This Long-Queue Hokkien Mee Stall Is Run By An Ex-Les Amis Chef—Is It Worth The Hype?

Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee is a famous stall in Toa Payoh

Hokkien mee is a staple at Singaporean hawker centres. Plenty of the classic stalls have been around for decades; the Michelin Bib Gourmand Nam Sing, for example, has a rep for being one of the best around. But apart from these long-time favourites, there’s been plenty of newer contenders popping up to prove their worth, and Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee in Toa Payoh is one of these stalls.

The stall is run by 43-year-old Xavier Neo and his wife, Alice Lai, 46. Xavier was formerly a sous chef at three Michelin-starred Les Amis, and applies techniques he picked up from the French restaurant when cooking Hokkien mee. Alice is no stranger to the kitchen either. Their sambal recipe is adapted from the one she whipped up years ago when running a nasi lemak stall years ago.

As a habitual late riser, I was shocked to hear that the couple wake up at 5am every day, with only Wednesdays to rest. They spend hours making stock and preparing to open at 10:30am. Even though they close early, they stay back past closing time to clean up and prepare for the next day. By the time they’re free to go home, it’s already seven in the evening.

The nine–to–five grind is exhausting for most of us. But having a 14-hour workday, six days a week, sounds incredibly gruelling. The two press on due to passion for their craft, and I can appreciate how much commitment they put into the stall.

Food at Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee

Of course, there’s just one thing on the menu: Hokkien Mee, available in small ($6.50), medium ($12), and large ($18) portions. As my colleague was fasting, I went for the small plate, which was a pretty satisfying portion for one person—even for a big eater like myself.

If you’re a fan of wet-style Hokkien mee, you’ll surely enjoy this treat. The hefty serving of yellow noodles and thick bee hoon came doused in a lightly sweet and aromatic stock, coating each strand with rich seafood flavours. Better yet, the yellow noodles were gently charred, making each mouthful memorable with a smoky wok hei aroma. I also appreciated how it wasn’t as cloyingly oily as some of the other plates that I’ve had, even with all the sauce.

As I dug deeper into the plate, I found plenty of chives and bean sprouts mixed in, adding a crunchy contrast to the QQ noodles. It’s also worth noting that the noodles never turned soggy, even after taking them home in a container.

The $6.50 version came with two large prawns. I liked how they came pre-peeled, so I didn’t need to painstakingly pry the shells off with a flimsy plastic spoon.

Each piece was plump and fresh, with juicy, succulent meat. They also had that satisfying snap when bitten into.

When eating pork belly cooked in lots of sauce—such as in Hokkien mee and mala—I prefer them to be thinly cut. They go better with noodles if you can have them as slices. That said, the meat here was just a tad too thin. We might’ve overlooked that if there were more slices, but unfortunately, the portion fell short.

On the flipside, the thin cuts soaked up a lot of flavour. Though mostly lean, the meat was ultra soft and tender, with the few fatty bits lending a rich and unctuous finish.

Unlike most Hokkien mee spots, Hokkien Man adds a generous amount of sliced abalone to the dish—enough to turn a blind eye to the minimal serving of pork.

We can tell that the abalone wasn’t just a gimmick or afterthought. The slices were quite substantial in size, with an enjoyably chewy, but not overly tough, texture.

Taste-wise, it was clean, fresh, and subtly sweet, adding a depth of seafood-y umami to the dish.

Chilli is a big part of Hokkien mee, and Alice’s sambal recipe definitely hit the mark. It was sweet, punchy, pungent, and packed with lots of umami, thanks to the belachan. In fact, she told us that requesting additional chilli costs an extra $0.50, as they put a lot of belacan into it to give a deeper, more robust flavour.

Halfway through devouring the plate, I did notice one key element that was missing: the fried pork lard! Paired with the smaller portion of pork slices, this meant that the dish fell slightly short of that porky depth. I also found myself craving that extra crunch I’ve come to expect from a plate of Hokkien mee. That said, the plate was definitely far from bland, and I still appreciated the rich broth and smoky finish.

Ambience at Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee

Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee is located under an HDB block at 19 Brew Coffee in Toa Payoh. There’s plenty of space to dine comfortably, with the kopitiam accommodating around 180 people at a time, in tables of four. Despite not being air-conditioned, the space is nice and breezy thanks to the many ceiling fans.

The stall isn’t the easiest to get to, with the nearest train station—Braddell MRT Station—being an 18-minute walk away. There is, however, a bus stop just a stone’s throw away, with bus services 129 and 232 offering a quick 10 to 15-minute bus ride to Braddell MRT Station.

FYI, they’ve recently opened another outlet at the Hawkers’ Street food court in Tampines 1. So if you prefer an indoor environment, we recommend going here instead.

Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee – Eatbook review

Hokkien mee is one of my favourite local foods, and I can say that their hawker stall in Toa Payoh serves up one of the better versions in Singapore. NGL, there were a few misses, but the bold flavours, smoky wok hei, and fresh ingredients made up for it. If I were in the area, it’s safe to say that I’d swing by again for another delicious plate of Hokkien mee—and maybe even dabao some for the fam!

For more delicious Hokkien mee, check out The Neighbourwok for a stall with queue-worthy Hokkien mee, satay and more in Bukit Batok. You may also be interested in our hunt to uncover what makes a good Hokkien mee.

Address: 19 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310019
Opening hours: Thurs-Tue 10:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 8798 1525
Website
Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Nathania Tay.
This is an independent review by Eatbook.sg.
This article was originally written by Teo Yong Zhi on 13 December 2019.