Da Muzhi Minced Meat Noodle: Prawn noodle-bak chor mee fusion with hand-made meat & prawn balls

I had the privilege of visiting a recently-opened coffeeshop at Jurong East in Sep, where I first caught wind of the signature dish of Da Muzhi Minced Meat Noodle. Bak Chor Mee is perhaps one of Singapore’s most well known noodle dishes, so why has its union with Prawn Mee (of equal renown) been unprecedented thus far?

While the admittedly tantalising cross between 2 local favourites had my immediate attention, the figurehead of this newly-opened stall took me by surprise.

Seth Sim, 34, made the big decision to branch out from his own Da Shi Jia Big Prawn Noodle, a Michelin Bib Gourmand award-winning eatery at Killiney Road, bringing to life the unique concept of Da Muzhi Minced Meat Noodle.

From working as service staff in his younger years to graduating culinary school and helping steer his father’s business in the right direction (transitioning from zi char to prawn noodles), Seth has proven his deep understanding of the F&B business.

“I observed many hawker businesses to see which ones required less manpower. I also found that the ones with longer queues are usually those selling fish ball noodles and bak chor mee,” shared the ambitious stall owner.

With prior experience in making prawn noodles, he wanted to challenge himself and make full use of the ingredients at his disposal to launch a new concept.

“We tweaked the recipe a little bit and asked for guidance, hence becoming a bak chor mee stall.”

What I tried at Da Muzhi Minced Meat Noodle

The menu has a rather modest selection of 3 dishes. We opted to have the Handmade Fishball Noodle Soup (S$4) with yellow noodles. It was a decently-sized bowl with 2 blindingly pearlescent fish balls (when they catch the rays just right), fish cakes and some strips of lean pork.

The glint off its near-perfect spherical shape made it tough to ascertain if the camera’s focus was properly trained. The fishball looked to be completely run-of-the-mill at first glance.

It’s difficult to compare every fishball I’ve ever had, but both my friend and I acknowledged that these had to be one of, if not the bounciest that have graced our palates. Each bite returned a genteel brine that accompanied small sips of the light soup really well. I felt almost guilty for finishing them first.

Once in the company of the fish balls, the fish cake and minced pork were now subject to our whims. The former was soft like its round counterpart, with thin edges hugged by a firmer skin. Chewing through it  alongside the smaller minced meat that released the soup they had absorbed was a delight.

A delay of a few minutes had resulted in slightly soggy noodles. You could reason it was due to the repeat shots I had taken beforehand. Thankfully, they were still firm enough to offer a substantial mouthfeel and a ghost of an alkaline taste kept me satisfied. Ultimately, I finished the bowl wishing there had been more ingredients. Perhaps an option for more at a higher price point?

Our next objective was the Signature Noodle (S$9.80), the focal point of this review. The standouts of this multitudinous bed of accompanying elements are a minced meatball, a cut of pork rib, a prawn ball, a large tau kee and of course, the prawn shoved in a corner to accommodate everything.

It doesn’t take a chef to deduce that the prawn ball is handmade. They’re actually made with leftover ingredients and prawns deemed unfit to serve whole in Da Muzhi’s noodles, a smart move to avoid food wastage and minimise loss. The prawn’s subtle sweetness has been moulded into a different package as an alternative mode of enjoyment.

Similarly, the meatballs are pooled from leftovers like lard, as Seth later explained. Its texture was slightly hardier and a unique addition to this bowl of prawn-bak chor mee.

I did a poor job of peeling the prawn; hopefully masked by the shot of it in the pool of chilli. The main appeal here took a hit thanks to my shoddy skills, but it doesn’t change that the prawn was outright sweeter and possessed a stronger scent than the prawn ball thanks to its relative freshness.

Mee Pok are my favourite type of Chinese noodles, so this bowl of Signature Noodle had to come with them. While there is some bias, they were cooked completely al dente and punctuated with the same tangy, tolerable spice that facilitated enjoyment rather than leave me clamouring for water.

The pork rib had a few noticeable streaks of marbling, bringing some buttery texture to the tougher portions of meat. I encountered little resistance biting off a large section as a whole and the fat gladly parted for a photo opportunity.

The tau kee oozed a faint sweetness when I broke into it, somewhat enlivening my palate with its pseudo-meat texture.

Our last pick of Bak Chor Mee or Minced Meat Noodle (S$4) was soupless with kway teow noodles. The usual assortment was present — some pork liver, minced meat, fish cake, pork lard and the chilli that cast an orange shade over the pristine kway teow.

I was happy to find that like those in the Signature Noodle, the pork liver here wasn’t too mushy or grainy, and had a faintly sweet aftertaste. As for the sinful, crunchy pork lard, they made an excellent contrast to the other softer textures.

The takeaway for me from this dish was that kway teow actually works in bak chor mee. It’s beside the point that my friend consistently picks these noodles at every opportunity, even at my expense on occasion.

The slightly tangy chilli does wonders for the flat, slightly thicker strands. Since there was no soup to sap their firmness, swinging a few purposed tosses was like hitting ‘F5’ on a struggling webpage. On top of it all, the spice was set to a manageable medium, which allowed us to finish at a comfortable pace.

Final thoughts

After the highs of a hearty meal had subsided, I had to come clean with myself. The fishball noodles could have used more, well, fishballs. I can definitely see Seth’s resourcefulness shine through in the dishes, but the price point may be hard to stomach for bigger eaters — me especially.

Still, given the quality of their main components like the fishball, pork rib, and prawns, the Signature Noodle is a great meal for just about anyone willing to swallow the extra cost. Definitely add more Prawn/Pork Ribs/Meat patties (S$3) or Noodles (S$1) if you’re ravenous. 

With plans to expand Da Muzhi beyond this outlet at Jurong East, Seth may really be cooking up something big.

Expected damage: S$4 – S$9.80 per pax

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