My first brush with Li Yuan Mee Pok was on Ghib Ojisan's youtube, when he patronised the stall over at Boon Lay. First thought — interesting.. but..? I don't know what would follow, all I knew was there was a but. Now that they have opened a branch in the East, I decided to give it a go.

I went for the Japanese Miso Mee Kia, because I was feeling for thinner noodles rather than the thicker alternative, mee pok, that day. I went for the dry option as well upon recommendation by the staff, and then opted for the miso flavour. Although I went slightly after lunch period, I waited for about 10-15 minutes, primarily because it seemed like the cook was very meticulous in cooking and placing all the necessary ingredients in the bowl. You see, I really didn't know what to expect with this fusion mee kia. In fact, it is such a quintessential dish in my life that I didn't think I could envision it in any form. But when I placed this bowl in front of me — I could see why it is truly a Japanese-Singapore fusion meal. On first look, all the essentials in a mee pok — fishcake, minced pork, meatballs, and then slices of Japanese chashu standing out. Not forgetting, this bowl of noodles was drizzled with lard. You could smell it, the fragrance, together with the very apparent Japanese miso aroma. The chashu was also decent enough, tender and not all just fat. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how well-executed this fusion bowl of noodles was. Throughout the meal, there was indeed a stark miso flavour, but it does not really take away the baseline flavours of Singaporean mee pok.

So back to my first thought: interesting.. but..? BUT you have to really like and appreciate BOTH Japanese and Mee Pok flavours in order to truly enjoy this, if not I don't think anybody would be ever willing to spend $7 on mee pok in a coffeeshop. I do think that it is a worth a try for its interesting fusion flavours and splendid execution, but I also believe that many Singaporeans are satisfied with their more affordably priced mee pok, that is also spicier and equally flavourful in its own right.

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