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)

Tie Fun Wan by Rice & Fries : fusion rice bowls

Chef Ken Chia, 43, the owner, previously manned Rice & Fries, a cafe along Changi Road for about 5 years before moving to the current location. It is a hole-in-the-wall just a stone's throw away from Farrer Park MRT and is only selling rice bowls thus he named the shop as "Tie Fun Wan", it is 铁饭碗 in Chinese, literally means iron rice bowls.

The menu consists of 4 different types of rice bowls including their signature 72-Hr Slow Cooked Beef ($14), Sweet & Spicy Pork Pork Belly ($10), Braised Pork (Lor Bak) ($8) and Teriyaki Chicken ($8), it served with the pearl rice of Shanghai noodle. There are choices to add a 63-degree egg for $1.50, corn at $1.00 and extra rice at $1.50. 

There were just another 3 customers when we were there for lunch on a weekday. Chef Ken was there all by himself. We ordered at the counter and decided to go with the 72-Hr Slow Cooked Beef bowl and Braised Pork bowl, added egg to both rice bowls. We were asked to take a seat. 

There are pickled radish and carrots in the containers available for self-service on the table. Chef Ken said, "These condiments go well with the rice bowls." He also said, "Everything is made fresh in house and no MSG is added."

We also ordered the home-brewed drinks, Lemon Grass ($3.00) and Honey Lemon ($3.00). The Honey Lemon drink is particularly good for such hot weather.

The 72-Hr Slow Cooked Beef bowl consists of lightly torched beef slices served with the housemade teriyaki plum sauce together with the 63-degree egg and greens, garnished with bonito flakes and chopped spring onions. The tenderness of the sous-vide Australian Angus beef has left an impression. My dining companion said, "It is really soft and quite flavorful." He added, "The soup that came with the rice bowl is actually quite tasteless though there are ikan belis and soya beans at the bottom of the soup bowl." 

The Braised Pork bowl came with a few chunks of braised pork and a piece of braised beancurd, garnished with bonito flakes and chopped spring onions. My dining companion said, "It would be nicer if the meat is softer."

Chef Ken came over to ask, "How was the food?" I replied, "The 72-Hr Slow Cooked Beef bowl is very nice. My sister is quite a fan of your Western food particularly the Lamb Shank and Oxtail Stew." He said, "We are not able to do that here as cannot do heavy cooking right here." He added, "Another reason that we decided to move here is it was kind of quiet at our previous location. Sometimes, there were only a few tables." He is happy with the current location as his customer base is slowly building up.

TIE FAN WAN

89 Rangoon Road #01-03 Urban Lofts SINGAPORE 218375

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 11.30 pm (Mon to Fri) /

11.00 am to 11.30 pm (Sat & Sun)

Prawnaholic : the fusion Prawn Mee

Alan Choong, 24, the owner, started this stall serving Prawn Mee, his favorite hawker dish. He ventured into the Food & Beverage industry about 5 years ago, working in hotels and restaurants before deciding to start this hawker stall. There are only 5 items on the menu, the Special Prawn Noodle ($6.50), King Prawn Noodle ($8.50), King Prawn Udon ($12.50) and 2 side dishes, Prawn Balls & Salted Egg Mayo ($6.50) and Salmon Skin & Salted Egg Mayo ($6.50). There used to be Lala Prawn Noodles at $4 but it has since been removed from the menu.

The first step to ordering is to select the type of noodles and the choices are yellow mee, thick bee hoon, kway teow or a mixture of those. There is the dry and soup version but their signature is the dry one. There are choices to add $1.00 for either lala, prawn, pork or an onsen egg. I ordered through Alan and I decided to have Special Prawn Noodle. Alan asked, "Do you want to add an egg?" I nodded. The total amount was $7.50. The Special Prawn Noodle came with a small portion of noodles, 2 pieces of large prawns, a homemade prawn ball and the torched Kurobuta Pork that replaced the usual pork ribs and sliced meat.

The prawn ball did not taste too special as I have eaten a similar one at Bai Nian Yong Tau Foo. The relatively fresh prawns were not deshelled and so making it rather difficult to eat without dirtying your hands. The Kurobuta Pork was quite a pleasant surprise and I would not mind paying for extra pieces but not for the onsen egg. Though the onsen egg has given the noodles a textual difference but not quite worth paying $1.00 for it. There was some pork lard added but was rather soggy and with a slightly burnt taste and bitterness. The accompanied chilli tasted strange though, it was a bit too sweet and lacking in spiciness. The bowl of soup that served along with the noodle was quite flavorful. 

There is also a traditional Prawn Mee stall at the first level of this food centre by another young hawker serving equally good prawn mee at cheaper prices. 

PRAWNAHOLIC

Block 110 Pasir Ris Central #02-12 Pasir Ris Hawker Centre SINGAPORE 519641

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 3.00 pm / 5.30 pm to 9.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Sebastian Mix Fusion Cuisine at Everton Park

Chef Sebastian Ho, 32, was trained in Singapore Hotel and Tourism Centre (SHATEC) and graduated with a Diploma in Culinary Skills. He worked in Italian restaurants and hotels like Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton Milennia. He then left to help his parents run their family business for 6 years. 

Read my review on Makansutra.

SEBASTIAN MIX FUSION CUISINE

7 Everton Park #01-01 SINGAPORE 080007