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Sharon and her husband didn’t have the smoothest start when they first opened First Bowl Ban Mian at their previous location in Yishun. Due to certain issues with the coffeeshop, they had to move out not long after settling in, and have since relocated to a kopitiam at 215 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.
“How’s business here?” was the first thing that came to mind when I chatted with her, and thankfully, things are looking up.
Sharon’s husband is from Kluang, Malaysia and he grew up eating ban mian at his household, while Sharon herself loves fish soup and regularly prepares it at home. Combining the love of their favourite food, they joined forces to sell handcrafted mee hoon kueh and ban mian, served with an impactful broth simmered with fish bones, chicken bones, assam and more.
“I’ve eaten at other ban mian stalls and most of the time, I find that the soups are rather light. Since we don’t serve dry options, I wanted to serve it with a more flavourful broth,” Sharon shared.
They aimed to incorporate more greens to their menu by introducing a spinach option. While we were there, we happened to catch her husband blending a fresh batch of spinach leaves directly into the dough.
What to order at First Bowl Ban Mian
We started off with the Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh (S$3.50), the cheapest option on the menu that’s priced the same as the Handmade Ban Mian. The ivory sheets of hand-torn mee hoon kueh came with black mushroom slices, ikan bilis, mani cai, and a little minced pork. Although the ingredients didn’t look like they were loaded, I felt that for the price, the portion is decent enough.
I liked how the mee hoon kueh sheets were generally thinner than those at most places I’ve patronised. They had an ideal chewy texture, with each piece cooked to perfection without any off-putting flouriness in the centre.
The mushrooms added an earthy and satisfying flavour, while the anchovies, though small, packed plenty of umami. The mani cai also gave the bowl a little texture with its signature rough surface. After taking a sip, I could taste the difference — Sharon’s fish soup expertise really paid off.
The broth, with a naturally sweet and savoury profile, was visibly more viscous than those at other ban mian establishments. The flavour was balanced by a gentle hint of tanginess from the assam that they add. Sharon explained that the soup is usually a little zingy during the first half of the day, but as it continues to boil and simmer, the mild sourness naturally dissipates.
Our first bowl started strong, and I was excited for the Handmade Spinach Ban Mian (S$4) next. Similar to the previous dish, the strands of green ban mian were paired with its trusty sidekicks.
If you ask me, I’d say that unlike greens such as watercress, spinach isn’t exactly a vegetable with a strong personality of its own. So, when the noodles and broth tasted almost exactly like the original version, I wasn’t really surprised or disappointed. Like the mee hoon kueh from earlier, the texture of the ban mian was spot-on.
For the final dish, we went all out with the priciest bowl — the Handmade Seafood Bee Hoon (S$6). If thick bee hoon doesn’t light up your universe, you can swap it out for mee hoon kueh. At first glance, I could already see some faint resemblance to fish soup — the seaweed, tofu, lettuce and fresh tomato. It also came with 2 prawns, fish slices, sotong, and a soft-boiled egg.
Mixing the broken yolk into the broth gave the noodles a richer, more indulgent finish, while the chu mee fen strands were cooked al dente with a satisfying bite.
The added seafood and sliced ginger gave the soup a noticeably different depth of flavour. It was naturally sweet and packed with umami from the seafood, while the ginger added a gentle warmth that lingered in the background.
The fish and squid were great, though the prawn could have been better. The flesh wasn’t quite as firm as I’d have liked and broke apart slightly when I peeled off the shell.
Who First Bowl Ban Mian is best for
First Bowl Ban Mian is best suited to mee hoon kueh and ban mian enthusiasts who love slurping on soups with a stronger flavour profile. Unfortunately, Sharon and her husband don’t offer dry options. Instead, they focus on soup-based versions and have excelled in what they do best.
How to get there?
First Bowl Ban Mian is about a 12-minute walk away from Ang Mo Kio MRT Station (NS16). If racking up your daily steps is the goal, by all means, go for it. Otherwise, you can take a few bus services to Blk 209 bus stop.
Do we recommend First Bowl Ban Mian?
For sure. You get plenty of bang for your buck here, and the fact that the ban mian and mee hoon kueh are made in-house is another plus. However, individuals who have a bigger appetite might need to top up for extra ingredients.
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