No. 25 Minced Meat Noodle, Bukit Merah: S$7 bak chor mee with tonkotsu-inspired broth

When I came across news that No. 25 Minced Meat Noodle was opening in early February 2022 and that its unique selling point was that it sold tonkotsu-inspired pork broth alongside its S$7 bak chor mee, I knew I had to drop by to give it a try.

It was only when I spoke to the young owners that I knew I hit the jackpot. Its chef and co-owner, Han, 26, was an ex-Burger & Lobster chef. After brainstorming with his 25-year-old fiance, Chelsea, who was an accountant then, the two decided to brave the risk and ventured into the hawker scene with their one-of-a-kind bak chor mee. (Of course, after a lot of R&D at home).

Located at 161 Bukit Merah Central, No. 25 Minced Meat Noodle’s location isn’t exactly the most accessible, given that there’s no nearby MRT. 

I followed directions from Google Maps and ended up taking a 15 minute stroll in the sweltering heat from Redhill MRT! Please don’t be like me — take a bus to Bukit Merah bus interchange and cross the road to find the coffee shop.

According to Han and Chelsea, business has been decent, thanks to the offices and residences nearby. 

Evidently so, because while their opening hours are 10am to 3.30pm or until sold out, we dropped by around 2pm and the young hawkers were already dishing out their last few bowls of bak chor mee.

What I tried

Nestled within a coffee shop called Treasures, No. 25 Minced Meat Noodle’s menu is simple and straightforward.

It has four items: Minced Meat Noodle (S$4/S$5), Signature Minced Meat Noodle (S$7), Homemade Fish Dumplings (S$4/S$5) and Minced Meat Noodle Soup (S$5/S$6).

We started out with the Signature Minced Meat Noodle (S$7), which came with a bowl of its Japanese-inspired broth.

Thanks to Chelsea’s recommendation, we decided to try its yellow noodles with ketchup and chilli, but you can ask for mee pok or mee kia, depending on your preference.

This bowl of noodles was the undisputed favourite amongst the table. 

With a generous amount of minced meat, lard, crispy tee poh (flounder fish), I found myself with no lack of ingredients to accompany the slurp-worthy yellow noodles. Not to mention, the ketchup and chilli sauce combination was appetising and sweet, with a hint of tanginess and spiciness creeping in afterwards. 

Personally I’m not a huge fan of lard, but this was an exception. It was crispy and fragrant, with a good amount of saltiness and smokiness. I also loved biting into the little bits of crispy tee poh, which were thinly sliced and resembled chips. 

Moving onto the bowl of signature soup, which came with the Signature Minced Meat Noodle. 

According to Han, the unique broth is boiled for at least eight solid hours daily, with a combination of chicken feet, pork bones and other secret ingredients, resulting in a lip-smacking and full-bodied broth that’s said to resemble tonkotsu broth.

Before diving into the soup, I noticed it came laden with ingredients, such as pork liver, little nuggets of fish maw, huge pieces of pork meat and handmade fish dumplings.

Pretty unique ingredients if you ask me, and very worth it considering both the noodles and soup cost just S$7!

The million dollar question: Does the broth resemble tonkotsu broth?

Frankly, not really. It doesn’t have a milky, silky-like consistency, but the broth was incredibly robust and rich. Packed with meaty and hearty flavours, it left my lips sticky with collagen. 

To some extent, it reminded me of the aftermath of steamboat night — you know, when the meal’s approaching an end and the broth has been simmering slowly, leaving a thin layer of collagen and foam on the top.

For comparison, we decided to try its Minced Meat Noodle (Dry) (S$5) with mee pok.

For its price, we were really impressed by how generous the stall was with its ingredients. The bowl was filled with fresh minced meat, pork liver, handmade fish dumplings and more.

This was your classic bowl of bak chor mee, and for two young entrepreneurs with no hawker experience, I was incredibly impressed. 

The fresh pork meat was springy and came in large pieces, and the sauces weren’t too overpowering either. Fragrant and savoury, the chilli crept it at the end of each mouthful, whetting my appetite and left me wanting more.

Unlike typical bak chor mee stalls, this dish didn’t come accompanied with a bowl of soup, so you’ll have to pay an additional S$1 for soup on the side. We figured it’s because No. 25 Minced Meat Noodle’s soup isn’t your regular bowl of soup and in any case, priced at S$5, the noodles were already pretty affordable on its own.

Final thoughts

I’ve got to say, for just S$5, you’d definitely be hard-pressed to find another bak chor mee place that’s so generous with its Minced Meat Noodle ingredients. Would I pay another S$2 more to order its Signature Minced Meat Noodle (S$7), which comes with its Japanese-inspired broth? Yes, without a doubt. While the robust soup might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I can definitely see myself returning to the stall if I was ever in the area and craved an indulgent and rich bowl of pork broth. 

It was also inspiring to know that the stall was helmed by two young individuals who left cushy and secure jobs to start their own business in the hawker industry, despite having no prior experience, so if you’re in the Bukit Merah area, be sure to drop by and support their business.

Expected damage: S$5 – S$7 per pax

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