There’s a new Bak Chor Mee in town that is determined to add more Bak (pork) to the Bak Chor Mee! Thus, they call themselves “BAK BAK” Bak Chor Mee! What sets them apart is the slices of smoked pork belly, shabu collar meat, Fuzhou-style meatballs, and crispy ngor hiang skin! In addition to the usual minced pork and braised mushrooms. They also use duck egg noodles which are specially imported from Malaysia which gives the mee pok a nice QQ texture without the ‘kee’ (alkaline) smell.
Transformation Takes Time
The man behind the venture is Raymond. You would already be familiar with him if you have been reading my blog for a while. I first met Raymond when he was selling Crabmeat Wanton Mee in Macpherson. He left and went on to do on-site automotive repair. He reappeared on the food scene years later with Reimondo Seafood Congee, then Super Supper, and Sure Come Back Wanton Mee.
Some of you might be wondering why Raymond keeps opening and closing food stalls, especially since Sure Come Back was still getting long queues when he shuttered last year? Well, it is complicated. In a nutshell, it has to do with a combination of bad business decisions, ambition, and impulsiveness.
I can tell you this because I meet Raymond every week for bible study. So, I am quite familiar with what has happened in the last few years. We started meeting regularly back in the days when he started Crabmeat Wanton Mee. At the time, he had just gambled away all his money at the casino and was on the verge of a divorce and suicide. That was when he found faith and started going to church.
Over the years, he managed to save his marriage, stop smoking, and rid himself of many other vices. It wasn’t an easy journey for Raymond. He had grown up without his biological father and had been imprisoned six times for petty offenses. But transformation takes time. One of those things that he had to struggle with for a while was his gambling mentality and attitude towards money.
It was his impulsiveness that led him to shutter Sure Come Back Wanton Mee and Reimondo last year. In a moment of indiscretion, he called it quits and decided to return to automotive repair. But fate intervened when a fan of his wanton mee persuaded him to form a partnership and re-enter the food industry. To make a long story short, the first six months were rather rocky. After a few failed concepts, he finally came up with BAK BAK Bak Chor Mee.
A Bak Chor Mee for the ardent lovers of pork
I have to admit that my recent mission to find my perfect bowl of Bak Chor Mee had something to do with his decision to open BAK BAK Bak Chor Mee. The idea was simple. Just create a bowl of Bak Chor Mee that would satisfy ardent lovers of pork!
The basic $3.50 bowl has springy duck noodles bathed in umami sauce with freshly fried crispy pork lard and topped with minced pork, pork ball, and braised mushrooms.
Things start to get more interesting with the standard $5.50 bowl. You get a slice of smoked pork belly, pork balls, more minced pork, shabu pork, and crispy Ngor Hiang. But for those who want to eat until Song Song (ultimate satisfaction), you can go for the Song Song bowl. The $8.50 bowl will have more of everything as well as Fuzhou-style pork balls!
To moderate your expectations, there are still things that need to be ironed out. I think it has gotten off to a good start but the coffee shop is normally very quiet. We don’t know how the team will perform when more orders start coming in.
The Bak Chor Mee is very good in my opinion. I like the QQ texture of the duck egg noodles and the minced pork. They managed to get the pork lard nice and crispy. And the fried Ngor Hiang added another layer of flavor and texture to the dish. The smoked pork is something that would remind you of Japanese charshu but it isn’t quite the same texture since it is smoked instead of braised. It is a good bowl of Bak Chor Mee which hasn’t reached its full potential just yet. Nonetheless, it still well worth a try if you are around the Ang Mo Kio area. 4.25/5
PS: The Bak Chor Mee hunter has already visited and gave him quite a rave review!
Juicy Fried Chicken Wings on the side
Aside from Bak Chor Mee, they also have fried chicken wings which is very good. The wings are a legacy of the Super Supper days. They are well-marinated and juicy. Raymond uses a vacuum tumbler which results in very nicely marinated wings that are nice and juicy! He also uses dang gui in the marinade which gives it a unique flavour! 4.25/5
Conclusion
A new Bak Chor Mee stall that is trying to level up Bak Chor Mee by adding extra ingredients like smoked pork belly, shabu pork collar, and crispy Ngoh Hiang! So far, it’s been getting good reviews from my makan kakis! Well worth a try if you are around Ang Mo Kio central and are looking for a good bowl of Bak Chor Mee.
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