The Dead Cockroach: Ah Hoe Mee Pok @ Blk 501 West Coast Drive

ah hoe mee pok, bak chor mee, bcm, minced pork noodles, west coast drive, 肉脞面, 阿和面薄, food,food review,review

Ever since the new location of the old Bukit Purmei Lor Mee was discovered, I have gone to have my favorite bowl of Lor Mee (Braised Noodles) four times.

Each time while queuing for my Lor Mee, I cannot help but notice that the Bak Chor Mee (Minced Meat Noodles) stall next door is also doing a very brisk business. A quick google on the stall name Ah Hoe Mee Pok revealed that stall owner, Eric Chia made news recently by teaching a Japanese man the skills to cook his mee pok.

After learning from Eric for six months, the Japanese - Naoji-san - took over the stall at Blk 710 Clementi West Street 2 with his daughter to sell this dish. They had a second stall manned by his wife and son further away at Blk 713. According to their Facebook, they are currently looking for a third stall.

What happened to Eric then? Well, he moved to set up his stall at the current location at Blk 501 West Coast Drive.

The search results online baffles me because more attention is emphasized on the apprentice's stall instead of the master's. What's with all this fascination over a Japanese man and his family selling mee pok? I have not tried Naoji-San's mee pok yet but I will after I have tried Eric's version.

It was not until my fifth visit back at the Blk 501 coffeeshop that I decided not to have the Lor Mee but to try out Eric's mee pok instead. The queue was comparable with the Lor Mee stall but moved at a much slower pace.

After almost thirty minutes, I finally got to the front of the queue. I was stoked to see a crockpot simmering with braised mushrooms because I like having the umami flavors of mushrooms in my Bak Chor Mee. Unfortunately, not all Bak Chor Mee have it in their noodles.

Eric is quite generous with the minced meat and pork slices. There are also handmade fish dumplings (her giao/鱼饺), braised mushrooms and what seemed like abalone slices!

After a taste, I must say that not all Bak Chor Mee are created equal. Eric's mee pok is definitely a notch above them all.

Some Bak Chor Mee have either too little, or way too much black vinegar (like Hill Street Tai Hwa) that it overwhelms the other flavors of the noodles. Eric's concoction of black vinegar and chili is just right but the flavors does not stop there. The braised mushroom sauce, pork lard and ti-poh (sole fish) flavors from the fish dumplings all complement each other nicely. Toss everything together with the al-dente mee pok and you have yourself a very addictive bowl of Bak Chor Mee! Even the accompanying soup is very flavorsome!

By the time you read this post, I have already had my second bowl of Ah Hoe Mee Pok. On both occasions, I requested to add noodles but both times, I wasn't charged for it.

A standard bowl of Bak Chor Mee at most places is priced around $3 but here, their cheapest bowl costs $4. I suppose the handmade fish dumplings and the addition of mushrooms and abalone justifies that extra dollar. My only gripe is the painfully slow queue.

Do check out their Facebook if they are opened for the day before making your way down.

The Verdict?