Will Malaysia ever dare say that Hokkien Mee was invented by them? Actually, it is very obvious that many foods though have the same names but are clearly referring to different things and flavours in Singapore and Malaysia. Just like Hokkien Mee in Malaysia(which is often called KL hokkien Mee) is yellow mee fried in dark soy sauce while ours are “2-noodles” fried in prawn soup which we also called Hokkien Hae Mee. But then Hokkien Hae Mee in Malaysia is actually referring to soup Hae Mee(also often called Penang Hae Mee) which in Singapore we call Hae Mee. Now, depending on where you are, and what you’re referring to, the words Hokkien, Mee or Hae can be played in a few possible permutations which can seriously confuse an Ang Mo to no ends.

For the true connoisseur of Hokkien Mee and who are old enough to remember, I’m sure you would had heard of this famous Hokkien Mee stall in the 1980s along Serangoon Road where the owner used to fry hokkien mee from a sitting position. Well, the owner(a Mr Neo) passed on sometime back and it’s a pity that the legacy ended there and then.

The son of Mr Neo then decided to revive the business with a stall somewhere along Upper Changi Road though his Hokkien Mee didn’t quite live up to his father’s version. Well, some said that the son didn’t work in his father’s stall on a full time basis therefore didn’t get to learn the ropes fully and hence couldn’t duplicate that exact taste of yesteryears.

Well we all know that it takes a long time to master the art of certain cooking and even with that, you still need to have a master who is willing enough to train a disciple to inherit the skill inside out.

Original Serangoon Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

At the corner of Beatty Road and Serangoon road sits a kopitiam where the former helper of the late Mr Neo plies the Hokkien Mee trade with all he was taught in the past. Having not eaten the original version from Mr Neo, I’m not sure how good this is compared to the original version but I seriously think the Hokkien Mee here has a flavour that’s pretty unique.

The Kitchen

Fried Hokkien Mee: 7.75/10  

The distinctive feature of this Hokkien Mee has got to be the wok hei. And I’m not only talking about the flavour but the noodles or tao geh(beansprout) really have wok hei on them. This means that the seller actually takes the effort to fry it on very hot fire for enough time before he adds in whatever ingredients and the prawn soup to simmer it. That’s very unlike other Hokkien Mee you can buy elsewhere right? The result is a wonderfully wok heiED flavoured hokkien mee(with laksa noodles instead of bee hoon) with some seafood pieces(prawn and squid) and generous amount of one-blade chives, bath with very delicious thick gravy. The flavour is unmistakably special for me and possibly couldn’t be matched by any hokkien mee elsewhere, well at least for me.

Hokkien Mees here are cooked in batches so if you turn up at the wrong time, you may have to wait for a good 30 min. For $4(which is the minimum order), it is a lot steeper than elsewhere but so is the quality you’ll get. There is really no doubt in my mind that here is where you get to eat a plate of Hokkien mee from traditional cooking method and probably the only stall in Singapore I know that still bother to infuse a strong wok hei flavour into a plate of Hokkien Mee.

Price: $4 (For $6 take away, you get a pack in opeh leaf)

Recommendation: $6 take away.

Conclusion: A very good Hokkien Mee with a strong authenticity. Buying takeaway in opeh leaf seems to do better for me as the flavours permeate into the noodles deeply. Serves with generous amount of pork lard upon request and the sambal is pretty good too.

Likes: Flavour is undeniably delicious and unique.

Dislikes: Place not very clean.

Address		Overall Rating
Original Serangoon Road Fried Hokkien Mee 556 Serangoon Road 4:30pm until 11:15pm Off: Monday		Food: 8.5/10   Value: 8/10   Authenticity: 9/10   Service: 7/10   Ambience: 7/10   Cleanliness: 7/10   Overall: 7.75/10