We know lobster has been dominating the latest food trends for a while now, but have you heard of crayfish in your mee pok?
Located at Rong Fa Coffee Shop in Clementi, Ah Li Mee Pok is a hawker stall which serves up some interesting variations of mee pok.
If you search online for their address, you’ll think that it’s located at Block 710. But to save you the trouble of getting lost like me, the coffee shop actually faces Block 704.
This photograph does not do justice to Ah Li Mee Pok’s popularity. I was surprised that there people lining up, even after lunchtime.
Seems like the price is as cray as the dish name, with the Crayfish Mee Pok (Dry) costing S$10. Well, I came here with the mission of trying it, so I mentally prepared myself and my wallet. I also got the dry Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle (S$4) for comparison.
I was pretty impressed by the size of the crayfish and the portion of meat was decent too. I also liked how the bowl was packed with ingredients.
A similar-sized bowl of soup accompanied the noodles, which seemed fitting of the S$10 price point. However, I soon realised I was not a fan of the soup, which I found to be overly oily and salty. There were also bits of what I assumed to be fried chicken skin, which unfortunately made it feel like I was drinking KFC in a bowl.
Look at that beautiful white meat! While some parts of the crayfish were soft and almost melted in my mouth, other parts had a bit more bite. The meat looked fresh, but I did feel like there was a fairly strong fishy taste, which some might not like.
But what really struck me as the star of the dish was the noodles.
When tossed properly with the sauce, the noodles were packed with flavour from the vinegar, soy sauce and chilli used. The texture of the noodles was also springy and chewy, and each mouthful made for a satisfying and greasy—in a good way—lunch.
There was also a generous portion of noodles given, which is great for big eaters.
I was elated to find out that there were two decently-sized abalone clam slices, which were tender but chewy with a hint of sweetness. I thought the meatballs were on the tougher side though, and would have preferred them to be more tender.
While I thought the crayfish added a unique touch to the classic hawker dish, I think mee pok is best enjoyed with the usual simple ingredients at an affordable price.
Next up, we went for a less fancy option with the dry Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle (S$4).
A bowl comes with typical ingredients like meatballs, minced meat, sliced pork and mushrooms. I liked how there were abalone slices in this dish as well, with an unusual addition of tau geh, which adds a nice crunch.
As usual, the noodles come with a slightly smaller bowl of soup. While it was significantly less greasy than the previous soup, it was still salty and not as light as I would have liked it to be.
But thankfully, the generous portion of mee pok made up for the soup.
And even though I thought the mee pok in the crayfish was already extremely flavourful, somehow the noodles in this one topped that. It was probably due to the braised mushroom sauce used, which gave the noodles a darker colour and a more savoury taste.
Overall, apart from the tougher texture of the meatballs, this bowl of mee pok ticked all the boxes for me.
I also noticed that the stall also sells other interesting dishes, like Large Prawn Noodle (S$10) and Japanese Fusion Mee Pok (S$6/S$7/S$10). Perhaps I’ll try my mee pok cooked in a Japanese style next time!
While I came for the crayfish, the mee pok was what really captured my heart. The noodles were chewy, nicely coated with the sauces and came in a generous portion.
If you’re ever craving a simple yet flavourful bowl of affordable mee pok, Ah Li Mee Pok is worth your time.
Expected Damage: S$4 – S$10 per pax
Price: $
Our Rating: 4 / 5
Ah Li Mee Pok
710 Clementi West Street 2, Rong Fa Coffee Shop, Singapore 120710
Ah Li Mee Pok
710 Clementi West Street 2, Rong Fa Coffee Shop, Singapore 120710