Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway: The Mee Hoon Kway soup is good, but consistency is an issue

Ever since former MasterChef finalist, Aaron Wong announced his venture into the hawker scene, Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway has been gracing my social media feed with mixed reviews.

While a handful of my friends raved and swear by the unique flavour of Chef Aaron’s noodles, there’s another group that regretted making their trip to the south just for it. “Jiak liao buay song! (eat already not shiok)”, they exclaimed.

Truth to be told, I’ve been dying to try Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway since its opening. Now that they have been open more than a month, I figured that this would be the best time to make my visit as curious crowds should have subsided.

Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway launches limited-edition S$5.80 Kurobuta Mee Hoon Kway from 10 Mar

Yet, the snaking queue remained even as I arrived in Telok Blangah Crescent Food Centre at 9am. Filled with anticipation, I quickly chope-d a nearby table with my trusty packet of tissue and joined the line of eager patrons. 

What I tried at Jiak Song

Prepared-to-order, every bowl of noodles served at Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway is freshly rolled from a sheet of dough with the noodle roller placed in front of the stall. Depending on your order, the noodles will then be cut into thin strips or ripped into pieces upon cooking.

What better way is there to kick start a hearty breakfast than with a bowl of Signature Mee Hoon Kway Soup (S$3.50)? Right after snapping a few photos, I immediately gave the noodles a quick stir in hopes that my egg remains runny and semi-cooked in the boiling hot broth. “Please, please, please, no hard-boiled egg,” I begged silently.

Thankfully, my prayers were heard. My egg mixed perfectly into the cloudy broth resulting in a rich and luscious soup filled with yellow and white ribbons. Just one sip of the soup and I’m sold. Finally, I understand all the hype about this hawker stall. Aaron probably contributed to its popularity, but it’s going to be this soup that keeps it running for a long long time.

The soup had a tinge of smokiness reminiscent to the taste of wok hei. Some might find it a little too strong but, in my opinion, this is what makes Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway stand out from the hundreds of mee hoon kway stalls in Singapore. It was this particular smokiness that gave the mee hoon kway that hit of umami and a touch of character.

Swimming in the broth were irregular pieces of mee hoon kway that was cooked till al dente. Each piece was delightfully smooth, with a slightly salted taste that complemented well with the flavourful minced meat and decadent tasting soup.

Within 20 minutes, my bowl of Signature Mee Hoon Kway Soup was wiped clean. As I am sensitive to MSG, I never once dared to finish a bowl of soup in a hawker stall. But this time around, even after devouring everything, I felt fine as a fiddle—no facial pressures, no numbness, no discomfort. 

Moving on from the basics, I can’t help but order myself a serving of Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway’s Signature All-in COMBO Dry Ban Mee (S$5). I mean, how can I miss out on the all-in option right?

For an extra S$1.50, there was the addition of pork slices, a pork ball and a shrimp ball in my bowl. The pale-looking ban mee took on a light brown colour after I gave it a good toss. Still, it felt a bit too dry for my liking and that was when the soup came to the rescue. 

Here, the dark sauce felt non-existent, resulting in a bowl of poorly seasoned noodles. Thank God for the chilli sauce as it was this fiery little dish that got me through almost half of the dry ban mee.

It was bold and punchy—a beautifully balanced condiment that goes literally with anything. With chilli like this, who needs that dark sauce I was whining about earlier?

The pork and prawn balls were good add-ons to have on the menu, but don’t expect them to blow your mind. While the pork ball was full-flavoured and had a lovely bite, the prawn ball felt lacklustre in comparison—an extra pinch of salt would have done the job. 

Final thoughts

Many often say food writers should have an opinion; it’s either you like it or not. But I’m seriously on the fence with Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway. As much as I loved the soupy mee hoon kway, the dry ban mee did not appeal to me just as much.

Would I make a trip down to the south and queue half an hour for it again? Probably not, but it is definitely easier to get a taste of Jiak Song now that they have opened multiple outlets. Then again, consistency has been an issue for them when Chef Aaron is not at the helm.

I know now that I should order the Signature Mee Hoon Kway Soup over everything else. After all, a basic girl just needs her basic mee hoon kway to feel song (shiok). 

Expected Damage: S$3.50 – S$5 per pax