Thursday, September 20, 2007

Mei Xin Minced Meat Noodles: How do ST reporters find these places?


Bak Chor Mee $2.50

I found this review by Teo Pau Lin not long ago about this Bak Chor Mee "in the boondocks" and what struck me most was how in the world do these Straits Times reporters find this sort of places. I mean, the Food Centre is smack in the middle of nowhere in Loyang Industrial area and Loyang itself is smack in the outskirts of Singapore. So how did Ms Teo even find this place? Even if her friend had given her the tip, what in the world would possess her to make a trip to the middle of nowhere to eat and review a bowl of Bak Chor Mee? And when she was writing it, did she really think that Singaproeans would be crazy enough to make a trip to the middle of nowhere to eat this Bak Chor Mee?

So I decided to find out direct from the horse's mouth and called up Ms Teo's secretary to arrange an appointment for an interview..... no lah, Ms Teo doesn't really have a secretary. The answer was sublime... tell you about it later.



This is one hearty bowl of Bak Chor Mee. I guess "being in the boondocks" they have to cater for men with big appetites. So each bowl not only has a generous mound of noodles, it is also chock full of minced meat, sliced pork and sliced fish cake.

The noodles are also the eggy thin Mee Pok type which is my favourite. I like the way it has a firm bite but still gives you that nice "serrated" feel when you slurp it. You need to take this mee pok with the chilli sauce because the non-chilli version only has vinegar and soy sauce. The soup was tasty but not as robust as some of the others in this blog. 4.25/5



The Keow is made with a fish paste filling which is quite tasty but one is never enough. You can get an extra bowl of 6 Keows for $1. It's too bad I got there after the lunch crowd. I think they would have tasted even better fresh.



The other little surprise that I found was their Lor Mee which was actually quite good! The sauce is not overly thickened and it has a sweet, flowery fragrance to it. Again the portions are rather generous for $2.50. The ngor hiang was ok but the lor bak was quite tasty. 4/5

Ah yes, back to our little mystery of how our intrepid ST reporter traveled to the boondocks to eat a bowl of Bak Chor Mee. Her "friend" was non other than the man to whom she is married to now. He works in the area and told her about the noodles. Ha! So Ms Teo went to review food and at the same time had a tryst with her boyfriend!! (Last statement is only my imagination yah?)

Conclusion

Good hearty bowl of Bak Chor Mee. But how many would be game enough to travel all the way there to try it, I wonder?

Mei Xin Minced Meat Prawn Noodle
NTL Eating House

64 Loyang Way

6am to 4.30pm Mon - Friday

6am to 11.30pm Sat

18 comments:

Leslie said...

Unless one stays nearby. within 15 minutes drive is reasonable.

Anonymous said...

Well I wouldn't visit this place for sure, unless I'm stuck working there too.

liverpool1965 said...

$2.50 for the portions you featured? lunch next week anyone? :)

SCS butter said...

Will travel if its 5/5...

smart said...

I read TPL's article and ventured there n recommended to you.They dont usually sell the fish cake wanton n it is very delicious if you can get more.Liv65 is it very far n you need a car.Highly recommended for those staying/working in Changi, Pasir Ris, Tampines.

ieat said...

Sorry, could not remember that incident. Have you been back since?

smart said...

Been there a few times. Yes I emailed you and the makan kakis. Dont worry I know you received hundred of emails a day so I can understand.
Liv65, how about Tues. Pls call me to fix appointment.

Bashful Hunter said...

Not too far from my workplace. I should drop by to try :-)

liverpool1965 said...

yup still have that email smart! :)

yg said...

there are some people who enjoy seeking out out-of-the-way eateries. i used to frequent sembawang seafood restaurant before it assumed its new name 'bottle tree village'. i also like seng's kitchen tucked away at quality rd in jurong. then, there is arcadia restaurant located off adam rd. seafood paradise at defu lane 10 also falls into this category. i understand that some s'poreans travel all the way to pasir gudang to eat at the restoran todak. this one is really out of the way.

i must admit that i have tried twice but failed to locate this bak chor mee stall at loyang.

smart said...

yg, There are many crazy ppl going out of the way to find good food. I am one of them.
This BCM (address already given)you got to pass Stamford Tyre drive about 200meters n look for Ntl Eating house on the right. There is a chinese temple next to it.

aquacool said...

noticed those fried shallots in the pictures...URGH!
any food stall which serves those horrible fried shallots (which i presume were factory made and packaged for hawkers) gets minus points from me. factory-made fried shallots seem to be coated with flour (i think?) and taste stale, unlike fresh fried shallots.
hawkers who serve truly good food do not serve these stale fried shallot, cos it mars the taste of their food.

smart said...

Aquacool, I agree with you. I did not notice when I ate there.More interested in the chilli n fish cake.

Bashful Hunter said...

Went to try it today. Very nice. The noodles is cooked just right and it absorbed all the sauce up very well. They seem to get it all right with this dish. During lunch time, the Curry Rice and the Braised Duck rice stall seem to attract quite a long queue too. Will be back to try the Lor Mee and others.

yg said...

thanks to 'smart' i finally found the bcm stall at loyang way. tried the minced meat prawn noodle. a lot of noodles for the price (S2.50)but found the sauce a bit too sweet.

pixma said...

Tried the noodles 11.30am today and the Keow was already not crispy. Price also increased to $2.80. Verdict - Sodium/MSG overload!!! Still feeling thirsty even after 10 hours.

@drian said...

I was there on Sat morning and the entire canteen seemed to have closed down. Any idea where the stall might have shifted to?

Anonymous said...

I really love this Mei Xin Minced Meat Noodle. I've eaten there several times, unfortunately NTL Eating House where the store is located is closed now. Does anybody know where have they moved to?

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