Best Hokkien Mee

This Hokkien Mee at ABC Brickworks commands regular 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟭 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 and it's on the Michelin Guide as one of the two Hokkien Mee to be awarded with Bib Gourmands. That good? I think so, especially when it turned out even better than my last visit.
-
Out of the Hokkien Mee I've tried, I deem them to have the best Hokkien Mee sambal chili — it brought a certain 𝒋𝒆 𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒊 that set it apart from other renditions. The ikan bilis loaded chili was beautifully sapid with wafts of fragrance and an endearing controlled sweetness — all while retaining a decent fiery kick.
-
Decades of mastery churned out a plate of springy noodles which were moderately moist but not soakingly wet, which is perhaps my preferred texture. The stock was rich but not the most intense, resulting in a meticulously balanced profile perfumed with mild but tangible wok hei.
-
Many people enjoy crazy rich flavours, but I often find those too heavy-handed with little elegance in balancing. I think this subdued profile was purposeful in creating an undemanding canvas which permitted the sambal (and citrus) freedom to seamlessly bleed into any void and pop with its bold personality. The outcome was a balanced but simultaneously complex profile, with each facet of flavour being eloquently enunciated without conflict.
-----
[𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣] 𝙏𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙝𝙧𝙪 𝙔𝙞 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙃𝙤𝙠𝙠𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙚
📍 𝗔𝗕𝗖 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝟲 𝗝𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗸𝗶𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗵, #𝟬𝟭-𝟭𝟯, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟭𝟱𝟬𝟬𝟬𝟲
⏱️(Thurs-Tues) 3pm-1045pm; 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔
.
.
* Crazy long queue during peak hours (up to 1 hour), you can call in to reserve a packet to take away or come after 9pm instead where I waited only 10 mins.

Another week, another hokkien mee review — you must be thinking "how high is his blood pressure?" Not high enough until I try 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, sorry HPB.
-
The dry variation is not as common simply because it takes a lot of skill. Masterfully fried, each strand of noodle perfectly sealed in the wealth of flavours from the stock, whilst a whisper of smokiness lingered in the background; balanced profile that's rich but not jelak and not overbearingly salty. Noodles were springy, with a dry overall texture but adequately moist from absorbed stock.
-
Mixing in the supporting cast of chili and lime is important as the fragrance and heat added to the richness, whilst that touch of zestiness brought some levity. Maybe not my favourite plate of HKM, but definitely up there.
-----
[Nicoll Highway] 𝑯𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒐𝒌𝒌𝒊𝒆𝒏 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝑴𝒆𝒆
📍 𝟱𝟬𝟱 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗱, # 𝗕𝟭-𝟯𝟰 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟱𝟴𝟯
⏱️ (Thurs-Tues) 10am-5pm; 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔

They have pedigree, alongside Swee Guan (one of my favourites), as inheritors of a charcoal-fried legacy — and it seems some magic from that legacy remains.
-
I was immediately floored by an overload of umami from the stock, and a supremely fragrant profile due to some very tangible garlic notes and the inclusion of pork lard. The sambal was similarly very fragrant and complex, adding a different layer of umami which elevated the flavour profile further. Alas, whilst the flavour-bomb was stimulating, it was a precarious hair away from plummeting into over-saltiness.
-
Their pedigree naturally made me expect wok hei, and it's a good amount but not close to their geylang cousin's insanely smokey rendition. The texture is the wet type that feels a bit goopy and some of the noodles were slightly mushy, maybe from over-frying.
-
The prawns were sizeable, but didn't feel particularly fresh and crunchy, though honestly I don't care about freshness of prawns in hokkien mee. Overall, it's definitely extremely enjoyable despite some small flaws, and any hokkien mee lover should try this.
-----
📍 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗕𝗮𝗿, 𝟯𝟵𝟲 𝗘 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗱, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟰𝟮𝟴𝟵𝟵𝟰
⏱️ (Tues-Sun) 11 45am-9pm, closed on Mondays

The highlight was in the stock that flooded the plate, encasing a richness comparable with the best prawn mee broths, with each strand of noodle trapping a hefty amount of robust flavours within; the chili and pork lard also helped to add layers.
-
However, wok hei was noticably weak — a shame for those who find it a crucial element for hokkien mee.

Apparently they fry it with charcoal fire. Which explains why the smokiness is off the charts; the intense wok hei was immediately apparent from my first bite. Well, that and the billowing clouds of smoke that constantly streamed out of the kopitiam.
-
Apart from its deep smokey profile, the stock was also super robust which gave it a rich flavourfulness that only the top hokkien mees can boast of. It's the wet type, but not overly moist IMO (if you eat it fresh and hot), as every strand of perfeclty-fried bouncy noodle was well coated with an ample amount of the stock.
-
The sambal chili was maybe too sweet but it still gave a nice kick and helped cut through the heaviness. But aside from this, Swee Guan's rendition is crazy good and easily top 3 in SG for me.

The rich stock is also perfectly absorbed by the noodles into a salivating texture - moist whilst still retaining bite. Slightly less intense stock than some places, but combined with their standout sambal belacchan and a squeeze of limes, it is a plate of balanced savouriness that never gets jelak.
But the monstrous queue though...

Well fried with a delightful smokiness, the viscosity of the noodles coat your mouth with a fragrant seafood flavour.
-
The robust flavours of the stock are also absorbed by the thick yellow noodles. Admittedly, the flavours are not the most intense and there is a lack of egginess, but it is still super good, especially with the sambal chili in the mix.