Jeevan Ananthan, 28, started the stall with May Leena Krishnan, 29, his fiancee, in August 2019. The stall is named after the Chinese name of Leena. He is likely to be the first Indian cooking Bak Chor Mee and Fishball Noodle in a coffee shop. There is an Indian-Chinese man serving the traditional Teochew-style Fishball Noodle in a coffee shop at Commonwealth Crescent. There is also a Chinese lady serving Malay-style Biryani at Circuit Road Food Centre.
Jeevan used to be an Investment Banker for a few years and Leena was a Digital Marketer before deciding to start the hawker stall doing their part to preserve the hawker culture. Jeevan is the main chef and he was trained by an experienced hawker imparting the basic techniques to him. He developed the recipes for the braised mushroom, chilli paste, and the sauces.
The menu consists of Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle ($3.50/$4.50), Signature Noodle ($4.50), Fishball Noodle ($3/$4) and Fishball/Fish Dumpling Soup ($3/$4). They also have handmade Her Giao (Fish Dumpling) Noodle for $3/$4 and $5, the Fish Dumpling is also available at $0.70 per piece or $2.00 for 3 pieces.
I ordered the large portion of Mushroom Minced Mear Noodle and added 3 pieces of Fish Dumplings. It was served with a good portion of mee pok with braised mushroom, minced meat, sliced meat, and meatballs, topped with crispy lard and chopped spring onion.
My dining companion took a mouthful and said, "This is pretty good. The chilli and vinegar have a good balance. The texture of mee pok was cooked just right." He then took a piece of the Fish Dumpling and said, "Did they handmade it? It is surprisingly good."
The queue was still long during lunch.
LI NA FISHBALL NOODLE
Block 116 Toa Payoh Lorong 2 SINGAPORE 310116
Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 7.00 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)