Some of the hawker noodles stalls that I visited in the past 2 weeks or so:

Cheeky Bee Hoon
Lucky Plaza B1-38, 304 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238863
11am – 8pm daily
(Other outlets: East Coast, White Sands foodcourt, Thomson Plaza)
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Cheeky Bee Hoon is rapidly growing and is conceptualised by Darwin Wong, who’s worked in the kitchen of two-Michelin-starred Jaan, Beurre and Jidai.

The cheeky signature bee hoon ($10.50, soup or dry) comes with clams, meatballs, minced meat, pork slices and handmade bee hoon, which is imported from Malaysia. It is quite surprising that although the bee hoon is simmered in water, it has the texture of being stir-fried. It’s a nice bowl. Anything with lots of lard is nice. Not sure about the price though.

The braised pork ($4.80 per portion) tastes vinegary like 豬腳醋 (vinegar pork trotter). It is good. Piquant, savoury, tender, and not greasy.

Loyang Way Big Prawn Noodles
64 Loyang Way, Singapore 508754
7am – 2.15pm, Closed Sun
Other outlets: Bedok 85 Fengshan Food Centre, Albert Centre Food Centre
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I thought going into an industrial estate on a weekend, there would be no queue for the hae mee stall. But it was a 30-minute queue, and when it was almost my turn, the guy in front of me ordered 6 bowls. So near yet so far. Haha.

The big prawn noodles start from $6. But I usually order the biggest prawn (because small prawns are just a waste of time.) So the XL big prawn noodle ($13.80). I added an egg, pork intestines, pork ribs, totalling up to $19.80 for a bowl. Honestly, I expected langoustine-sized prawns, but this XL prawn is just slightly bigger than the usual prawn, so you might as well save your money and order the $6 bowl.

I cooked hae mee before and it flopped. Turned out more savoury than sweet. It isn’t an easy dish to achieve that sweetness without dumping in a lot of rock sugar. And I think Loyang Way accomplished it, it’s just slightly sweet to know that the broth doesn’t wholly depend on sugar. It is a good bowl – but is it great?

After I made up my mind about the noodles, I researched for reviews and everyone had high praise for it. “Umami” is a word that is thrown around a lot in those reviews. But I don’t get it. I like it, I think it’s a solid bowl, but would I queue 30 minutes for it and spend $20 on it again? Probably not. If there’s no queue, I would probably get the $6 bowl.

Pang’s Hakka Yong Tau Foo
470 Yishun Street 42, #01-335, Singapore 762470
8am – 8 pm daily
(Other outlet: Blk 2 Jalan Bukit Merah)
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Been following Chef Pang Kok Keong since his (now-defunct) Antoinette days. Since I’m Hakka, I must try the signature Hakka noodles ($6.80). There is no choosing of the yong tau food, it comes in a fixed set, but there is a good variety and they are quite tasty. But comparing Pang’s noodles to the Hakka noodles I had in Malaysia, I felt like there wasn’t enough oomph, like it was missing something.

They also sell abacus seeds or suan panzi 算盘子 here at $6 a portion. Definitely not cheap. Since my grandma used to make it during festive seasons and I helped her, I know that the process is labour-intensive and a lot of work produces a little bit of abacus seeds. But I still think $6 is really quite expensive.

The yam to flour ratio here is good. Elsewhere you’ll find it more chewy (like boba), but that means they use more flour. Here, the texture is dense so you know they use a good amount of yam. But I read online that it is supposed to come with minced meat? I thought mine was a vegetarian version when I had it. Maybe consistency is an issue?

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– Took me 4 months to eat at ALL stalls at One Punggol Hawker Centre and these are the best food. Please don’t steal this content.
– Mama’s Kent Penang Delights, NUS: Homely Malaysian Food Hits the Spot
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