Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee (生益发卤面) @ West Coast Drive - The Popular Clementi Lor Mee Stall Is Back

For those who stay in the West, you probably will know about Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee (生益发卤面) at Blk 443 Clementi Ave 3 (Clementi Central). There is always a snaking queue at the stall and they are sold out slightly after noon. It is with great joy to announce that the Lor Mee Uncle and Aunty has come out of retirement after almost a year and re-opened the stall at Blk 501 West Coast Drive. They are at the same coffeeshop where Ah Hoe Mee Pok is located.

Lor Mee 4.8/5

I have a brief chat with the stall uncle when he was taking a break. He told me that his son wanted to learn the recipe and skill and pursued him to come out of retirement. His son also rooted in a partner who helps out at the stall when I visited the stall. Uncle told me that his son still holds a day job. He will come in the early morning to help out in the prep work and cooking, leaving in the late morning for his day job.

A basic bowl of Lor Mee starts from $4 which comes with braised pork belly, deep fried dumpling, ngor hiang and fried fish nugget. I have the $5 bowl which comes with extra ingredients. The lor mee here does not come with fishcake or braised egg. You have to pay an additional $0.70 for a braised egg. I noticed a different in the bowl of lor mee now. Uncle has added the bowl of noodle with crunchy flour bits for that extra texture. Customers can help themselves to their liking of chilli, ginger and black vinegar.

Most lor mee gravy is brown in colour, gooey and at times even lumpy. However at Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee, the gravy is actually dark coloured, almost black. It looks similar to those beef noodle gravy. The gravy is smooth and comes with a lot of depth. Another different compared to elsewhere is the used of braised pork belly which is beautiful cooked to a nice tender.

I am really glad that uncle has come out from retirement. Every slurp of the delicious noodle brought back that fond memories of the familiar taste which I have missed so much. I really hope his son and partner are able to pick up the skill and continue his legacy.


Sheng Yi Fa Lor Mee
Blk 501 West Coast Drive
Singapore 120501
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Clementi (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Tue: 7am - 2pm
Thu-Sun: 7am - 2pm
(Closed on Wed)

Direction:
1) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Clementi MRT station (Stop ID 17171). Take bus number 78. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Clementi Bus Interchange. (Stop ID 17009). Take bus number 285. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

Feng Zhen Lor Mee @ Taman Jurong Food Centre - A Bowl of Lor Goodness

My first visit to Taman Jurong Food Centre I did not notice Feng Zhen Lor Mee as it is closed on Sunday. On my second visit with my foodie friends on a Saturday morning, we noticed the long queue at the stall. Needless to say, we joined the queue to find out what was the reason for the long queue.

Lor Mee 4.2/5

The first thing I noticed about the bowl of Lor Mee ($2.50/$3.00) is the generous amount of ingredients. I can spot many ingredients such as fish cake, egg, braised pork belly, ngo hiang, flaky fish meat. For the price, this is really value for money.

Lor Mee 4.2/5

Besides the generous ingredients, the thick gravy or "lor" is the other highlight of the delicious bowl of lor mee. The flavoursome gravy was not thick but not starchy. Together with the garlic, vinegar and chilli, lifting it to a whole new level of enjoyment.

If you have the chance to drop by Taman Jurong Food Centre, I would recommend you to try Feng Zhen Lor Mee. Among the different lor mee I have tried. I would say this is one of the best. I personally think it is better than Bukit Purmei Lor Mee.


Feng Zhen Lor Mee
Taman Jurong Food Centre
3 Yung Seng Road
#03-146
Singapore 618499
Nearest MRT: Lakeside (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 5am - 3pm
(Closed on Sun & Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Lakeside MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Lakeside MRT station (Stop ID 28091). Take bus number 98. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Lakeside MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop opposite Lakeside MRT station (Stop ID 28099). Take bus number 240 or 246. Alight 4 stops later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

Bukit Purmei Lor Mee @ West Coast Drive

Great news for fans of Bukit Purmei Lor Mee! It is back at a new location in a coffeeshop at block 501 West Coast Drive. After suffering from a heart attack, uncle Zhang has closed his original stall at bukit purmei about a year ago. With the advice from the doctor to look after his frail body, uncle Zhang no more cooks the noodles but he is still the person behind the scene preparing the ingredients and the "lor" sauce every morning. At the front of the stall is his wife cooking the lor mee and niece completing the finishing touch of the lor mee brimming with ingredients.

Lor BeeHoon 3.8/5

The Lor Mee here comes in three pricing $3, $3.50 and $4.50. For the $3 smallest portion, I ordered the beehoon. While the texture of the bee hoon is smooth and silky, I felt that beehoon's thinnest is harder to coat the "lor" sauce evenly, hence you don't get that consistency with each mouthful.

Lor Mee 4/5

Lor Mee 4/5

For the biggest portion at $4.50, I had the noodle which I feel goes better with the rich and thick "lor" sauce. The bowl of noodles come with sliced fish cakes, braised pork belly and crispy deep fried flour nuggets. The brimming bowl of ingredients with the deep fried flour nuggets is the highlight of the lor mee. I would recommend adding the black vinegar and chilli sauce to accentuated the flavours.

On a side note, this is the same coffeeshop where the original Ah Hoe Mee Pok (the teacher who taught the Japanese how to cook mee pok) is located. Now there are two hawker legends in the same coffeeshop. Both stalls have snaking queue with Bukit Purmei lor mee having a waiting time of around 1 hour 30 minutes. That is how long I queued for the two bowls of lor mee.


[CLOSED]
Bukit Purmei Lor Mee 
Blk 501 West Coast Drive
Singapore 120501
Nearest MRT: Clementi (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Wed-Thu, Sat-Sun: 730am - 2pm
(Closed on Mon, Tue and Fri)

Direction:
1) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Clementi MRT station (Stop ID 17171). Take bus number 78. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clementi MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Clementi Bus Interchange. (Stop ID 17009). Take bus number 285. Alight 5 stops later. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 18 minutes. [Map]

Singapore Favourite Food Village 2015 @ Clarke Quay

This year Singapore Favourite Food Village 2015 takes place at Read Bridge, Clarke Quay. Themed A Wok down Memory Lane at Ellenborough Market, we see the bridge transformed into 2 rows of hawker centre from 24 July to 2 August 2015 from 5pm to 11pm.

Besides the line up of hawkers dishing our delicious food, a serial of other events such as Live Cooking Demo and Traditional Teochew Opera. Do check the schedule of the various events at the official site.

It is great to see familiar face, Ah Boy from Good Chance Popiah. In the picture is Mr Lim and Jerome from Ming Fa Fishball Noodles. There is just too much food at the Singapore Favourite Food Village. My limited stomach space only allows me to try some of the following dishes, starting off with Good Chance Popiah. Go for the chilli one as it is damn shiok.

Then wonder next door to Ming Fa Fishball Noodles to have their noodles. The mee pok coated with their vinegar and chilli was slurping good. Not to forget, the soft and bouncy fishballs.

I also tried the Jia Le Hong Kong Roasted Food's Suckling Pig. Not the best but palatable enough to go with my cup of beer.

One stall that caugh my attention is the carrot cake stall by Everything Foods that is selling Salted Egg Yolk Fried Carrot Cake and Tom Yum Carrot Cake. I tried the salted egg yolk carrot cake which was surprisingly quite enjoyable.

Everything Foods also runs another stall selling Lor Mee. I tried their Pig Trotter Lor Mee and was surprised that I was given a whole pig trotter. The pig trotter was cooked to fork tender but I thought it was lacking that rich robust flavour.

If you don't mind spending a bit more, you can try the Steamed Cold Crab from Merchant Court.

The line up of stalls also see a few cafes with their own interpretation of local flavours. The Quarters offers a trio of snack bites. There is Chilli Crab Man Tou, Salted Egg Fries and DurianCanBoleh. The durian creme brulee or DurianCanBoleh is a worthy try for something different from the usual if you are a durian lower.

A dessert I would recommend saving some space for is the Ondeh Ondeh Churros from Churros Factory. Crispy exterior with a fluffy interior, this is served with a palm sugar sauce with shredded coconut. Instead of ondeh ondeh, it actually reminds me of kueh lopes.

Singapore Favourite Food Village 2015
Read Bridge, Clarke Quay
Date: 24 July to 02 August 2015
Time: 5pm - 11pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SingaporeFavouriteFoodOfficial
Website: http://www.singaporefavouritefood.sg/index.php

Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre Hawker Trail

The last Hawker Food Trail was back in October 2011 at Ghim Moh Food Centre. Together with the help from Maureen, we organised another Hawker Food Trail this time at Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre. A total of 18 pax, 11 stalls and just $9 per person.

Lor Mee 3.8/5

Lor Mee 178, Stall #02-58

Lor Mee 4.2/5

Tiong Bahru Lor Mee, Stall #02-80

We have a Lor Mee fight off between Lor Mee 178 ($3) and Tiong Bahru Lor Mee ($3). The clear winner among the foodies was Tiong Bahru Lor Mee. The traditional lor mee's gravy was more robust and had more ingredients. However, Lor Mee 178's deep fried shark meat is not to be missed.

Chwee Kueh 4/5

Jian Bo Shui Kueh, Stall #02-05

A must try at Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre is the Jian Bo Shui Kueh (8 piece for $2.40). The freshly made chwee kueh was moist and firm. The chye poh was fragrant and tasty which paired very well with the chwee kueh.

Prawn Noodles Soup 3/5

Min Nan Prawn Noodles, Stall #02-31

The exquisite Prawn Noodles Soup ($4) came with a generous serving of prawns, fishcakes and meatballs. Yes meatballs, quite interesting that the stall served meatballs in their prawn noodles. Unfortunately the meatballs lacked flavours and textures. The soup also missed out on the prawny robustness.

Glutinous Rice 3/5

HarriAnn's Delight, Stall #02-25

I didn't know the Vegetarian stall sells Glutinous Rice ($2). The glutinous rice was recommeneded by Yan Cai. It was rather fragrant but I still think it lacked the aroma from the dried shrimps.

Pau & Siew Mai 4/5

Tiong Bahru Pau, Stall #02-18/19

The Paus was light and fluffy with delightful fillings. The Siew Mai was huge and meaty. The Paus and Siew Mai ($7.60) definitely a hearty breakfast or tea time snack.

Char Kway Teow 3/5

Tiong Bahru Char Kway Teow, Stall #02-11

The plate of Char Kway Teow ($4) probably not the best I have tried. Although it came with abundance of ingredients, I am not a fan for the dry version.

Fishballs & Fishcakes 4/5

Tiong Bahru Fishballs, Stall #02-20

Hardly do we find this type of stall selling only fishballs and fishcakes in hawker centre. The stall sells a huge varities of fishballs and fishcakes in varies shapes and sizes. The fishballs and fishcakes ($5.60) were fresh and springy.

Roast Meat Platter 4/5

Lee Hong Kee Roast Meat, Stall #02-60

The succulent Cantonese style Roast Meat Platter ($10) was really commendable.  My favourite was their roast pork. With crackling crisp skin and juicy tender meat.

Wanton Noodles 4.5/5

Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wanton Noodles, Stall #02-30

The Wanton Noodles ($5) was the favourite with all the foodies among all the dishes we had. The stall uses the armpit char siew which has a beautiful layer of fats which was extremely tender. The noodles were excellent too, getting praises from the foodies.

Milo Dinosaur Ice Kachang 4/5

Liang Liang Garden, Stall #02-75

The desserts from Liang Liang Garden were the perfect thirst quenching for the hot weather. The Milo Dinosaur Ice Kachang ($3) was topped with condensed milk, Hershey chocolate and Milo powder.

Shark Fin Cheng Tng 4/5

Liang Liang Garden, Stall #02-75

Another interesting dessert was the Shark Fin Cheng Tng ($3). I was very curious to find whenever real shark fin was used. As you can see from the picture, it was not the real stuff. The so called shark fins were actually made from jelly strips.

It was another fun and successful hawker trail. Many thanks to the foodies who came early to help out and queued for the food. If not for them, it would not be possible. We are also glad to know new friends and have Ann, Tony and Alexis joining us for the first time.

Lor Mee 178 @ Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre

The last time I visit Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre was probably more than 5 years ago. My memory of Tiong Bahru Food Centre was bad air circulation, small and crowded. The place has since undergone renovation and now it is more spacious with good air circulation.

There were many reviews on Lor Mee 178. Since I have never tried the stall's lor mee, I ordered a bowl to find out why so many people queued up for their lor mee.

Lor Mee 3.8/5

The winner for the Lor Mee ($2.50) has to be the deep fried shark nuggets. The shark meat was surprisely flavourful and moist inside the crispy fritter. Different from other stalls, the bowl of lor mee did not have the usual braised egg, braised pork and ngor hiang. I also found the Lor Mee gravy lacked robutness. You can ask to to add the deep fried shark nuggets at an extra $0.50.


Lor Mee 178
Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre
30 Seng Poh Road
#02-58
Singapore 168898
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line), Outram (EW Line, CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 6am - 930pm
(Closed on Wed)

Direction:
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit A or B. Head east on Tiong Bahru Road towards Jalan Membina. Walk down Tiong Bahru and turn right onto Kim Pong Road. Turn left onto Lim Liak Street. Walk to destination at the end of the street. Journey time about 10 minutes.

2) Alight at Outram MRT station. Take Exit A or C. Walk to bus stop opposite Outram MRT station (Stop ID 06011). Take bus no. 33, 63, 75, 851 or 970. Alight 1 stop later at Blk 55 Tiong Bahru Road. Walk to destination about 200 meters away. Journey time 8 minutes.