Bak chor mee means “minced meat noodle” in Teochew.
Like char kway teow and chwee kueh, bak chor mee is a uniquely Singaporean street food created by early Teochew immigrants. The original version was a soup dish, using mee pok–a type of flat egg noodle. Later, the dry version—noodles tossed in a piquant mix of chilli, vinegar, and lard oil—became more popular.
Of all the elements required for a superb bowl of bak chor mee, the trickiest part is the noodles. Here are five outstanding noodle masters whose dedication to the art of bak chor mee deserve our utmost respect.
High Street Tai Wah Pork Noodle
12 Prince Edward Road
#01-16 Best Twelve Eating Place, Bestway Building
Opening hours: 9.30am-2.30pm; closed Sun & PH
Price: from $4.00
Rating: 5/5
Bak chor mee lovers would have heard of the famous Tai Hwa minced pork noodle, started in the 1930s in Hill Street. This stall is run by the youngest son of the patriarch. His version tastes very similar to the original Hill Street Tai Hwa, which is now run by the second son.
It was a close call, but for this taste test, High Street Tai Wah gets full marks. We were blown away by the faultlessly executed noodles; the mee pok was cooked to perfect doneness, and free of alkaline and starch.
Tossed in a carefully balanced mix of chilli, soy sauce and vinegar, the combination of the slick, al dente noodles in sweet, spicy and tangy sauces was dangerously addictive. The toppings were fresh and abundant. Long after it’d been ingested, we were still licking our lips in delicious memory of this remarkable bak chor mee!
Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee
#01-17, Hong Lim Complex Temporary Market & Food Centre
Opening hours: 7.30am-5.30pm; closed on Tue & Wed
Price: from $3.50
Rating: 4.5/5
This is another legendary bak chor mee master. What makes his noodles stand out? It’s his bold use of a special black vinegar that makes his noodles so tart it makes our toes curl just thinking of it!
At first glance, the mee pok looked a tad dry. But once the noodle and sauce were tossed up, they came together nicely. Moist and smooth, the mee pok here was comparatively softer, but still retained some bite. The chilli was rather mild—the star was clearly the vinegar.
We loved the juicy shitake mushroom, stewed in a thick braising sauce. Other toppings included a very crispy ti poh (dried flat sole), as well as sufficiently fresh pork and dumplings. The soup version—a nice alternative for those not used to the vinegary, dry version—was just as satisfying.
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles
Blk 466 Crawford Lane
#01-12 Tai Hwa Eating House
Opening hours: 9.30am-9pm; closed every 1st & 3rd Mon of the month
Price: from $4.00
Rating: 4/5
A 30-minute wait at lunchtime is the norm here. In fact, there’s a never-ending queue at this wildly famous bak chor mee stall that’s been around since the 1930s.
They still serve a superb bak chor mee, but inconsistencies in quality mean they are no longer at the top of their game. Their noodles were very firm to the bite, but a bit clumpy. Also, the sauce mix tasted like it was haphazardly put together. It was appetising, but too mild, and lacked the harmonious but distinct flavours of High Street Tai Wah’s sauce mix.
The accompanying soup was also rather tasteless. What saved the dish was the supremely tender and fresh pork mince, pork and liver slices. At $4.00 without pork ball or dumpling, Hill Street Tai Hwa is the priciest bak chor mee in this round-up.
Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Mee
Blk 51 Toa Payoh Lor 6
#01-62, Nghee Huat Eating House
Opening hours: 7.30am-4pm; closed on Wed
Price: from $3.00
Rating: 4/5
For those who like it hot, Lai Heng’s dry-tossed version serves up a powerful punch! We ordered our noodles at the default spiciness level. Halfway through, we were already breathing flames.
We couldn’t detect much of the vinegar, but there was a mild hint of fragrant shallot oil. The noodles were extremely springy, and paired very well with the blisteringly spicy chilli.
Luckily, the accompanying soup was sweet and clear. There were also crunchy beansprout which added a refreshing touch to the noodles. Together with tasty stewed mushroom and succulent pork toppings, this was indeed a very drool-inducing bak chor mee.
574 Balestier Road (next to Jalan Dusun)
Lee Wah Coffeeshop
Opening hours: 7am-4pm; closed on Fri
Price: from $3.00
Rating: 3.5/5
Usually, for dry bak chor mee, all the meat toppings are served on top of the noodles. Here, they presented it differently by serving the pork ingredients—pork ball, minced and sliced pork, and liver—in a separate bowl of soup.
The result was an intensely robust-tasting broth. Sliced thinly, the pork and liver were flash-cooked in the boiling hot soup. Serving it in this style helped to retain moisture and flavour.
In another bowl, the dry-tossed mee pok was topped with braised mushroom and fried lard. They used a top-grade mushroom which was deliciously thick and juicy. While the toppings were stellar, the noodle was less impressive. It was a tad overcooked, and the sauce mix was too gentle. Overall, it was a great find for bak chor mee, although we enjoyed the soup version more than the dry version.
