Monday, December 29, 2008

Tian Tian Lai Hokkien Mee: I would if you were opened daily!



Our recent polls showed that the Hokkiens have the least proportion of foodies as compared with the other dialects groups. Of course this does not mean that they don't have a few lip smackingly shiok dishes in their culture. One of the best dishes in the world that the Hokkiens have given us is the humble Hokkien Mee which is in my opinion, the most underated of Singaporean dishes. Every tourist knows about Chicken Rice and Chilli Crabs but not all of them are as familiar with Hokkien Mee. If you all remember our polls last year on Singaporean's favourite hawker dish, Hokkien Mee came first, ahead of Chicken Rice to everyone's surprise. Thankfully there are quite a few great Hokkien Mees around and I am still finding gems even after blogging over 20 stalls.

Now you might be wondering why I did not blog this stall earlier. The fact is that when I was here last year but I did not think much of it. However, this time round, I was very pleasantly surprised at how good it actually is.



The main characteristic of this Hokkien Mee is its gooeyness which intensifies the crustacean taste of the the stock. The noodles were well fried and the chef is no friend of pigs, so you get your lard and belly pork strips here. The prawns and sotong are tiny and only serve as a garnishing. What you are going for is just a satisfying, full flavoured, fried noodle dish. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Simple, no frills, gooey and tasty Hokkien Mee. As I alluded in the title, the irony is that the stall extols its patrons to come daily but are only opened six days a week.

Tian Tian Lai (Come Daily)
Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
Blk 127, Toa Payoh Lor 1
#02-27
Singapore 310127
9.30am to 9pm
Closed on Mondays (how to come daily?)
Ordering Hotline: 62518542/96717071

32 comments:

dramaqueen said...

Im the first to comment for the first time=] Does it taste better than Geylang Lor 29 ?

Owen said...

It probably will not be on par with Geylang Lor 29 but I will be the first to admit that this no-frills stall does cream your typical average hokkien mee wannabe from what i can remember.

this stall has been around since i was sucking my thumb and i do recall that it does taste above average compared to most of the half past six pretentious Hokkien Mee stalls that are still hawking their mee with no shame

it has been more than 15 years since i last ate from this stall but thanks to you, the feature brought back good memories cos I so rem the pork belly strips.

I will go have my fill and report if it is still as good and gooey as i remembered.............

tianhong said...

actually it would be easier if all the places is tagged in google maps. just my 2 cents opinion

ieat said...

Dramaqueen, well both a good in their own way and I would not hesitate to eat either.

TP Kid said...

I ate at this stall since a kid as I was living in toa payoh Lor 1. It was fried by the father back then. Missed those days when they were located at the corner, facing the road. It's still the best HKM to me, brings back lots of memories.

iJeff said...

I have tried this HKM before and it was pretty good. Another good HKM that worth a try is Eng Ho Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee at Blk 409 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 Food Centre #01-34

kormmandos said...

Will you be reviewing Blisshaven muffins and Teochew Handmade Pao too?

Damien said...

Eng Ho is good but sometimes can tahan the long wait.

There is another HKM stall within the same FC located on the row perpendicular to it.

Very old skool and has been there for about 20 years already. Nostalgic but not very fantastic :)

singaporeshortstories.blogspot.com said...

ya I agreed the yummy Hokkien mee is underrated

Minty said...

HAHAhahaha agreed also... it's hard to come by a nice hokkien mee stall

how abt the one in old airport road.. pretty gd also!!!

ieat said...

Yes, Nam Sing at Old Airport Road has been blogged before.

ocha said...

I've been reading your blog for some time now =)
Just want to say Happy New Year to you and family!

Anonymous said...

There is a good HKM at upper serangoon road..near punggol nasi lemak...at the corner coffee shop if you walk down from kovan mrt towards punggol nasi lemak..there are other 2 stalls there..one serve cripsy or luak [shiok] another is satay.not bad..

Blur Ting said...

I can say your blog is one that makes me 'tian tian lai!". Happy new year to you and your family. Keep making these delicious posts!

jems said...

I did this this morning and I have to say it deserves every bit of its 4.5 rating :) LOVED IT. This HKM is definitely a pork lard lover's haven. I counted - in my $3 serving there were like a total of 15 pcs of pork lard~~

ieat said...

Well that is a great start to a New Year!

rafale said...

Hello,

I love this Block 127 hokkien mee since trying it so much tt we'll go all the way from woodlands just to have it. The lard taste is fantastic, but i feel Yi Sheng at ABC has a stronger prawn taste.

I believe anonymous (31/12/08 00:31) is talking about the Hokkien Mee in Nam Sing Coffeeshop. With the name similarity between this coffee shop and the Kallang Airport stall (in terms of style as well), anyone wanna do an expose on any connection?

The crispy Or Luak is good and the chicken wings are to choke-your-artery for.

Best of all, ieat can order everything in Teochew. The whole coffeeshop seems to be Teochew run.

ieat said...

Where exactly is this Nam Sing coffeeshop?

rafale said...

junction of simon road and upper serangoon road.. quote prominent as it is facing the newly being built condos..

ieat said...

Yes I have tried it before, but I did not bring my camera. Last time I tried was a 4/5 only. Will try again together with Oyster Omelette at same coffeeshop

fatme said...

Have eaten number of times is good but no where near Lor 29 standard and quality or quantity.

Las montaƱas said...

IMHO, the best HKM was at Toa Payoh Lor 7 at one of the small hawker stalls (along with row with the old time carrot cake/fried oyster stall).

This HKM gives a smoky taste (because it is fried over coal fire), large portions!, has chives/spring onions, uses the thinner beehoon, has the julienned pieces of pork, and uses lard generously! The noodle is also not fried goey wet and is of the right texture.

The sambal belachan+large limes+ cut red chilli complete this gastro delight.

unfortunately, this stall seemed to have moved or closed down. Never ever could get another one like this. The second closest is at Toa Payoh Lor8 hawker ctr but even that is not close enough.

Anonymous said...

I think that there's a pretty good Hokkien Mee at Pasir Panjang food centre , near the char kway teow...

If you asked me , i think this is better than Tian Tian Lai . Cannot remember the stall name , but its on the same section as the Char kway Teow , away from the BBQ seafood section and the Muslim side

Marshyll said...

HKM Lover
So far i still insist that Lor 29 is my best choice.
I also recommend Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 Blk 453A Tian Tian Dao the chilli is shiok..

Benjamin Ng said...

hahaha... i love the HKM at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 Blk 409 - occasionally my dad will buy back for the whole family! :)

we think it tastes best ta-pao, where the noodles can cook and steam in their own juices for a little longer. super-gooey!

jks said...

Finally tried this last night. Walked like mad to find it, haha! When the uncle first put the plate on my table I was like 'huh, like that one ah' - it looked a bit sad, dull and dumpy. But once I mixed the noodles up - woah! Not bad! In fact, it got addictive, heheh, and I couldn't stop eating it. My hubby loved it coz he likes his HKM wet.

Damien said...

"If you asked me , i think this is better than Tian Tian Lai . Cannot remember the stall name , but its on the same section as the Char kway Teow , away from the BBQ seafood section and the Muslim side"

The auntie used to fry HKM along Spottiswoode Park Road about 20 years ago when itinerant hawkers roamed the streets.

The stall is manned by two ladies and their HKM is good, albeit not really great as it's superhealthy with minimal lard and not enough wok hei :)

I used to have a nick for them in Cantonese "Mo For Hei"

I like their ter ka bee hoon though...

Anonymous said...

One of the best hokkien mees i ever came across was at Maxwell food market. They usually are open till the wee hours at night. Sadly, i think it closed down or moved last year. Now I enjoy Lor 29's hokkien mee but it's good to know there's so many more good hokkien mee stalls that I have not explored yet!

cactuskit said...

My personal favourite are still the Lor 29 HKM located at East Coast and the oyster HKM at Kim's. : )

i-link said...

This stall is been around when I was still in primary sch, it was best during the old times located at the corner of the old place. I seldom visit them as I think their standard drop n the old amosphere is gone. But will still give it a try when I going to the market!!! Recommended.

Anonymous said...

Tian Tian Lai has improve down the years since it got started 3o over years ago. Its really great and the mee is superb. Addictive.

Anonymous said...

Try tis Tian Tian Lai HKM! Will never regret, seriously.

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