Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee : amongst the best

Xavier Neo, 43, the owner, is a Hokkien man and he started this humble stall serving Fried Hokkien Mee in a coffee shop at Toa Payoh on 10 August 2019. He is running the stall with his wife, Alice Lai, 46. The yellow signboard printed with "Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee" and a portrait of Xavier on it is quite a catchy one. A friend told me about this stall and he urged me to try. I heard about the long waiting time and was a bit reluctant to queue. He sent me a message just a couple of days ago, telling me that the standard dropped a bit and there is no more queue. The waiting time used to be about 1.5 hours during lunch when they just started. 

Xavier was formerly a sous chef of Les Amis, a two-Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant at Shaw Centre and he left in 2007. He also worked with Billy Bombers, White Rabbit, Novus as well as Resorts World Sentosa. Alice used to be an Administration Manager at the National University of Singapore. Xavier went around eating Fried Hokkien Mee from different stalls before coming up with his own recipe. He put in special efforts to source for the ingredients, from the yellow noodles to prawns and squid. Alice acquired the recipe for the chilli from her auntie that used to run a Nasi Lemak stall at Holland Drive and she tweaked it slightly. The prawn stock is made using prawn heads and pork bone then slow-cooked for at least 3 hours. His usual day starts as early as 5 am and ended around 7 pm. 

Alice was at the counter, taking and managing the orders When I was there during lunch on Friday. I asked, "How long is the waiting time?" She replied, "About 15 minutes or so." There are 3 sizes, priced at $5, $6 and the largest portion at $8. I decided to go with the $6 portion and a  handmade wooden number tag is given after paying. The number will be displayed on the electronic number board system when it is ready for collection. Please note that the queue numbers displayed are not in the running sequence. 

I waited for slightly more than 10 minutes before seeing the number flashed to indicate it is ready. It was served on a disposable styrofoam plate with calamansi and sambal chilli at the side. My dining companion tasted the chilli before mixing it into the noodles, he said, "The chilli is quite good, not too spicy and there is a slight hint of sweetness." The well-simmered noodles were cooked in a mixture of lard oil and vegetable oil and it was less oily. 

The texture was not as gooey as compared to the Geylang Lorong 29 Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee and not much eggy taste. The Fried Hokkien Mee was nicely braised to be slightly wetter, consisting of the yellow noodles and thick bee hoon with ingredients like sliced pork belly, prawns, egg, beansprouts, and chives. My dining companion said, "The flavor of lard oil is there but no wok fragrance though." I think the frying technique is still somehow lacking thus it did not manage to infuse the noodles with the desired smokiness. He also said, "This is definitely better than that Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle at Serangoon North." 

I heard that you can call in to order it in advance for taking away as well as dining in. The queue is much shorter now so there is actually no need to place an advance order. Though this is a simple plate of Fried Hokkien Mee, it is a familiar dish that most of us grew up eating. It was overall quite tasty as the prawn broth was noticeably good but it will take a little longer to actually perfect it and it is getting there. It definitely has the potential to be the best. 

HOKKIEN MAN HOKKIEN MEE

Block 18 Toa Payoh Lorong 7 1913 Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 310018

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 2.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

UPDATE: They have moved to Block 19 Toa Payoh Lorong 7 #01-264 SINGAPORE 310019 from 19 January 2019. 

Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle : so so Fried Hokkien Mee

Terence Chee, 28, the owner, affectionately known as "Xiao Di", which means "little brother", a term used for small boy. He started this stall in a coffee shop at Serangoon North in 2013. There are 2 sizes for the Fried Hokkien Mee, the $4 and the $5 for selection. I decided to go with the $5 portion and was told that the waiting time is about 30 minutes. I was given a buzzer and about to walk away but the lady boss said in a slightly irritated tone, "I will need to collect the $5 first." I handed it to her and said, "Sorry. This is my first time here." Though there were not too many customers in the coffee shop at that time, the waiting time was still long as the Fried Hokkien Mee actually takes time to cook in batches.

For $5, it came with 3 pieces of prawns, sotong, strips of pork belly and crispy lard. The noodles were soaked in stock for flavor, this is the usual basis for a good plate of Fried Hokkien Mee. Though flavorful, it did not have much smoky flavor but it was nicely braised for a gooier texture. There was a slight eggy taste but the egg did not fry long enough to char it before adding into the stock. The chilli has a mild spiciness. 

My dining companion said, "Not bad. I expected it to be better though." I asked, "How is this comparable to Tian Tian Lai Hokkien Mee in Toa Payoh? Some said this is better." He replied, "Tian Tian Lai Hokkien Mee is definitely better, it is wetter and more flavorful."

There were many comments left on their Facebook page mainly about the encounter of bad attitude and lousy service. Apparently, cooking with a good amount of passion does make a difference but having a good attitude and coupled with positive customer service are equally important.

XIAO DI FRIED PRAWN NOODLE

Block 153 Serangoon North Avenue 1 #01-512 Guan Hock Tiong Eating House Singapore 550153

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Geylang Lorong 29 Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee at East Coast

This stall is located in a coffee shop along East Coast Road, their Fried Hokkien Mee is amongst one of the most recommended choices.  The menu also includes Fried Carrot Cake, Fried Oyster, and Fried Oyster Omelette. I was there for the first time on a Sunday for lunch. Despite the name, this stall is not originally from Geylang Lorong 29 even though the father of Alex See, the owner, started Swee Guan Hokkien Mee at Geylang Lorong 29 and is currently manned by his brothers.

There are 4 sizes for the Fried Hokkien Mee, the smallest portion at $6, followed by $10, $15 and $20. I ordered the smallest portion to share with my dining companion, it was delivered to our table within 5 minutes.

I squeezed the lime then mixed it well with the sambal chilli before partaking the first mouthful and I actually enjoyed it. The texture was gooey, moist and quite flavorful with ingredients like prawns, squid, and egg, fried well with a mixture of yellow noodles and thick bee hoon, accompanied by their homemade chilli. I did not exactly taste the wok flavor amidst it though. This was my first time eating it and it was good but I was told that their standard can be quite inconsistent. 

If I am to base on this particular experience to do a comparison, I would prefer this to the Fried Hokkien Mee by Swee Guan Hokkien Mee as the last experience there was not quite a memorable one. I remembered that the waiting time was quite long, the texture of their noodles was slightly drier with an unpleasant charcoal taste and I did not manage to finish it.

GEYLANG LORONG 29 

CHARCOAL FRIED HOKKIEN MEE

396E East Coast Road SINGAPORE 428994

Operating Hours: 11.45 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Newton Tan Song Heng : good Fried Hokkien Mee

I was there on a Friday for the popular Hai Tang Lor Mee (海棠卤面) but it was closed. Amongst the food choices there, this Fried Hokkien Mee stall was one of those that have got a queue. They used to be at Newton Food Centre before moving to this food centre. I joined the queue and waited for a while before get to order. The auntie was telling me that I have to wait for the next batch of Fried Hokkien Mee. There are the $4, $5 and $6 options to choose and there is also Fried Kway Teow for $3, $4 and $5. I decided to go with the Fried Hokkien Mee as most of their customers were ordering this but opted for the smallest portion. While waiting, I chatted with a customer right behind me. She said, "Their Fried Hokkien Mee is very good. I always come to eat this, the Ipoh Hor Fun and also the Lor Mee."

I waited for about 15 minutes to get my plate of Fried Hokkien Mee. Though it is the smallest size, its portion was quite substantial to share with my dining companion. He got to taste it first and he said, "It is moist but not overly wet, the noodles were nicely braised in the broth to absorb the flavor well."

When I had my first mouthful, I was equally impressed and totally understand why there is always a constant queue at this stall. The same customer said, "If you come at 12 pm, the queue is really very long but not so now as lunch hour is almost over." The prawns tasted relatively fresh and the chilli though not too spicy but it actually enhanced the flavor. 

This is definitely better than the Yang Zhou Hokkien Sotong Mee at Jalan Bukit Merah. I would think this is easily one of the better Fried Hokkien Mee that I have eaten so far and definitely worth traveling to this secluded hawker centre just for this. I am likely to come back for their Fried Kway Teow.

NEWTON TAN SONG HENG

159 Mei Ling Street #02-40 Mei Ling Food Centre SINGAPORE 140159

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 7.00 pm (Closed on Tuesdays & Public Holidays)

Yang Zhou Hokkien Sotong Mee : formerly from Beo Crescent

Uncle Lim, the owner, started his stall at Block 40 Beo Crescent and was there for 3 decades before moving to the current location in September 2016 leaving the previous stall to someone else. I did not get to eat it when they were there. While queuing, I quietly observed how the elderly Uncle frying the noodles and he would look up occasionally and to ask for the order then continuously frying the mixture of yellow noodles and thick bee hoon. I decided to go with the smallest portion at $4. There are also the $5 and $6 portions available. 

The Hokkien Mee is different, the texture is much drier as compared to most of those out there as the noodles were nicely fried to give it a charred flavor rather than just braising in stock. He used to be doing so using charcoal fire over at Beo Crescent but no longer doing so as they are not able to use charcoal in this coffee shop. Sua Lor prawns were used together with squid, bean sprouts and egg as the ingredients.

This is a simple yet satisfying Fried Hokkien Mee though not the best that I have tasted but it is good enough. 

YANG ZHOU HOKKIEN SOTONG MEE

Block 127 Bukit Merah Lane 1 SINGAPORE 150127

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee : just so so

Manfred Lim, 40s, is the 3rd generation hawker that took over the stall from his mother when he was 27 years old. His mother took over the stall from a relative. This decades-old stall has been award Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Though they are not amongst the famous Fried Hokkien Mee around, they have been around for a long time. 

I was there on a Saturday, there were just a few people in the queue. The queue was much longer at Tiong Bahru Hainanese Chicken Rice which is also awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. There are the $3, $4 and also $5 portions available and I decided to go with the $4. The assistant was taking the order the moment when I joined the queue. It is cooked in batches and added in the pre-cooked ingredients later. 

Their version is wetter and not quite flavorful, no hint of wok flavor and not serving with fried lard. It was served with ingredients like prawns, squid, slices of pork belly and fish cake with sambal chilli by the side. My dining companion said, "It is not bad but not exceptionally impressive and I do not think they deserved the Michelin Bib Gourmand. How good can a Fried Hokkien Mee be if without wok flavor and fried lard?"

I think the inspectors from Michelin did not get to taste enough of the other Fried Hokkien Mee for a comparison. Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Mee at ABC Brickworks Food Centre that has been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand this year is definitely more deserving. What do these foreign inspectors actually know about our hawker food? 

HONG HENG FRIED SOTONG PRAWN MEE

30 Seng Poh Road #02-01 Tiong Bahru Food Centre SINGAPORE 168898

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Hawkerman at SingPost Centre

Hawkerman, a newly opened 75-seater eatery by Ben Yeo, the actor and TV host, together with Tenderfresh Group, Warong Kim's and Ah Boy Popiah. You will order and pay at the counter, a page is given for you to collect your food when it is ready.

Tenderfresh Group is a popular fried chicken chain. There is a Lucky Set ($7.90) that consists of 2 pieces of fried chicken with fries and coleslaw. Another interesting dish is O-Leek Chicken ($12.90), the fried chicken is served with their special soy-onion sauce together with fried and fresh leeks, it is served with fried yam strips instead of the usual fries, with XO sauce and homemade kimchi coleslaw, which is named Kimslaw. Warong Kim's is originally the Kim's Fried Hokkien Mee. Their popular choice is La La Hokkien Mee ($9.90) with white clams, prawns, and sotong created by master Tan Kue Kim, he is well-known for his wearing long-sleeved shirt and Rolex watch when frying his Hokkien mee. His son is behind the setup and also their signature "Lolex Hokkien Mee" ($44.90), consisting a lobster together with prawns, clams, and sotong. Ah Boy's Popiah is using the recipe that has been handed down by decades ago, the same that started Good Chance Popiah, a brand name that has been around for decades. The Hokkien Popiah ($3.90) and Skinny Popiah ($4.90), serving with crispy chicken skin and salted egg sauce are their popular choices. 

I decided to go with the Bao Ka Liao platter ($32.90) to share with my dining companion, it literally means "including everything" in Hokkien and is highly recommended by some food bloggers. It has 7 types of dishes, consisting half of the Tenderfresh's Signature Fried Spring Chicken, Hokkien Mee from Warong Kim's and the Hokkien Popiah from Ah Boy's Popiah. The platter also includes Citrus Plum Watermelon, homemade carrot cake with the XO sauce, fried muah chee with kimchi coleslaw, double yolks chicken. The set is supposed to feed 2, which we find it to be just enough though not filling and I do not think this platter is worth $32.90. I posted it on my Facebook and some of my friends there suggested it should be priced in between $18 to $25. 

The best of all has to be the Fried Spring Chicken, it was fried well to the desired crispiness and rather flavorful and we enjoyed it. This would likely to be the only dish that we will come back for.

The Hokkien Popiah was just fine, though not particularly outstanding as the flavor was rather mild. My dining companion was not impressed. 

Homemade carrot cake with bits of fried egg and preserved radish. The XO sauce is served in a saucer by itself and it was placed just beside the fried chicken, it could be easily overlooked and missed it out, which happened to us. My dining companion was initially commenting that the carrot cake did not have much taste before realizing it is supposed to eat along with that saucer of sauce. 

The Double Yolks Chicken, the egg salad did not have much effect in enhancing its flavor.

Fried Muah Chee with Kimchi Coleslaw was the only dish that surprised us, it actually tasted better than its look with a slight spiciness and it tasted quite special. 

The Hokkien Mee has no distinctive wok flavor and a bit too wet to my liking, it was quite disappointing when I compared it to the version done by master Tan but my dining companion deemed it to be quite acceptable. Perhaps I am expecting too much. 

Citrus Plum Watermelon was quite refreshing, it would be even so if it is served chilled and not at room temperature. 

There are some interesting desserts on their menu like the Durian 'N Jack Popiah ($5.90), it consists of durian and jackfruit with coconut ice-cream in popiah skin. Singapura Ice Cream ($5.90) is equally interesting, the coconut ice-cream is served with durian and some traditional snacks like gong tang, peanut sweet, ice gem biscuit with gula melaka.

The overall experience was not quite spectacular and I am not likely to come back soon. 

HAWKERMAN

10 Eunos Road 8 SingPost Centre #B1-128/129 SINGAPORE 408600

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.30 pm (Daily)

Mr Prawnie : Fried Hokkien Big Prawn Mee

Mr Pang Biau Juan, 39, the owner of this Fried Hokkien Mee stall which started in October 2016 in a coffee shop directly opposite Ang Mo Kio MRT station. He started his first chicken rice stall at the tender age of 22 but closed it down a year later due to misspending that led to massive debts. He ended up working for other hawker stalls. He started again at 27 years old and he opened 8 stalls bearing the name Heng Leong Hainanese Chicken Rice but he closed all the stalls when he was 31. He then returned to work at other Chicken Rice stalls and he partnered a hawker at 32 to run a Fried Hokkien Mee and Fried Kway Teow Stall but they split due to some disagreements. He became a runner for loan sharks to settle his debts, he was caught for unlicensed money lending and ended up in jail for 21 months. After his release, he worked different types of jobs before starting Mr Prawnie in October 2016, serving Fried Hokkien Mee. The prices start at $5 for a single serving to $26 for a combo platter with lobster, crayfish and big prawns for 4 pax. He is one of the recipients of $10,000 grant from the Tiger Street Food Support Fund. 

The portion was quite substantial serving with 2 pieces of medium-sized prawns, clams and squids, together with a portion of their house-made sambal chilli by the side. The texture was moist, a little gooey and flavorful, with a slight hint of wok flavour. It was served with a handful of fried pork lards and together with the sambal chilli that brought forth its flavour, though the level of spiciness is quite mild. 

Though not the best Fried Hokkien Mee but it is good enough to satisfy a craving.

MR PRAWNIE FRIED HOKKIEN BIG PRAWN MEE

Block 721 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 SINGAPORE 560721

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Sheng Seng Fried Prawn Noodle : the wet Hokkien Mee

When i was queuing for the Lai Heng Pork Ribs Prawn Mee, i noticed that there was a queue for this stall, which is just directly opposite. Other than the catchy yellow signboard which has their stall name on it, there is an older one stating Farrer Park Fried Hokkien Mee, likely to be where they used to be. The prices start at $3 then $4 and $5 and i went with the $4 portion. 

The waiting time was shorter than expected. It was the wet version that consists of a good portion of a mixture of bee hoon and yellow noodles serving with ingredients such as sotong, prawns, slices of fishcake and egg, together with sambal chilli and a lime by the side. I started by squeezing the lime then mixing the sambal chilli into the noodles. The first impression after i had my first mouthful was that distinct eggy taste but the noodles were not well braised.  It might be due to cooking it too quickly in order to serve it fast to clear the queue thus did not give it enough time for the noodles to soak it well. 

Though this stall has its supporters but the overall taste was quite average and it would not be in my top list for good Hokkien Mee. I do not think they have added in fried pork lards as i did not see and could not taste any in it. 

SHENG SENG FRIED PRAWN NOODLE

41A Cambridge Road #01-40 Pek Kio Food Centre SINGAPORE 211041

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)