We Tried This Mee Hoon Kueh Stall With Prawn Paste And Hakka Fried Pork Belly

Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh is a noodle stall in Toa Payoh

I’m often jealous of the sheer amount of good eats in Toa Payoh. As a fan of hokkien mee, it has not escaped me that three of the country’s very best are located in the neighbourhood—like come on, leave some for the rest of us! So imagine my chagrin when I found yet another great Toa Payoh stall, offering a noodle dish that’s also near and dear to my heart: Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh.

During my visit to this relatively new eatery, I was thoroughly impressed by their hand-torn noodles, as well as the range of delectable sides.

Food at Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh

The meal started with the Soup Signature Mee Hoon Kueh ($6), where, along with shreds of hand-torn noodles, were minced meat, ikan bilis, mani cai, fried shallots, meatballs, and prawn paste balls, all in a warm, fragrant soup.

Chewy, irregular, and at just the right thickness, each piece of mee hoon kueh was a joy to eat. And they managed to retain that excellent texture, even as they soaked up all the flavours of the broth.

Speaking of the broth, I found it to be a notch above your average mee hoon kueh or ban mian soup. The umami notes of ikan bilis, pork, and fried shallots permeated the broth, while the earthiness of shiitake mushrooms lent depth.

The most eye-catching ingredient here is the prawn paste ball, said to be made by hand. It was fresh, bouncy, sweet, and definitely superior to the pork meatballs, which had that slight funk sometimes present in frozen meatballs.

Up next was the Dry Mee Hoon Kueh with Hakka Fried Pork Belly ($7.30), which came with a side of nanru pork belly.

With the piquant dried chilli and sweet-savoury dark sauce, the great mee hoon kueh from before was raised to the next level. The Egg ($0.80) added a creamy finish to each bite as well.

While the flavours of the nanru pork were great, I did wish they had given us a more sizeable and meatier cut. Just look at how tiny each slice was!

Liu San Jie also offers other noodle options, such as the Dry Ban Mian with Signature Fried Chicken ($7.30).

After the superb mee hoon kueh, I found that the ban mian paled in comparison. Texturally speaking, each strand was nowhere near as chewy and was even a little mushy. All the flavours in the dry mee hoon kueh were also present, but the change in noodles did significantly hamper my enjoyment of this dish.

The chicken was very much in the Taiwanese fried chicken mould: peppery, umami-filled, and gloriously crispy. And because each piece was chunky, it avoided the flaws of the nanrou pork, despite both being equally moreish.

Ambience at Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh

Liu San Jie can be found in a HDB coffeeshop, located right across the road from SPH Media’s headquarters. Because of this, lunch hours are packed with office workers, so you might want to plan your visit accordingly.

The coffeeshop is a nine-minute walk from Braddell MRT Station.

Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh – Eatbook Review

If you’re looking for some great mee hoon kueh, definitely consider giving Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh a try. Their excellent noodles, coupled with tasty sides, mean it’ll likely be worth your trip.

For handmade mee hoon kueh by Gen Zs in Bishan, read our Jiak Mee review. For top-tier ban mian in Jalan Besar, read our Prince Noodles review.

Address: 206 Toa Payoh North, Singapore 310206
Opening hours: Daily 9:30am to 9pm
Tel: 9058 9674
Website
Liu San Jie Mee Hoon Kueh is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Tao Zhi Tan.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.