Situated in the bustling Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre is Yam Mee Teochew Fishball Noodles, a third-gen hawker stall that’s been around since the 1970s. Known for being one of the most popular mee pok stalls in Singapore, the brand also has two other outlets in Yishun and Bedok.
Yam Mee Teochew Fishball Noodles’ original Kovan branch is known for its notoriously long queues with waiting times of up to 45 minutes during the peak lunch hour, since the stall cooks everything upon order. Fun fact: they’re also the only stall in the hawker centre to occupy two units!
Go straight for the Signature Laksa ($4), chock-full of tau pok, beansprouts, dried shrimps, bouncy fish cakes, and cockles. On occasion, the stall swaps out the cockles for clams AKA lala.
The laksa gravy is known to be super thick, with an aromatic coconut milk flavour that adds to the dish’s creaminess. You also won’t need to worry about the broth being too spicy.
Image credit: Tan ailee via Google Maps
Yam Mee’s Curry Chicken Noodles ($4) is another popular choice among customers and features components that strongly resemble laksa, such as chopped curry leaves, tau pok, fishcakes, and a dollop of chilli.
The chicken curry broth is supposedly spicier than the normal laksa gravy and has a slightly gritty texture. It goes well with the tasty yellow noodles, which soak up the herby broth easily.
As for the chicken slices, they’re said to be tender even after soaking in the broth for a while.
While you’re there, give their tasty Dry Fishball Noodles a try too, which come in Small ($4) and Big ($5) sizes. You can also pick the noodles you want from a selection of mee kia, mee pok, mee tai mak, kway teow, and yellow noodles.
For more food in the east, check out our 10 East Coast Park food places guide. If you’re looking for more delicious laksa, read our 928 Yishun Laksa review.
Address: 209 Hougang Street 21, #01-35, Singapore 530209
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 9pm
Yam Mee Teochew Fishball Noodles is not a halal-certified eatery.
Feature image adapted from @eatwhatah, CT Ang, and @cliffordng_aapl