A high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan that’s said to aid weight loss and more—that’s the infamous keto diet. While the keto diet craze peaked a few years ago, there’s a hawker stall still offering a “keto-fied” version of a popular hawker dish. I’m talking about QiYin Teochew Minced Meat Noodle, a hawker stall in Toa Payoh that offers the Keto Bak Chor Mee ($6.50).
The first thing you’ll notice about this unique bak chor mee is, of course, the ridiculous amounts of pork lard sitting atop this bowl. That’s where the high-fat part of the keto diet comes in—these crispy chunks of lard will be sure to inundate you with bursts of fatty flavour.
We found the pork lard crispy but not as fresh as we’d have liked, possibly because it had been sitting around for a while by the time we arrived at 3pm. It might be a good idea to visit earlier to get a fresher batch!
Just below the pork lard are copious amounts of pork slices and minced pork, all slathered in a chilli-vinegar mix. It isn’t bak chor mee without the “bak”, after all.
There are also loads of tau gay in this bowl, which, depending on who you ask, could be a good or bad thing. We found it a little unusual, since a more classic bak chor mee vegetable such as lettuce might have worked better.
The regular Keto Bak Chor Mee doesn’t come with any noodles, which makes one question if the dish should just be called Keto Bak Chor instead. But there is an option to add noodles without introducing carbs to the bowl—and that is by adding Konjac Noodles ($2). Chewy and gelatinous, these noodles work as a keto alternative to your usual mee pok or mee kia.
Aside from this unusual dish, QiYin offers more orthodox noodle fare such as Minced Meat Noodle ($4.50), Fishball Noodle ($4), and Kway Teow Soup ($4.50). So if a bowl full of pork lard and minced meat isn’t up your alley, you can still enjoy a decent meal here.
For great noodles, read our best bak chor mee in Singapore guide. For chilli crab noodles and other innovative dishes, read our Gan Lao Zai review.
Address: 203 Toa Payoh North, #01-1121, Singapore 310203
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 9am to 8pm, Fri, Sun 9am to 3pm
Tel: 9099 4367
Website
QiYin Teochew Minced Meat Noodle is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Tao Zhi Tan.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.