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Ah, the iconic bak chor mee — the noodle superstar of Singapore, a familiar local favourite that’s found in almost every hawker centre, food court, and kopitiam across our shores.
Since Chong Boon Market & Food Centre in my hood features 2 stalls selling this esteemed dish, I figured: why not stage a little showdown? Could Sen Yuan Bak Chor Mee beat the more popular Yong Xin?
What is bak chor mee?
Bak chor mee translates to ‘minced meat noodles’ in the Teochew dialect. This simple bowl of noodles may look simple but the flavours are actually complex. It comprises of either mee kia (thin noodles) or mee pok (flat noodles) that’s enveloped in chilli and vinegar, usually served with minced pork, pig’s liver, slices of pork and fishcake, pork lard, meatballs, and sometimes even mushrooms.
What makes a good bak chor mee?
A delicious bowl of bak chor mee should hit all the right notes. The noodles must be springy and bounce back with every bite, lusciously coated in an array of seasonings that are spicy, savoury, tangy, and just a hint of sinful richness from the lard oil. The accompanying ingredients, particularly the pork liver, should be cooked just right.
Why these contenders?
My pick was Yong Xin — it’s been a local legend here for 15 years. You can’t miss it; the line often snakes all the way out of the building! On the other hand, Sen Yuan Bak Chor Mee only opened at Chong Boon less than 3 years ago. Based on what I’ve seen online, this stall already has its own fanbase raving over its generous portions and perfectly-cooked ingredients.
Yong Xin
At Yong Xin, a day without a queue is simply unheard of. I showed up at 9am for the first time, and guess what? It was noon-level chaos at that time.
The crowd favourite on the menu is the Famous Noodle (S$5/S$7) and they also offer Fishball Noodle (S$4.50/S$5.50) and Dry Vermicelli (S$5/S$6). For this battle, I skipped all of that and ordered the large Minced Meat Noodle (S$6).
For my bowl of Minced Meat Noodles, I requested for mee kia and said YES to both the chilli and vinegar. It’s topped with slices of pork, liver and fishcake, minced pork, 2 meatballs, a pair of fishballs, and bits of golden-brown pork lard. Oh, and it comes with a small bowl of soup, too!
As a decade-long regular, I’ve come to appreciate Yong Xin’s consistently soft yet distinct noodle texture. The flavour never fails to impress me EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. The fiery chilli kick, vibrant vinegar, savoury seasonings, and silky lard oil all work in harmony, creating a well-balanced, multi-dimensional taste explosion.
Most of the ingredients here are spot on. The pork slices may look huge — enough to make you think they’ll be tough — but they’re actually surprisingly tender. The fishballs, meatballs and her kiao are also pretty satisfying.
The small bowl of soup by the side might look unassuming — maybe even a little drab — but don’t let appearances fool you. One sip, and it bursts with rich porky goodness.
If I had to fuss about something, it would be the liver. Maybe they’re sliced too thin, but each piece came out dry and slightly tough, with a faint powdery texture that may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Sen Yuan Bak Chor Mee
Sen Yuan Bak Chor Mee was helmed by the aunty on my day of visit together with her assistant. As for the elderly uncle? Well… he seems to have gone incognito for some time. Unlike Yong Xin, the menu here just offers Bak Chor Mee (S$5/S$6/S$7), with options to add on ingredients.
Sen Yuan Bak Chor Mee does things differently, keeping the ingredients and noodles in separate bowls. My large S$7 bowl of mee kia was sparsely crowned with pork lard nuggets and fried shallots.
Fishing through the soup with my chopsticks and spoon, it was easy to see why this stall has a loyal following — a generous heap of ingredients awaited each bite.
At first glance, the elements of the soup appeared almost identical to the ones at Yong Xin — until I discovered the beansprouts, which made me pause and ponder: have I ever seen any other bak chor mee stalls use them? Nope, none came to mind. This ‘unique’ ingredient somehow altered the taste of the soup. All I could taste was the dominant tau geh, leaving the pork flavour in the shadows.
The star of the bowl was definitely the thicccccc slices of pig’s liver. Honestly, they were some of the best I’ve had (not exaggerating!). Cooked to medium-well, each silky piece melted in my mouth, almost like foie gras. The meatballs are actually Fuzhou-style, packed with extra juicy meat fillings that explode in your mouth.
We found it a little odd that Sen Yuan Bak Chor Mee didn’t ask if we wanted vinegar in our noodles. Turns out, there wasn’t a tangy hint anywhere. The sinful lard oil was also noticeably absent — just pure spicy and savoury goodness taking centrestage. I found the alkaline taste to be a little too strong for my liking. At least the noodles were perfectly al dente, snapping back at every mouthful — definite plus points from me.
Verdict
| Stall | Overview | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Yong Xin | Delivers a well-balanced mix of spicy, tangy, savoury flavours with rich lard oil, though the liver may lean slightly dry. Noodles were a little on the soft side. | 👍Best Overall – A dependable classic with nostalgic charm and balanced flavours, but not without minor flaws. |
| Sen Yuan Bak Chor Mee | Generous portions, al dente noodles but alkaline taste too strong, stellar thick-cut liver slices, and Fuzhou-style meatballs. Soup flavour may be affected by beansprouts, and vinegar + lard oil are notably absent. | 💲Best Value – Loaded ingredients with standout liver and noodle texture, but a little weak in some areas. |
Taking the basic flavour profile of the noodles into account, Yong Xin takes the crown as the better bak chor mee of the two. As taste is subjective, you may or may not agree with me. If you’ve tried both stalls, which is your favourite?
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