Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
With social media on the rise, many establishments in the food industry have to hop onto various internet platforms to spread their branding. However, some stalls fall through the cracks, especially those owned by older folks. Not even on Google, this Nameless Bak Chor Mee Stall along Upper Aljunied Road is one such example.
Despite the lack of social presence, you will be surprised to know that this stall is said to have been around for close to 20 years. It is even said that this place opens from 4.30am, so early birds (or incredibly late night owls) are surely going to celebrate!
Residents in the area have kept this place under wraps, hidden away from newcomers. Was it really that delicious? I went with full intent to find out.
It would be useful to note that the coffeeshop the Nameless Bak Chor Mee Stall is located in is equally as hidden. Providing a quaint yet airy space, Lian Bee Coffeeshop gave a perfect ambience to enjoy some peaceful dining.
Unassuming it definitely was— this Nameless Bak Chor Mee Stall did not even have signage mentioning a name or even a menu. Rather, pictures of the 3 dishes were plastered above for all to see, with none of the extra fluff. The sight was definitely a refresher from the usual small wordy menus I’m used to seeing.
Haidilao Hot Pot $1 pork belly promo — Downtown East exclusive
Ordering was easy enough, considering that there are only 3 choices to decide between. Even the indecisive folks will have no issues! However, non-Chinese folks may find some difficulty, as Uncle only converses in Mandarin or Hokkien.
An interesting note would be that the stall has table service. For those dining in, Uncle takes your order and invites you to take your seats. He will then bring out your food, before collecting payment. Neat, is it not?
What I tried at Nameless Bak Chor Mee Stall
Deciding not to K.O from a food coma too early, I had decided on the smaller size of the Dry Bak Chor Mee (S$4). It definitely was small, though I suppose you get what you pay for.
Of course, the first noticeable thing was definitely the boatload of ketchup squirted on top. Personally, I don’t mind just a tad to flavour the noodles, but this amount looked slightly overboard.
Not to mention, there was also vinegar added on, which would have added a good touch of acidity if without all that excess ketchup. To my dismay, the duo of vinegar and ketchup just made the whole meal extremely sour and overrode the other flavours present.
You have the noodle options of either mee pok or mee kia for both soup or dry. Mee pok noodles are the classic way to go about this Singaporean favourite, in my humble opinion. I loved the texture, which was springy with a good bite. The chewiness of the mee pok noodles were delightful to savour, especially with the minced pork.
Speaking of the minced pork, I loved that there was a substantial amount of it! “Hefty chunks of pork goes superbly well with the noodles”, my indulgent self realised very quickly. On the other hand, the sliced pork was nicely done but not much to shout about.
This bowl of bak chor mee contained fish cakes larger than what I was accustomed to, but this was a change I happily accepted. There were fried shallots added as well, but did not add much flavour due to the oversaturated tomato taste.
This soup was on the heavily seasoned side, unlike the normally used light broth. It had, without a doubt, a huge emphasis on pepper. I enjoyed that the fishball was absent of the alkaline taste and was flavoured. This addition made for a fantastic refresher from its noodle companion.
Final thoughts
This bak chor mee made for a light fulfilling lunch, with none of the nonsense. However, it did fall flat from my expectations, considering how the stall has stayed around for so long. The ketchup had overwhelmed my tastebuds, to the point that everything was just tomato-flavoured.
Because of such, there was hardly any balance in the dish, which I personally am not a fan of. Perhaps, the spicy version would be more preferred, as I’ve heard good things about it!
Expected damage: S$4 – S$5 per pax
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