Joo Heng Bak Chor Mee: Why is Bak Chor Mee so underated?
Bak Chor Mee is such an underrated Singapore dish. When we conducted our polls last year, Bak Chor Mee was the third most favourite Singaporean hawker dish after Hokkien Mee and Chicken Rice. But, if you have a friend from overseas coming to Singapore, how many of us would think about bringing him to eat Bak Chor Mee? No, it is either Chilli Crab or Chicken Rice but not Mee Pok Tar or Bak Chor Mee. In fact, I don't recall seeing Bak Chor Mee being featured in any of these foreign food documentaries whenever they feature Singapore food. Yet Bak Chor Mee remains very close to the hearts of many Singaporeans. The phrase "Bak Chor Mee (or Mee Pok Tah) mai Ter Kuah" (Minced Pork noodles, no liver please) is such a commonly used phrase that it can be ranked up there with "Relac one corner" and "Arh Boh Den?". Still remember that podcast by Mr Brown?
I was told by Damien and Cactuskit that this Bak Chor Mee is quite legendary and used to be in that food centre in AMK before it burned down. They have since shifted to the temporary market and are still drawing the crowds.
As a dish, Bak Chor Mee, in general, is still has good as it was in the past. What I am saying is, when you talk about Chicken Rice, poeple always say how good it was in the past. This is the same with Char Kway Teow and even Hokkien Mee. But when it comes to Bak Chor Mee, I haven't heard many people complain that Bak Chor Mee was so much better in the past.
Bak Chor Mee really is about the noodles more than any other noodle dishes that I know. The topping and sauces really just serve to accentuate the flavour of the noodles. So you really need to start with a good quality egg noodle and then make sure you eat it piping hot. With each mouthful, you get to enjoy the aroma of the egg noodles that is lightly flavoured with the lard with the vinegar just cutting through the oils and getting the salivary glands to start working.
This is a fine bowl of Bak Chor Mee. I felt that the flavours are nicely balanced and you get a whiff of the eggy aroma of the good quality egg noodle with that first mouthful. The texture of the noodles was nice and QQ. It is a good as the other great Mee Poks around, but not really one head above the rest. 4.25/5
Conclusion
Actually the fact is that as Mee Pok/Bak Chor Mee goes, it is hard to differentiate between all the good ones around as they have all reached a certain standard. The one that stands out for me is Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee because I can order Fish Maw soup and Nam Joo Fried Pork Strips to go with my Bak Chor Mee. But if you are looking for a standard bowl of expertly made Bak Chor Mee and you are in Ang Mo Kio, this is it.
Joo Heng Mushroom Minced Pork Mee
AMK Blk 628 Temporary Market
7am to 2pm daily
37 comments:
If I remembered correctly, Bak Chor Mee was being featured in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. The part where he got introduced to Singlish + a bowl of Bak Chor Mee.
Do you remember which stall he was brought to?
Yes, I agree. All kind of dry noodles is about the noodle's "Q"ness. The rest (sauce and toppings) are secondary.
getg3
Anthony Bourdain was brought to Tai Hwa Bak Chor Mee by Mr Seetoh of Makansutra
Steven
Thanks for featuring bak chor mee. Really makes us miss Singapore food, as so far still can't find a place in Perth that serves bak chor mee with the meepok, chilli, sauces and toppings like the Singapore one. The nearest we can get when we crave for it is the one at Sommerville (Lesouef Ave near to Winthrop, South Perth) something called Singapore meepok (~A$8.50) but really not quite the same and they have closed for renovation so have to wait till we are back in Singapore to savour it again!
Oh Tweety, you should check out our friend Mr YaKwang who has just migrated to Perth. He has been written about extensively on this blog.
I heard he has just opened a stall selling Singapore food in Perth. Will try to get the address for you.
I prefer the 'mee kia' than the mee pok because it has more bite. The sauce is also important. When my son was younger, I used to buy the non-spicy version and really, the ketchupy sauce simply doesn't do any justice to bak chor mee at all!
Haha, imagine ordering Mee Pok Tah with Mee Kia!
I actually bring my overseas friends to eat Bak Chor Mee leh cuz it's definitely one of my favorite hawker food. It's something so simple and yummy yet can't seem to be found elsewhere. So far the reviews have always been good :)
I also know that every local SG man loves his bowl of bak chor mee. Haven't met one who doesn't fancy it yet keke
Thanks! That will be great...we can recommend to our makan kakis here too. Actually we really appreciate the features in this blog, especially the wonderful food pixs. We know where to zoom into whenever we are back in Singapore.
Will always pop by this stall when I'm around Yio Chu Kang. Very traditional Teochew BCM...
Hey Tweety,
I just heard from Jason. His stall will open on 8 April and the address is: Spencer Village Shopping Center, 200 Spencer Road, Thornlie WA 6108
Hey Damien, what is the difference between a traditional bak chor mee and a modern bak chor mee?
Me too. Like Damien, whenever I'm in the area, I'll try to pop by for a bowl. Always add $1 mushrooms. One of my favourite BCMs.
I was at Ang Mo Kio Central today and had to have a bowl of Bak Chor Mee after seeing my own photos. Man I wish I had just gone straight to Joo Heng. Even though the stall had a few mediacorp posters on it, it still couldn't measure up to Joo Heng's.
Thanks again. We used to go to Spencer Village shopping centre but less frequently now as most can get 3.5 only in our opinion. We will certainly go there to try it after he opens.
I remember eating that bowl of delicious awesomeness when I was in NYP. YUMM!!
My all time favourite.
A good bowl of Bak Chor Mee is one of my comfort food. QQ mee kia, mushrooms, good chilli, some dark vinegar, and a bit of lard... not the soupy kind like that of Fengshan market which lacks kick (and is terribly unhealthy if you know how they prepare the soup base).
Kh
So Kh, where do you eat your BCM?
Actually, I think this kind of echos the point in the original article - No Reservation Singapore episode shown here in US does not include the Bak Chor Mee segment. Not sure it's cut because of the food or because of Singlish. I am a big fan of Singaporean food and my favorite happens to be Bak Chor Mee. I can tell you between the mediocre chili crabs and over priced bak kut teh here (in the States), Bak Chor Mee was definitely nowhere to find. I hope one day more people would be enlightened .... :-)
Yes, I think you made a good point that Bak Chor Mee is one of those really great food which is not marketable overseas.
There is a Bak Chor Mee in Taman Jurong, the best I hv eaten so far. The line is so long during lunch time. Whenever I am back in Singapore, will go there for lunch at about 11.30am to avoid the long crowd
Would be good to be more specific so our readers can locate it.
It is located in a food court in Taman Jurong Shopping Center and it between Corporation Drive/Road. I do not know the actual address as my friend always drive me there.
I guess why it's not available in Perth is firstly the meepok - can't find freshly made Singapore version and the liver that adds to the flavour is not an item easy to find here. Just like our char kway teow also never have hum probably because only frozen ones are imported over.
ieat,
I have yet to find a favorite BCM place. AS you've mentioned, most BCM are decent, not as hard to find as that nice plate of Hokkein mee.
Wonder whether anyone have a specific way of eating BCM. For me, I will
1. Mix everything together so that bak chor, noodles are coated with a layer of the sauce
2. Tackle the noodles while they are still hot and chewy
3. After the mee, mix the bak chor, mushrooms, lard bits and scoop with spoon. Relish the best of the rest!
Kh
we used to like going to the chai chee bak chor mee along east coast road as it was near our place, 24 hrs and good! sadly it's closed and replaced by a dessert shop. anyone knows where it relocated to? or it's closed down for good?
BCM at meng Kitchen, Upper Thomson road is fab. But kolo mee at Jia Xiang (bhd Bossini) at Toa payoh Hub is more shiok bcos the noodles is more Q and curly.The charcoal porridge Ah Chiang (fish n century egg) is yummy. Freshly made and fried you tiao only $1. Chicken or pork types also have.
So Doc has the secret of the floating shallot been revealed !
the Tai Hwa one is damn damn damn good i swear.. go weekdays ard 4-7pm no queue.. weekend however breakfast i queue 1hr b4. ask for more chilli and more vinegar.. it's located at lavendar mrt there. Behind the ICA building(renew passport place), got a big drain.. cross it, keep right till u reach a carpark. there will be a food centre on the left.. the best in singapore i feel. been eating there since they were at the old marina food court at marina shopping centre open air.
Meng's Kitchen one definitely not as good as Joo Heng. I would give it a 3.75 to 5. IMO, Joo Heng's one is also better than Tai Hwa. The big difference is the soup, the mushrooms and the sauce that they use at JH. Tai Hwa one is nice but the mushrooms and the taste of the noodles just do not measure up to JH.
Try the BCM at West Coast Food Centre. Can't remember the name of the stall, but it's along the row next to the main road.
Tai Hwa has slipped in standards ever since relocating from Marina Square. The Crawford one never really impressed me.
Chai Chee @ East Coast is worse. They really cut cost and their service totally zero. Downhill they went. Glad they closed actually, the dessert stall that took over (tianmimi) is my favourite for desserts now.
Agreed, no really one outstanding BCM in Singapore yet. My favourite still remains Seng Kee.
We share the same tastes my friend.
local fare like this should be kept under-rated, as foods for the commoners. Chicken rice in the past was just chicken and rice. Now they are franchised, commercialised and some even so atas to attract bigger/tourists money. Bak chor mee should just be kept simple, unadulterated and as it is. Anyone wants to pay for a $15 bowl of Bak Chor Mee?
I feel that Joo Heng's is one of the best in Singapore. I used to stay around there and has been eating their noodles for at least 23-24 years. Initially, it was managed by 3 brothers, however 2 left, leaving 1. Their taste has been very consistent and it still tastes as good after all these years. Their style is not like others where it is more sourish with lots of black vinegar, theirs have no vinegar or very little vinegar. It is simply very good.
Ohh, that looks so good. I haven't been to Singapore for a long time and the last time I was there I was pretty young and hated bak chor mee. I'm really craving for a bowl now.
Cheers,
souffle
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