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Since joining Sethlui.com, I’ve been contemplating writing a review on Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa— and I’ve finally done it! This is a hawker stall situated at Chong Boon Market & Food Centre specialising in 2 dishes: lor mee and laksa.
Why have I been holding this off? That’s because this stall has one of the longest queues in the hawker centre every single day. I feel that it’s my duty to share this knowledge with others who may not know of this stall’s existence because… good food must be shared!
Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa is helmed by an elderly couple who have been there for more than a decade.
There were at least a dozen customers in the queue before me. Pasted on the stall’s glass display was a sign saying, “no separate packaging of noodles, soup and chilli.” Readers, do take note.
After 30 minutes, my order was finally taken. By then, my stomach, grumbling with hunger, was ready to be filled.
I watched as the aunty spruced up my bowl of lor mee— a spoonful of sambal, chopped kin chye (Chinese celery), minced garlic, a generous dash of black vinegar, and it was good to go!
What I tried at Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa
Although I’m not really a fan of lor mee, I decided to have a go anyway and ended up ordering one of each dish.
The Laksa (S$4.50 for small) came with a bed of thick bee hoon, slices of fishcake, cockles, tau pok, sliced boiled egg, taugeh, and julienned laksa leaves. All the ingredients were doused in a coconut gravy imbued with the colour palette of a romantic sunset scene.
Although the pieces of cockles weren’t the largest around, they still were fresh with bursts of briny ocean essence, flooding my taste buds upon every bite.
When Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa first started out, their laksa gravy was underwhelmingly diluted. I boycotted the stall (oops) for a while before I decided to give them another chance a while back.
Let me officially announce that they’ve maintained their consistency up till this day, from the last time I had it. The gravy was thick and had checked all the boxes in what makes a solid laksa broth.
The strands of thick bee hoon were cooked just right with pieces of sliced laksa leaves hidden like sneaky ninjas, which surprised me with subtle nuances of zingy flavour. The freshness of the herb also helped cut down the richness of the broth.
The absorbent pieces of tau pok soaked up all the creamy goodness of the gravy like a sponge, and it was a party in my mouth when my teeth sunk into them. The slices of fishcake were smooth and slithered down my throat with ease.
New in town: Boss Tofu — Serving curry bomb with 4 fillings, curry rice sets & laksa yong tau foo
I wasn’t super ecstatic about the next dish, the Lor Mee (S$4.50 for small). I can’t recall when I had this dish last, but it was some time during my army days when it was served in the canteen.
It had a bed of yellow noodles, a piece of ngoh hiang, sliced boiled egg, fishcake slices, beansprouts and slices of pork served with a dark viscous eggy gravy. There was also the trinity of garnishes (sambal, minced garlic and chopped kin chye) which the aunty had added earlier on.
After mixing everything up, I proceeded to take a bite of the yellow noodles which were slightly flat (the kind I prefer). The gravy was neither thick nor diluted, possessing the perfect consistency. It clung on to the golden strands of noodles like its life depended on it. I picked up gentle caresses of star anise together with the refreshing tang of the black vinegar while slurping them up.
The egg flower bits added another layer of silkiness to the sauce while the slightly crunchy stalks of the kin chye released mini herby hints at the end. The minced garlic added a fragrant undertone to the entire dish which satisfied a garlic lover like me.
The ngoh hiang was delightful. Once you’ve bitten through the slightly crispy outer layer, you’ll be greeted by a smooth filling from within.
Perhaps my only gripe would be the slices of pork. They were a little too tough and thick for my liking. It would’ve been perfect if they were more tender and sliced more thinly.
Final thoughts
My encounter with lor mee at Ang Mo Kio Loh Mee Laksa had sparked a new-found interest in this dish. Although queueing up here may take a while, I guarantee that the dishes served here are worth the long wait.
Would you queue up for a taste of their food? I’ll leave it up to you!
Expected damage: S$4.50 – S$6 per pax
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