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery
Like every other hawker dish, hokkien mee is as divisive as they come. We’ve only ranked 13 of the most popular and longstanding stalls around, and for a dish that has so many elements which are prepared separately—the stock, lard, and even the fresh ingredients might differ in quality from day to day—it’s really difficult to ensure perfect consistency every visit. This ranking is based on the plates of hokkien mee that we were served on our visit, so you might get something that tastes different on yours too.
In summary, here’s the best in class for the 13 stalls that we tried:
For more ranked listicles, check out how we rated 10 bak chor mee stalls in Singapore; otherwise here’s our roundup of the best oat milk in Singapore!
Photos taken by Melvin Mak.
This was an independent article by Eatbook.sg
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