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With the huge range of food options in Singapore’s hawker scene, it may be hard to decide on what to eat. A safe bet would be kolo mee, with Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee being one of the most popular kolo mee hawkers in the country.
Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee opened its first outlet within Haig Road Market & Food Centre, and is helmed by two sisters. The stall became so successful that it expanded to opening multiple outlets across the island, including in Waterloo Street, Ang Mo Kio and Punggol.
I visited the stall’s outlet at Waterloo Street, which boasted a menu including their famous kolo mee dishes, Sarawak laksa, and even fishball noodles and chicken cutlet noodles.
What I tried at Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee
Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee’s signature Sarawak Kolo Mee was available in 3 varieties: Original, Red Sauce and Black Sauce, with a small portion costing S$4.50 while a big portion cost S$5.50. I opted for a small portion of the Black Sauce variety.
The dish contained noodles coated in black sauce, slices of char siew, minced meat and chopped spring onions. The first thing that I noticed about the noodles was their curly, springy shape, which resembled Maggi mee.
When I mixed the noodles, the rich black sauce coated every strand evenly, with the aroma of shallots and soy sauce being nicely dispersed. The noodles were savoury and springy with a hint of sweetness throughout, with a light yet aromatic flavour.
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The char siew slices atop the kolo mee were thinly sliced. Instead of being roasted, they were boiled — while I usually prefer the rich smokiness from roasted char siew, I found Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee’s take on this protein to be quite commendable, given that each slice of char siew was tender yet slightly sweet and not bland at all.
The minced pork did not disappoint either, as they were well-seasoned and flavourful, with a nice meaty texture.
Next up was Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee’s Laksa Sarawak, which was priced at S$7 for a small portion and S$8.50 for a big portion. The small portion yielded a reasonable amount of noodles and broth, with tofu strips and two pieces of whole prawns within.
Compared to the usual laksa dishes that many may be familiar with, the stall’s Laksa Sarawak is made with a combination of tamarind paste and coconut milk along with spices such as star anise, cinnamon and cardamon.
The laksa broth had a robust and full-bodied taste that I loved. It had a nice creamy taste to it, as well as a light coconut milk fragrance. I enjoyed the slight spicy kick within the delicious broth, that did not overpower the other elements of the dish.
The prawns with pretty big too, with a fresh and juicy taste. If you’re someone who prefers peeled prawns, you’ll have to do a bit of extra work, as Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee’s prawns come full in their shells.
Though the dish was very flavourful and delicious, it was definitely one of the more expensive noodle dishes I’ve tried from a hawker stall, at a whopping S$7 for a regular portion.
Final thoughts
I had never had Sarawak dishes before, but Lin Yu Mei Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee’s famous noodles were enough to intrigue me and pique my interest in trying more kolo mee and Sarawak laksa.
I personally found the prices of the dishes to be a little steep, especially when compared to most other hawker fare, so I doubt that I’d patronise them as often as I do for my usual hawkers. However, for a good bowl of Sarawak noodles, I’d definitely recommend giving this popular stall a go.
Expected damage: S$4.50 – S$8.50 per pax
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