The Dead Cockroach: 吊桥头大华猪肉粿条面 Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle @ Crawford Lane

bak chor mee, bcm, food, food review, hill street, review, tai hwa, tai hwa bak chor mee, 吊桥头, 大华, 大华猪肉粿条面, 肉挫面,

I have long heard about this famous "Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle" which have been hailed as the best Bak Chor Mee (Minced Meat Noodle) in Singapore by its fans.

That claim sure arouse my interest but I only got to try it last week when I went to collect my new passport from the ICA (Immigration & Checkpoint Authority of Singapore) beside Lavender MRT.

The stall in question is located at Blk 466 Crawford Lane, which is right behind the ICA building.

Even though I was there at 11am, a queue of 6 people had already formed in front of the stall. The queue is very slow moving; by the time it reached my turn, twenty minutes have passed.

Of course, I know twenty minutes is not a very long time to wait considering that the queue can sometimes stretch beyond the perimeter of the coffee shop during peak hours (which literally translates to at least 60 minutes of wait)!

I really take my hat off to these people who bothered to queue so long just to have a bowl of noodles.

Bak Chor Mee from SGD5 onwards

You can opt for either the dry or soup version. Prices range from SGD5/6/8/10.

I overheard the lady queuing behind me telling the two ladies behind her that the more expensive versions come with extra portions of the same ingredients but the $5 bowl does not have seaweed in the soup.

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle SGD5

I decided to order the smallest bowl with mee pok which consisted of a meatball, one wanton, some slices of pork and liver, minced meat, and a small piece of fried ti poh (sole fish).

The sauce is a mixture of chili sauce and black vinegar.

At first glance, I felt the portion is no different from a SGD3 bowl sold elsewhere. Perhaps the wow factor lies in the taste?

I gave everything in the bowl a quick toss. I can't wait to taste the best Bak Chor Mee in Singapore.

I first had a piece of liver which I found undercooked (in a good way but I personally cannot stand the sliminess). I picked out all the liver and left them in the soup to cook to my desired doneness.

Then, I had a mouthful of noodles which I found have a good bite but too sour from the vinegar.

I loved black vinegar and would add a lot of it to my Lor Mee till the stall owners roll their eyes at me but in this case, I feel the vinegar actually overpowers the taste of the noodles.

I have to give them due credits for the use of fresh ingredients even though I find the wanton and meatball pretty normal. Even the ti poh did not have the unique ti poh fragrance which I felt did not do anything for the noodles.

The bowl of soup, however, is very robust with lots of pork essence in it. I believe that is the water they used to blanch the pork ingredients.

No doubt this pork noodle had been a favorite amongst the public, I still feel that the Bak Chor Mee is over-rated and over-priced. You mean a $5 bowl of noodle does not deserve a slice of seaweed?

I just can't find the justification for the hefty $5 price tag. No, not even with the addition of the wanton, meatball and tasteless ti poh.

In my opinion, this is at best above average but is it the best in Singapore? I will leave that for you to find out.