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“Either the hype has not gone down or my noodles are exceptionally good,” Uncle Peter claimed. Oh my!
Since its relocation to Redhill a few months ago, Uncle Peter Hokkien Mee has been attracting waves of customers. It seems the location change from Woodlands Industrial Park was a good game plan. “From waiting 7 to 8 hours for customers to now having customers waiting for me, there’s a shift of paradigm,” he said.
Stepping into the F&B industry in 2015, Uncle Peter used to helm a hokkien mee stall at Chinatown Complex and went on to work at the acclaimed Bedok Corner Hokkien Mee for close to 2 years.
With a decade of culinary experience under his belt, what does he believe is the key ingredient of hokkien mee? “I think my most important ingredient is passion. I make sure that every plate that goes out has to be substantially good,” he replies.
After dealing with manpower issues, Uncle Peter has an assistant now! Currently, his not-so-solo-business is touted to be “the best hokkien mee in Singapore.” I was eager to find out the truth.
What I tried at Uncle Peter Hokkien Mee
Blink and you will miss it.
Without its snaking queues, the famed Uncle Peter Hokkien Mee was hidden in plain sight at a quiet kopitiam. Curiously, I saw that pictures of his char kway teow and chai tow kway were patched over. Wah, his mee legit doing so well ah?
Yes. “One hokkien mee alone is already taking up most of my time,” Uncle Peter said while explaining that cooking a whole batch of his sold-out dish will save “cooking and waiting time” for both himself and his customers.
With only 1 item on the menu (you guessed it, hokkien mee), there was no need to consider what to order.
So, my dad and I got a small share of Signature Prawn Hokkien Mee (S$5.50). For hearty eaters, you may opt for a bigger portion at S$6.50. The stall also has other variations like Signature Prawn Hokkien Mee with Lala (S$8.50/ S$10.50) and Signature Big Prawn Hokkien Mee (S$18.50).
According to Uncle Peter and his regulars, this plate of semi-wet hokkien mee is supposed to have traditional old-school authenticity. What defines that? In addition to using the essential prawns, pork belly and sotong, he simmers the prawn heads and shells for “4 to 8 hours to extract the head’s umami goodness” for the prawn stock!
Let’s see if it’s worth the hype.
Topped with crunchy pork lard, the hokkien mee boasted a good ratio of yellow noodles and bee hoon. “Timing is crucial. That timing factor will either enhance or destroy the dish… and we are talking about seconds, not minutes!” Uncle Peter exclaimed.
To prevent the yellow noodles and bee hoon from becoming overcooked, he strategically uses the heat from the yellow noodles to fry the bee hoon. Although charred bits are bound to be found, these soft golden-yellowish strands had the perfect bite that I could not get enough of. I wished that I could continue with praise…
However, we felt that there was a lack of depth in flavour.
While the mee was drenched in viscous prawn stock, it didn’t have the umami punch and the wok hei that we were expecting. “Is it because we came before the lunch crowd? It takes time for the flavours to set in,” my dad wondered. I’m not sure sia but regardless, it’s a good reminder to take this with a pinch of salt.
After much discussion (we took it seriously ok), we could discern some sweet-briny notes from the simmered prawn heads, yet, not much luck for the wok-kissed char. Adding some handmade chilli made a difference. Tangy with a hint of sweetness, the spice helped to 开胃 (whet the appetite) and bring out the subtle flavours.
Tip: squeeze that zesty lime juice too.
Now, the ingredients. For S$5.50, the carb portion was extremely worth it. Upon digging through the towering mee mountain mixed with scrambled eggs, I found 2 sua lor prawns, thin slices of pork belly, bits of sotong and some assorted vegetables. We would have preferred a larger portion of ingredients.
Perhaps our stand would be different if we had ordered the S$6.50 version.
Regardless, the sua lor (aka sand prawns) had a mushy texture and could have been fresher. There might be a reason for this – Uncle Peter reuses the same prawns from his stock for his hokkien mee. While the pork lard added a distinct savoury touch, the meagre portion of pork belly and sotong were tender with not much taste. Dang it.
Final Thoughts
Is it truly “the best hokkien mee in Singapore”? Short answer, no. Controversial take but on our visit at least, Uncle Peter Hokkien Mee was decent at best. This sign on the stall is worth mentioning.
Despite that, the crowds were indeed thronging by 11.30am. And at this point, I could see why there was a need for a 30-minute wait.
“Age plays an important game right now,” Uncle Peter added. Add that to how it’s been just 2 months since his relocation and how we arrived a little early, I suppose Uncle Peter is still in the midst of getting back on track.
I know, I know that many will beg to differ. But if there’s one thing that we can all agree on, and as evidenced by the never-ending crowds, Uncle Peter’s popularity isn’t stopping anytime soon.
Back to you, is this truly “the best hokkien mee in Singapore?”
Expected damage: S$5.50 to S$22.50 per pax
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