Oh, Depot Road Wanton Mee has closed at Bukit Merah View Food Centre (sad), and taking over the unit is You Yi Minced Meat Noodle 友谊肉脞面.
Auntie told me she used to sell fishball noodles at Havelock Road Food Centre, which explained why the stall somehow felt familiar.
There were just two main items on the signboard. On the left was the regular Minced Meat Noodle ($4, $5), while the right side featured the Signature Minced Meat Noodle ($7).
I ordered both bowls to try. The regular Minced Meat Noodle ($5) already came with mee kia, minced pork, sliced pork, pork lard, dumpling, fishball, meatball and soup at the side.
For $5, that was quite a lot to see in one bowl. These days, some bowls of Bak Chor Mee feel like they need a search party to locate the ingredients, so this was a pleasant start.
The noodles were tossed in a sauce that leaned more old-school than punchy. It was not the very sharp, vinegar-heavy type, but had enough chilli and seasoning to coat the mee kia evenly.
I would have liked just a bit more vinegar lift, though this gentler style makes it easy enough for breakfast.
What stood out more was the ti poh fragrance, especially when mixed with the pork lard and minced meat. There was also a crispy piece of sole fish added, which gave the bowl a more nostalgic feel.
The pork slices were quite tender, while the minced pork helped fill up the bowl properly. I liked that the pork lard was not just sprinkled there for show, as the pieces had a fresh crunch.
The Signature Minced Meat Noodle ($7) was the fuller bowl, with more ingredients and a more substantial feel overall.
This came with meatballs, fish maw, fish dumpling, and fried wantons, with a cloudy broth that had that savoury, slightly bitter-sweet sole fish flavour.
If you are hungry, this would be the one to get, especially since it comes with more liao.
You Yi Minced Meat Noodle is more of an old-school neighbourhood bowl, carried by the ti poh fragrance, crunchy pork lard, generous toppings and that familiar soup.
You Yi Minced Meat Noodle 友谊肉脞面
Bukit Merah View Food Centre #01-84, 115 Bukit Merah View, Singapore 151115
Opening Hours: 6am – 2pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Other Related Entries
Orchard Bak Chor Mee (Orchard Plaza)
Xin Heng Feng Guo Tiao Tan (Whampoa Food Centre)
San Xiang Bak Chor Mee 叁香肉脞面 (ABC Food Centre)
Ah Fong Noodle (Holland Village Food Centre)
Mui Siong Minced Meat Noodles (Bukit Merah)
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