Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Li Yuan Mee Pok : Japanese fusion mee pok

The stall started by Naoji Kuribaram, a permanent resident, after leaving his job as a Finance Specialist at a Japanese company in Singapore. He initially started a Japanese food stall in the same coffee shop where he met Eric Chia, the boss of Ah Hoe Mee Pok. He worked as an apprentice for 6 months before closing his Japanese food stall and took over the noodle stall in January 2015. He then handed the stall to his children and returned to Japan to open a noodle shop with an identical menu but it was shut down later. 

There are 2 coffee shops on the same block and this stall is located at the coffee shop farther from the main road. There was already a short queue when we reached slightly after 12 pm. While queuing, there was a lady came by to take the orders. I ordered the Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle ($4/$5) for myself and the soup version of Japanese Fusion Mee Pok ($6/$7) for my dining companion, there is a choice of Miso and Shoyu and I decided to go with the latter. I went with the larger portion for my orders. I also went with the Teo Chew Dumpling Soup ($4). There are also Special Mee Pok ($4/$5), Crayfish Mee Pok ($10), Big Prawn Noodle ($10), Meatball Soup ($4), Braised Pig's Trotter ($4) and Japanese Fusion Mee Pok with Char Siew ($10) on their menu. I waited in the queue for about 8 minutes or so before collecting it. I was served the noodles first and asked to come back in a bit to collect the Dumpling Soup.


The traditional Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle is served with sliced pork, minced pork, meatballs, braised mushroom and slices of canned king top shell, in the well-balanced sauce. The noodles are cooked using a timer for the right texture and springiness. 


The Japanese Fusion Mee Pok is a special creation, there is the dry and also the soup version based on Miso or Shoyu, serving with meatballs, sliced pork, imitation abalone, and Japanese chashu. The soup is tasty though not exactly like those for the ramen but those that are of dashi based, the pork flavor is not too distinct. I was asked whether I wanted to have chilli and it was added to the soup. My dining companion said, "It should be nicer if without the chilli." 


He said, "The chashu was quite fat and not soft enough. It also did not have much flavor." He also said, "The dry one tasted quite normal but the soup one is nice. If we do come back, we should order a bowl of Miso and a bowl of Shoyu for comparison, to actually see what is the difference and which is better.


We did not like the dumpling, the skin was quite thick and the filling was not too flavorful. The soup also consists of shredded cabbage and crispy lard, quite thick and it tasted a bit like the base for the Mee Pok soup. 



The Japanese Fusion Mee Pok is definitely worth a try if you happen to be in the vicinity.


LI YUAN MEE POK
Block 710 Clementi West Street 2 Rong Fa Coffee House SINGAPORE 120710
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

13 comments:

  1. I was there a month ago. The staff said the family has give up the business and went back to Japan. The locals took over the business.
    We felt that the quality wasn't there anymore with the new staff.

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  2. I didn't get to try it before so not able to make any comparison. There was a soft-spoken young chap that talked with me in English at the stall. I didn't suspect he is not a local and the Japanese family has given up the business. The dry one was very normal but soup one was not too bad.

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  3. I think they move to Cambodia to setup business or something, that's what we heard from the staff there.

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  4. I am likely to be near the Ayar Rajah Food Centre on Monday. What should I eat there?

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  5. Joo Chiat prawn mee, the $7 soya chicken a few stalls away.
    The HK boiled soup is popular, run by HKer.
    The Jurong Feng Yuan curry chicken mee.
    But I not sure if stalls are open on Monday.

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  6. I just went. HK soy sauce curry chicken mee are opened Monday. Tuesday Wednesday closed for washing.
    I found a new stall at #01-40.
    The hor fun is freshly fried not the pre-made kind. The prawn is sweet and huge but not that fresh, still chewy though.
    There's a Moroccan stall but I didn't get to try.

    Go before 1pm. Things sold out fast.

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  7. https://imgur.com/a/wQ66WWa
    Forgot to attach picture

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  8. From a reliable source, the stall is run by his disciple as he is currently in Osaka and will be selling the mee pok there. He will be back next month.

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