Yue Lai Xiang Delights (越来香): Rainbow-Coloured Ban Mian That Tastes As Good As It Looks Along Sin Ming Dr

Ban mian is a perennial favourite among Singaporeans and the ultimate go-to comfort food. Yue Lai Xiang Delights (越来香) has taken this classic and given it a colourful twist like no other.

Located in a coffee shop along Sin Ming Drive, Yue Lai Xiang Delights serves up multi-coloured ban mian that not only hits all the right spots but also an absolute visual feast.

We ordered four variations of ban mian Yue Lai Xiang Delights had to offer.

These prismatic noodles are naturally coloured with beetroot, spinach, butterfly-pea flower and pumpkin. On top of that, Joy Yeo, owner of Yue Lai Xiang Delights, tells me that these noodles aren’t just for aesthetic purposes, they are also beneficial for your health, but more on that later.

As for the broth, instead of using soybeans, Joy has chosen to use pork bones and tee por (dried sole bones) for a more robust soup.

To start, we had Premium (Seafood) With Beetroot Mee Hoon Kueh (S$8 Soup, S$9 Dry). The hand-torn rose-coloured mee hoon kueh are topped with prawns and little-necked clams swimming in a clear broth. A more extravagant lunch option if one is feeling fancy or particularly ravenous.

These pink folds of mee hoon kueh were springy and impressively QQ even after staying in the broth for an extended period of time (camera eats first). There was a slightly earthy taste, which personally, I was not a fan of since I don’t like beetroot very much.

However, if you are partial to beetroot, you will appreciate how it enriches the broth as it leaches from the mee hoon kueh. The little-necked clams and prawns were sweet and fresh, a huge plus in my book.

Up next on this rainbow wheel is the Deluxe (Prawn) With Blue Pea U-Mian (S$6 Soup, S$7 Dry). Visually, quite a stunning bowl of noodles, complete with two plump prawns, dropped egg, pork meatballs and pork slices.

Joy warns that with U-mian, it does get soggy quite quickly. Never one to chance it with mushy noodles (sorry camera, me first), we wasted no time in digging into this steaming bowl of noodles.

Compared to the beetroot mee hoon kueh, these indigo noodles are by far much silkier and more delicate. Besides staining the noodles a vivid blue, the butterfly pea flower also lends a faint herbaceous note to these strands.

The leafy greens you see in every bowl are not the typical vegetables you find with ban mian. Known as mani cai or sayur manis, these dark green leaves have a similar texture to spinach but with a milder, sweeter flavour with a slightly acidic bite.

The pork slices and meatballs accompanying the noodles are also tender to a fault and well seasoned. Making every slurp, a hearty toothsome one. A perfect bowl of noodles on a rainy day, methinks.

Another bowl, another hue. We go back to basics with the Standard (Normal) With Spinach Mee Hoon Kueh (S$4.50 Soup, S$ 5.50 Dry). This is your ever-reliable bowl of ban mian we have come to know and love.

Bright green and speckled with dark spinach bits, the mee hoon kueh folds were firm to the bite. No surprise, since spinach is high in fibre, the dough would naturally be denser.

The spinach flavour does punctuate each pea-green crinkle; if you’re not a fan of that ‘leafy-vegetable’ taste, I suggest you give this flavour a miss.

To keep things interesting, of course, we had to try the OG ban mian. We had the Standard (Normal) With Ban Mian Dry (S$3.50, S$4.50). This comes together with the usual offerings of pork slices, a soft-boiled egg and unlike the soup counterparts and an extra serving of lard (yesyesyes).

These noodles are unlike any I had before, each strand was thick and chewy and not to mention so very QQ. The chilli that coated the noodles was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, coupled with the runny yolk, it was a perfect mouthful. The crunchy lard bits were the ultimate cherry on top.

As mentioned earlier, the Insta-worthy colours of Yue Lai Xiang Delights are not purely cosmetic. They aim to supplement the already healthy bowl of ban mian.

Butterfly pea is full of antioxidants, which is great for customers that look a little worn out and in need of a pick-me-up. Or if customers are looking for an immunity boost, the beetroot is chock-full of vitamin C. Joy quips that she sometimes feels like a doctor, ‘diagnosing’ and ‘prescribing medicine’ to her customers.

Since Joy makes the noodles by hand, there are endless combinations to your ban mian. Every ‘colour’ comes from a round of dough, so she can make butterfly pea mee hoon kueh or ban mian, whatever suits your fancy. Joy’s ban mian is truly a creative and original take on the well-loved classic.

Needless to say, I would definitely be back. Ban main that’s good for you and the ‘gram, what’s not to love?

Expected Damage: S$3.50-S$9 per pax