Best Bak Chor Mee in Singapore: Where to Slurp Your Fill of Old-School and Fusion Minced Meat Noodles

PUBLISHED April 19th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED April 27th, 2021 02:54 pm

It’s no secret that Singaporeans love our noods. Next to wanton mee and Hokkien mee, bak chor mee is a reliable crowd-puller at many a hawker centre, each hotspot with its own legion of fierce fans (and detractors). Literally translating to ‘minced meat noodles’ in Teochew, this humble dish brings together springy strands of mee, minced pork and pork slices, and crisp lard bits in one vinegary, umami-rich medley. Whether you like it dry or soupy, we’ve tossed together a piping-hot guide to the best bak chor mee in Singapore.

XO Minced Meat Noodles

It’s not often you see a bowl so laden with ingredients that you can barely glimpse the noods for the fixings. Set in Newton Food Centre, this stall’s signature XO Minced Meat Noodles (S$5) comes fully-loaded with not only sliced pork and fishcakes, but also crisp beancurd skin, meaty Fuzhou fishballs, and plump fishballs. All that comes nestled atop a heap of springy mee kia with plenty of bite. For the spice fiends, their chili also packs quite the mean zing.

XO Minced Meat Noodles is located at #01-10, Newton Food Centre, 500 Clemenceau Avenue North, Newton Food Centre, Singapore 229495. Open 24 hours daily. 

Soon Heng Pork Noodles

The Keong Saik enclave is better known for snazzy restaurants than humble soul food, but there’s always Soon Heng to deliver some belly-warming, wallet-friendly goodness. Tucked away in a coffeeshop across from The Working Capitol, this bak chor mee stall serves up only soup-based renditions simmered with fresh pork bones. For S$4++, you get heapings of plump meatballs, handmade wontons, and minced meat, all bathed in a cloudy – almost milky – broth.

Soon Heng Pork Noodles is located at 120 Neil Rd, Singapore 088855, p. +65 9792 8106. Open Mon-Sat 8am–3pm. Closed Sun. 

Gimee Face

Even purists might find this stall worth giving face to. A cheeky play on ‘给面子’, Gimee Face is a bold new kid on the bak chor mee scene that’s giving these traditional noods a modern spin. Their Mala Spicy Pork Noodle (S$4.80) peppers things up with a mild dose of Sichuan-style heat, while the Spicy Volcano Mee Kia Soup (S$6.80) steams with chili paste and half an oozy ramen egg. The Abalone Pork Noodle (S$6.80) wins our hearts, though, with its umami-soaked strands coated with hae bee sambal and crowned with a single abalone.

Gimee Face has outlets in Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Telok Blangah, and Upper Boon Keng Road. For more location info, see here. 

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Mee

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Mee is known for two things: its old-school, nostalgic bowls of bak chor mee and its hour-long queues. A veritable institution in Toa Payoh, their Minced Meat Noodles (S$4++) feature lean pork slices, liver, and a sprinkling of abalone slices atop springy noodles. Throw in generous helpings of freshly fried lard, and it’s no wonder their mee pok and mee kia options sell out fast. We think the mee tai mak is an underrated choice, though – the slippery, bouncy noodles in pork broth make for a winning combo.

Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Mee is located at Blk 73 Lor 4 Toa Payoh, #01-611, Singapore 310073, p. +65 9620 2074. Open Thurs-Tues 8am–4pm. Closed Wed. 

58 Minced Meat Noodle

Not to be confused with the equally well-known 58 Minced Meat Mee in Bedok, 58 Minced Meat Noodle has been dishing out hearty bowls at Taman Jurong Food Centre for nearly 50 years. Their Minced Meat Noodle is for fans of noodles done soft, tossed with chili sauce that leans on the sweet side (you can add a splash of vinegar if you’d like). If you’re opting for the soupy version, their pork broth is rich and robust, swimming with flavourful pork liver alongside a mix of button and shiitake mushrooms.

58 Minced Meat Noodle is located at #03-150 Taman Jurong Food Centre, 3 Yung Sheng Rd, Singapore 618499. Open Thurs-Mon 10am–2pm. Closed Tues & Wed. 

Li Yuan Mee Pok

Bak chor mee meets ramen at Li Yuan Mee Pok, a Clementi stall offering noods with dashes of Japanese flair. Japanese chef Naoji Kuribara apprenticed with what was once Ah Hoe Mee Pok before taking over the stall, and now whips up traditional bowls of mee pok alongside fabulous fusion creations. His Char Siew bak chor mee (S$10) features your choice of umami-laced miso or lighter shoyu broth, topped with fatty slices of chashu and meatballs. The only thing missing for maximum oomph might just be a runny ramen egg.

Li Yuan Mee Pok is located at 710 Clementi West Street 2, Singapore 120710, p. +65 8742 6540. Open Tues-Sun 8.30am–3pm. Closed Mon.

Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian

Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian is famed as one of two bak chor mee powerhouses at Bedok 85 (the other being Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee). This Michelin Plate stall makes its bouncy noodles in-house, which are then bathed in a light, savoury-sweet broth – only soupy versions are available here. A handful of fried garlic crisps add plenty of fragrant crunch, and they’re seriously generous with the meatballs too.

Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian is located at Fengshan Market & Food Centre, #01-07, Bedok North Rd, Singapore 460085, p. +65 9879 4599. Open Fri-Wed 11.30am–11.30pm. Closed Tues. 

Top Image: Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Mee