Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Welcome back to another instalment of us trying Singapore’s best-rated! Today’s episode features lor mee, a Chinese Hokkien noodle dish bathed in starchy gravy that draws its origins from Zhangzhou. Our nominee is Hui Wei 回味 Lor Mee & Prawn Noodle. This particular brand has several outlets across the island, but the one at Mei Ling Market & Food Centre is the OG.
Before discussing the food, let’s lay out the criteria for why we chose this stall: The stall should ideally focus on lor mee. It also needs at least 100 Google reviews and to be at least 4.5 stars, and the reviews should mostly be about the lor mee if there’s more than one menu item.
At the time of writing this, Hui Wei Lor Mee & Prawn Noodle is currently sitting at 140 Google reviews, with a 4.6 star rating.
What I tried at Hui Wei 回味 Lor Mee & Prawn Noodle
There are a total of three items on the menu at Hui Wei, and all of them cost the same: Prawn Noodles (Soup or Dry) and Fried Fish Lor Mee. A small portion costs S$4, and a large will set you back S$5. It seems prices have gone up since I last checked. I ordered a small lor mee with an add-on of an extra two pieces of fried fish for S$1.80. There’s other items you can add on, like fish cake, fresh prawns, fish skin, ngoh hiang, and fried wantons.
I normally get thick rice noodles with my lor mee, but in the interest of science, I went for the type of noodle it’s normally served with here. Condiments are laid out at the counter for you to help yourself, and I tend to put a modest amount of garlic, a little bit of chilli and coriander, and a lot of vinegar.
First impressions: This is a small portion?! There were 2 really big pieces of fried fish (I read reviews where 3 pieces are the norm, but I wonder if that’s dependent on the size of the fillets), half a braised egg, and a generous handful of pork slices.
The gravy was thick and glossy, with a nice, if a little mild, “braised” taste. It wasn’t goopy or clumpy either which can be offputting texturally. I could also see the little speckles of spices.
While I am not the biggest fan of these flat yellow noodles, they do look mighty luscious bathed in this gravy. They’re slightly chewy with a nice bite, and the alkaline taste that I usually associate with these noodles isn’t that strong. Still, I think I would prefer rice noodles at the end of the day.
Lor Mee 178 (卤面178): Michelin Plate $5.50 lor mee with crispy shark nuggets
Now, on to what is probably the star of the bowl: the huge pieces of fried fish. The batter was the perfect surface for the gravy to cling to, and the fish itself was meaty and fresh-tasting, if a little chewy on the ends. The sizing of each fillet was rather inconsistent, with some being significantly larger.
While the fish was good, I prefer the way Uncle Yeo’s Lor Mee prepares their fried fish. The batter here is on the denser side and once bathed in the thick gravy, starts to get soggy quite rapidly. Uncle Yeo’s has a lighter, crispier batter that holds up better.
Final thoughts
Does it live up to its rating? Honestly, I can’t tell you for certain, not being a lor mee connoisseur. If I had to rate this, I’d probably go with 3.5 stars since it didn’t exactly blow me away. What I do know is that it is more than a few steps above average for a bowl of lor mee, and the price to portion ratio is still reasonable despite the recent price hikes.
PS: To the reviewer who says the gravy retains its thick consistency despite lots of stirring? Please teach me your ways, because I always end up with soup at the end.
Expected damage: S$4 – S$5 per pax
Order Delivery: foodpanda
