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As a kid, I used to run 10,000 miles away from lor mee, avoiding it like the plague. The reason? The combination of yellow mee, garlic, vinegar, and gooey gravy just wasn’t for me — I really couldn’t stand it. Fast forward to today, and I’ve actually grown to enjoy all 4 elements I previously couldn’t stomach (my humble apologies). Before you write me off, know that I’ve since welcomed this dish with open arms.
I swung by Chong Boon Market & Food Centre to put 2 rival stalls serving my ex-nemesis dish head-to-head — Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa and Beo Crescent Lor Mee.
What is lor mee?
A Hokkien classic, lor mee is a noodle dish, typically yellow mee or flat yellow noodles, served with a starchy, spiced-laden gravy. Pork slices, fish cake, ngoh hiang, boiled egg, and sometimes, fried fish, are served. It’s then crowned with minced garlic, chilli (or sambal), and a dash of black vinegar for that zingy oomph.
What makes a good lor mee?
I’m not a lor mee expert, since I began appreciating it only 4 years ago. However, in my humble opinion, the noodles should retain some bite and pair well with a sauce that sits comfortably somewhere between gooey and liquidy, possessing a savoury, braised flavour. The meat should be tender with a little fat, while the minced garlic and vinegar should be impactful enough to give the overall dish a spicy and acidic kick.
Why these contenders?
Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa is notorious for drawing long snaking queues at Chong Boon Food Centre. This stall is manned by an elderly couple who have been running it for over a decade.
The competitor, Beo Crescent Lor Mee, only shifted here in the past two years. While doing some online digging, I learnt that the original business name was called Soon Heng Lor Mee (am I right?), that was established back in 1962. Thats a whopping 64 years of operations! Oh, and my parents are die-hard fans of their fried fish lor mee (just saying).
Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa
Over the years, the price has gradually increased and a bowl of Lor Mee now costs S$4.50 for small and S$6 for large. I went ahead and ordered the large portion, and the aunty asked if I wanted chilli, before adding sambal, black vinegar, and double scoops of minced.
For S$6, the ingredients were loaded — ngoh hiang, fishcake, thick slices of pork, and an entire boiled egg.
The gravy was viscous and contained bits of egg much like what you’d see in an egg-drop soup. It was slightly herby with mild licorice-like hints of star anise.
I gave the lor mee a good mix and the dense gravy slowly watered down a little. Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa uses flat yellow noodles that has a larger surface area to hold more sauce. I would’ve wanted the noodles to have more bite, but they were a tad overcooked, unfortunately. Despite the generous mound of minced garlic and sambal added, there, strangely, wasn’t much of a spicy kick. I even had difficulty detecting any tangy vinegar notes. Overall, besides the subtle herby flavours, there wasn’t much of an impact.
The pork slices were thicccccc, tasty, and devoid of fat — perfect for lean meat lovers like, ahem, my mum. However, they were a little too tough for my liking. The ‘ngoh hiang‘ that I initially assumed it to be turned out to be beancurd skin stuffed with seafood paste instead. They came in various shapes but tasted rather pedestrian, offering nothing extraordinary to leave a lasting imprint on my palate.
My favourite element was the braised egg which was pre-sliced using a cutter. It absorbed all the nuances of the braised liquid and spices used, transforming each thin slice into a mini flavour bomb.
Beo Crescent Lor Mee
There are 3 varieties served here — Traditional Lor Mee (S$4/S$5), Fried Fish Lor Mee (S$4/S$5), and Signature Lor Mee (S$5/S$6). To make a fair comparison, we went with the S$5 Traditional Lor Mee.
The bowl of noodles were crowned with a generous amount of golden crumbs that concealed most of the ingredients. Over here, condiments are self-serve. You can help yourself to the minced garlic and vinegar. Chilli-wise, you can also choose either the sambal or sliced chilli — we went for the latter.
After a little mixing, we found yellow mee paired with slices of pork, tau geh, sliced beancurd seafood rolls, and half a braised egg. Right off the bat, I was making “hoooo–haaaah” sounds as I sharply inhaled air to cool my tongue down. The heat of the chilli and minced garlic on the noodles created a double whammy of burning spice that immediately jolted my senses.
The vinegar, once again, didn’t have any impact — I shall help myself to more next time!
While taking sheets of tissue to mop up the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead, I told myself, “I actually enjoy the torture!” (as crazy as it sounds). That being said, the noodles had a good bite and the crumbs added mini bits of textural crunch.
The gravy was slightly thicker than the one from the other stall, and had a full-bodied savoury flavour.
Though the pork slices were sliced thin, the ratio of meat-to-fat was great and each bite was tender and tasty. The flavour of the braised egg, though, paled in comparison with its competitor.
Verdict
| AMK Loh Mee Laksa | Beo Crescent Lor Mee | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | S$6 | S$5 🟢✓ |
| Portion | Loaded 🟢✓ | Can have more |
| Flavour | A little underwhelming | Impactful 🟢✓ |
| Ingredient Quality | Noodles were overcooked; good braised egg; meat was tough | Noodles were cooked perfectly; braised egg was normal; meat was thin but delicious 🟢✓ |
After compiling everything, Beo Crescent Lor Mee wins this Chong Boon Food Centre showdown for me! If anyone objects, please kindly leave your comments.
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