[ Food Week — Hawker Food ] As we approach the tail end of this season’s food week, it’s time to bring out some of my favourite local dishes that I rarely get the chance to feature, be it due to distance or calories (heh).

Believe it or not, there was a pretty extended period in my life when I subsisted on lor mee nearly every other day! Even though I don’t showcase it much, I adore the dish. Cue today’s feature: 137 Lor Mee Prawn Noodles at Tampines Round Market!

137LM is no exception. Opening at ripe hour of 6.30am, if you’re lucky, visiting at 10am m a y net you the last bowl before the stall starts wiping down for the day. Be warned! (All this being pre-P2 ofc; for now, please don’t forget to support your favourite stalls by taking away food looking at places like WhyQ to see if they offer delivery!)

I know many of us lor mee meisters have v e r y strong opinions on what constitutes a worthy bowl of lor mee. As someone whose opinion tend to skate along the edges of near blasphemy, let me get one thing straight: Lighter lor mee broth doesn’t mean less flavour!!! /deep exhale/

Growing up on lor mee with thinner/lighter sauces — specifically Clementi’s Ah Ma Lor Mee — I’ve never once felt the lack of a viscous, sticky broth detracted from the dish. As long as the chef knows how to balance their ingredients, they can still create a beautiful bowl no less worthy than its denser counterparts. After all, coherence and character are what build the unique signature of each stall.

137LM can be polarising for some: Those who enjoy heavy, substantial “lor” won’t get it here. The broth is lighter and easier to enjoy with your noodles; in spite of that, the aromatics and spices are unmistakeable, and when paired with the near ridiculous amount of toppings — fried fish chunks, ngoh hiang, fish cake, pork belly, egg — makes the entire experience a coherent yet vivid one. (Try imagining digging through stiff, sticky sauce trying to retrieve all those goodies, ugh — this is why the broth here is lighter.)

Oh, did I mention they have amazing crispy fish nuggets? Despite being drenched, these crispy pieces never wilt! And you get a ton of them regardless of serving size!