The Dead Cockroach: Bak Chor Mee Fish Ball Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

singapore,food review,chinatown complex market & food centre,minced meat noodle,335 smith street,fishball noodle,bak chor mee,hawker centre,

It has been a while since my last visit to Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre and it is high time that I return in search of new stalls to try out.

I must say this trip is rather fruitful as there are indeed a number of newly opened stalls (and some closures).

The first stall to catch my eye has a very straightforward name with a clear indication of what they sell - Bak Chor Mee Fishball Noodle.

If it is of any interest to you, this noodle stall occupies the vacanted unit of Tian Tian Porridge, the Cantonese porridge stall with a history of seventy-years. Run by five elderly siblings, they ceased operations last October due to old age.

This new noodle stall offers bak chor mee and fishball noodle. If you prefer to have no carbs, meat ball soup and fishball soup are available as well.

Pricing is a standard four dollars across the menu.

I ordered the bak chor mee and for the price, the portion is generous.

Ingredients included minced pork, sliced fish cake, lettuce and crispy pork lard. Two meatballs and two fishballs are served separately in a bowl of soup with even more lettuce.

There are no sliced pork, pig's liver nor braised mushroom though. It is a simple, no frills bowl of bak chor mee.

I love having extra sambal and black vinegar in my bak chor mee but as per SOP when trying a new stall, I will not request for customisation just to see how they fare.

As I began tossing the noodle, an unmistakable whiff of fragrant pork lard oil wafted to my nose. I had a mouthful of noodle and I find that the presence of sambal and black vinegar rather underwhelming.

Under normal circumstances, it would be sacrilegious but this time, it is different. Despite the lack of two very important condiments, the bak chor mee does not lose out on flavor or taste.

I am not sure if it is entirely due to the porcine fat but no where else do I find the pork lard oil more alluring.

Had I requested for more sambal and black vinegar as I usually do, this might actually go unnoticed. Now, this is one stall that I am willing to go without both condiments.

My mee pok is cooked till bouncy and pick up the aromatic oil well. I could attest for the freshness of the crispy pork lard as it came without the putrid smell of stale oil which I find repulsive.

With copious amount of minced pork in every bite, this is as comforting as it can get. No need for fancy atas ingredients like prawn, abalone, scallops or lava egg,

When I first discover this stall, it was in the early morning but I did not order anything as I already had something else for breakfast. It was not until a few days later, I was nearby in the evenings. As I still have not taken my dinner, I decided to try my luck to see if the stall is still open and to my delight, it is!

While I am glad the stall is still open, it aches my heart at the same time as the hawker work really long hours. And we are only talking about the operation hours; we still have not factor in the hours put in for the preparation work yet.

It is the same person manning the stall both times I was there therefore, I have reason to believe that the hawker bao ga liao with no extra help.

This made me want to support the hawker even more.

This is kind of a hidden gem thus, let us get the word out there of this very nice bak chor mee that can do with more recognition and exposure.

For ease of locating this stall, it can be found in the blue zone along the same row as Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken.

Disclaimer: The review here is written based on my experience with the first bowl of bak chor mee. By the time this review is out, I have had already went back for my second bowl. The photos here are from the second time.

This second bowl had visibly more sambal than the first. The sambal is quite spicy but it overwhelms the pork lard oil flavor. I actually prefer the first bowl.

If I ever went back for my third bowl, I would ask for no sambal.