Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok – the Art of Mee Pok

So I went there with my colleagues yesterday for lunch. I’ve heard a few good things about this place and read some of the reviews here on Unilocal.The place seemed as crowded as any coffeeshop during lunch time should be, no more — no less, thus I expected that there would certainly be a bit of a wait — 20mins? 30mins? No big deal. How long could it be? Its only MeePok.
1HOUR. IT’S ONLY MEE POK! Geezz…
Its not bad but c’mon!!! 1HOUR? Its Mee Pok! Were they making the noodles from scratch every time someone ordered a bowl? To be honest, it wasn’t that crowded la… I would say average traffic.
The noodles were QQ, chilli not bad, good amt of lard, a taddd salty for my liking, BOOM — $ 6BUCKS. I like my hawker style noodles like bak chor mee, mee pok, prawn mee, wanton mee and all that but just adding 3 small shrimps into my bowl of meepok and giving me a wet towel shouldn’t make a Mee Pok cost $ 6. I know yes, I’ve tried even more outrages noodle prices like the famous Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles which cost me $ 10 (now that’s another story).
Good is good, but there surely should have some justification for hawker foods at that prices. Especially when I know that a «just as good» or «even better» bowl of Mee Pok costs 4bucks somewhere else which includes he piao and even a cracked egg in the minced pork laden soup.
Conclusion:
Would I ever eat here again? Maybe… it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t fantastic either. I probably wouldn’t go there specifically for that. Simpang Bedok has far more other culinary delights. Was it worth a try at least once though? Yeah maybe, so I could cool down the hype of what is the famous «Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim Mee Pok». The Art of Mee Pok indeed, albeit abstract.
Bön Appétit

This is a really stressful review. Yes, I am giving 2-​stars to a noodle place that has been getting 4 – 5 stars review. Peer pressure!
Not sure if it was their off-​day or maybe this is just not the kind of bak chor mee for me. And if any of you know me at all, bcm is my absolute favorite hawker food (that and hokkien mee)
Since this is the art of mee pok, I ordered the mee pok. And it is not al dente, it is wet and soggy and soft. The presentation of the bowl of noodles is also not enticing. I didn’t like it aesthetically.
Taste-​wise it was good though it can do with a bit more vinegar. But when the noodle texture is wrong, the whole bowl is just wrong. I do not care that you have the world’s biggest or tastiest fishball or not.
The only saving grace is that we got to eat awesome yong tau foo while waiting for our noodles. Plus, we went early on weekday morning and the wait wasn’t bad at all. So I wasted some calories, but not much time.
If I am ever back, I would eat the yong tau foo. There are better bcm for me to spend my calories on.

When you name your business «The Art of the Mee Pok». you know Mee Pok would be the focus of the business.
It’s a good bowl of mee pok. (And this is coming from a true-​blue teochew boy)
The sauce is the mix of chilli, tomato «ketchup», style is reminiscent of the «Say Seng Mee Pok (Golden Shoe)»

I know it’s always a comfort favourite for those living near by, and my family loves having family breakfast there. But I must say the bowl that gets to me somedays doesn’t justify the wait. It’s priced at almost twice that of a regular mee pok and the chilli isn’t the bast I’ve had. I prefer the fried yong tau foo next door though.
Other than obliging the family and having it for the sheer convenience since it’s a stone’s throw away from home, I may not wait specially for a bowl of meepok during peak hours!

What’s the great deal of mee pok and why the queue??? — is what you may ask if you haven’t tried the mee pok from here!
I wonder what kind of magic they do to make the mee pok taste so good. A simple local dish that is cooked to perfection. I am not trying to bull my way through, because it’s true! It has to be my favorite mee pok so far. The wait can be long sometimes, especially on weekend mornings and afternoons. While waiting, you can order a drink (pretty good local coffee!), have tasted bread, or indulge in some soft boiled eggs, or even order some yong tau foo from next door.
Definitely worth your try if you happen to be around this area!

This famous Mee Pok stall at Simpang Bedok was relocated from Jalan Tua Kong at Siglap, hence the name of the stall. At Simpang Bedok, the stall owner Mr Lim expanded his business and started a kopitiam business selling toasts and hot beverages.
Dry tossed al dente noodles in a savory homemade chilli paste are what make the Mee Pok here famous and authentic. The Mee Pok is sold at various sizes — $ 3.50, $ 4.50 and $ 5.50 — with better ingredients as you upsize your noodles. A small bowl comes with the basic ingredients of fish balls, fishcake, lean pork, and minced pork, while the bigger bowls have added prawns. The noodles are cooked to a texture that is just right and the lard accentuates the tastiness of the sauce.
Just remember, if you are the impatient sort then you should avoid mealtimes or go earlier on Sundays, as the place is usually packed at these timings and the food takes longer to come. Other than that, the noodles are definitely worth the wait.

This store is located within the parking area at one of the corner coffeeshop. Apparently there’s another shop by the same name in the yellow row of shops (as seen in the picture below) but the white sign one is the nicer stall. Well i suppose it has to be good when it’s full even with the rain.
If you are a fussy eater like me, you don’t get much of a choice here. There is only 1 dish and it comes with fishball, fishcake and pork slices and that’s it. I don’t even get to add meatballs to the mix. :(Thank god they entertained my request to remove the bean sprouts (i absolutely hate tau gay).
On first look, the dish looks really plain. This is the chili version and it appeared really harmless. That impression didn’t last long. The sauce is well balanced with vinegar and the chili is kick ass after a few mouthfuls. I can take spicy and this is alright to me, ask for less if you can’t take the heat.
The noodles are crunchy and nice but they dry up after a while. My trick to eating dry noodles is to pour a little soup in now and then to maintain the moisture of the noodles so that they don’t stick together in a lump.
The fishballs are bouncy and salty (just the way i like it). The pork slices are also very tender and well cooked. To produce a good bowl of mee pok dry, the amount of time each ingredient is cooked has to be very precise (as if i’m a masterchef. but that’s just my hypothesis). Too long and the noodles become too soggy and the fishballs dry and hard etc etc etc. Anyhow, the conclusion is that this is an awesome bowl of mee pok!
This is the practically the best mee pok already. EAT THIS.

Why do so many people come here? The queue is ALWAYS nuts — the shortest I’ve waited is 30 minutes; the longest? An hour.
The mee pok is not bad lah, springy «qq» noodles, with decent portions of fishballs, pork slices, and minced pork. I’d say though that the sauces really make it quite yums. Ask for the chili and tomato (kio chap) mix — some sweetness with the spice along with the other oils come together to great effect.
What do people do in the mean time? The mee pok people have cleverly adopted a hakka yong tau foo operation next door, so people can grab some deep fried goodness while they wait. Often enough, when I get tired of the crazy wait, I go ahead and get some coarse bee hoon from the yong tau foo shop. It’s covered in the same savoury gravy as the yong tau foo, and that’s pretty yums on its own.

By far, my favourite mee pok hangout of all time. Even better that its close to my place. Takes me 10 mins or so to get there. The average waiting time for the noodles is about 20 mins or so, seems long but it gives you ample time to whet your appetite.
Firstly, the noodles are cooked in a way that retains all forms of springy goodness and bite that makes each mouthful so enjoyable. And then comes the sauce. The chilli is potent enough to make you break a sweat but it keeps making you want more.
A good complement to the mee pok is in the other unit. Kickass yong tau foo waiting to be devoured. Prior or during your mee pok experience doesnt really matter. its as good on its own or with the mee pok.
Also if you dont happen to be a fan of the mee pok version of noodles, they also have kway teow and mee kia. The mee kia is especially nice if you want a different ‘feeling’ to your art of mee pok experience.