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The name Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles had been floating about my head for the past couple of months. It had randomly come up in conversations, and I heard a lot of praise about their bak chor mee. Last week, I finally had the chance to put their signature dish to the taste test.
It was a wet and overcast morning when I made my way down to Block 201C, Tampines Street 21. Perfect weather for a hot, steaming bowl!
I was quite surprised to discover that Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles does not occupy a full stall at the coffeeshop. Despite being relatively well-known, they share the space with a Wu Xiang vendor. So, all the magic happens in quite a confined space.
There were 6 people in the queue ahead of me. After I joined, the line grew steadily behind me, too. It took about 10 minutes to reach the head of the row and place my order.
The lady who was collecting orders was bright and full of smiles. It’s so nice to see someone who does what seems like a tediously repetitive job with so much enthusiasm and vigour.
What I ordered at Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles
I was at Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles for their renowned bak chor mee, so I ordered the Teochew Minced Pork Noodles (S$5). They whipped it up faster than I thought— it was already waiting for me when I got back with my drink.
You get a good-sized bowl of flat noodles and a bowl of soup. The lady had kindly added the tiny saucer of chilli and soy sauce to my tray for me since I was late in returning.
The first thing that struck me was the colour and texture of the generous serving of chilli in the bowl. Red-brown and dense, its look gave me the shivers. (I am a wuss with chilli) However, the vinegar below was wonderfully fragrant and its scent mingled with the aroma from the pork, creating a heady mix.
Apart from that, there were 2 meatballs, several good-sized pieces of pork liver, more pork pieces and minced pork.
Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Pork Noodle: Famous 42-year-old bak chor mee stall with umami fish maw soup
The pork was delicious. Every bite of the pinkish-brown liver rewarded me with a light, powdery mouthful of flavoursome meat. It’s actually very nice to add both the regular pork, the liver and the noodles together. Mixed with the chilli and the shallots, the vinegar made for an extra dimension of lovely flavour with each bite.
Fortunately for me, the chilli turned out to be more bark than bite— it added a wonderful hue to my soup and noodles but went easy on my tongue.
The soup was dense with pork floss, perhaps more than I have seen at any other stall. They definitely don’t skimp on the ingredients at Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles. Naturally, that gives the soup a rich flavour and luxurious texture. I really don’t want to undervalue the main bowl of the noodles, but to me, the soup was the highlight of the meal because it was so unexpectedly superior.
Final thoughts
I had heard the food at Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles described as “Tai Hwa worthy” before my visit. That was actually part of my motivation to check them out. Alas, I cannot bring myself to give them that accolade.
Did I find the minced pork noodles delicious? No doubt. Was it a cut above almost all the other places I have tried this dish? Certainly. However, it did not reach that lofty standard that we associate with Tai Hwa.
Funnily enough, there is a connection between Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles and Tai Hwa. After I had eaten, I went up to the stall to ask the gentleman who was cooking about their opening and closing times. He is a bit of a rotund fellow with white hair and a red, cheery face. We started talking about how I liked the food (I ate anonymously), and he told me that he enjoyed his work despite the long hours. I found out that he takes just 1 day off every 2 weeks. As the conversation continued, he described how he had begun as a kitchen hand at the original Tai Hwa.
Perhaps some of the magic did rub off. I suspect the clear soup, with its elevated taste and texture, is a product of that original instruction.
We must have conversed for less than 10 minutes, but it was a heart-to-heart, despite the slight language barrier. His English wasn’t the best, but the earnest look on his face and the passion with which he spoke did the rest.
Someone wise once said that we may forget the exact words someone said, but not how those words made us feel. My conversations with the lady who collected our orders and the man behind the wok were very generic. However, there was a warmth to the interactions that genuinely surprised me in the best way possible. (I swear I am not, like, tearing up or anything)
I’ll probably go back to eat at Fu Yuan Minced Pork Noodles simply because of the love and genuine care the operators of the stall have for their customers. The great bak chor mee at a low price of only S$5 is just a bonus.
