Grandfather Food Empire Bak Chor Mee: Tasty Siglap mee pok with massive portions moves to Bugis
Bak chor mee is one of the staples in my diet. There’s a strong appeal factor from mee pok that I just can’t identify— from the starchy sauce or the eggy taste from the flat egg noodles, everything seems to just add up.
Recently, I caught wind about the opening of Grandfather Food Empire Bak Chor Mee in Bugis. The self-proclaimed bak chor mee queen (aka me) obviously had to go down to see what the hype was all about!
Located just across Bugis+, the stall is tucked at 3838 Eating Place— a very convenient location.
While researching on the store, I found out that Grandfather Food Empire Bak Chor Mee used to triumph the East. Previously opened in Siglap, they garnered quite a fanbase there. Shortly after, they closed within a span of a few months.
You might be wondering: if they were popular, why did they close? At that point in time, in a pandemic environment, hawkers did not have it easy coping with the changes in restrictions. As such, the owner decided to close down.
Now, not only have they reopened their bak chor mee stand, they’ve also opened a neighbouring stall, Grandfather Food Empire Ban Mian and Carrot Cake. They offer tom yum noodles, ban mian, carrot cake and oyster omelette! A whole package of local favourites.
But I was there for my bak chor mee, so I quickly made my order with the friendly aunty at the front of the stall. They offer the “dry” version of bak chor mee, which is exactly what I wanted!
What I tried at Grandfather Food Empire Bak Chor Mee
If I had to comment on the visual appeal of the bak chor mee, I would rate the bowl a 10 out of 10. As the stall offers different sizes for Bak Chor Mee (S$5/S$6/S$7), I went with the S$6 portion, which is medium sized.
The bowl was packed full with ingredients, varying from plentiful portions of mushrooms, liver, pork slices and pork balls with a sprinkle of spring onions and pork lard as garnish.
If I compared this to regular bak chor mee stalls, I can say that Grandfather Food Empire Bak Chor Mee gives at least 5 times more liver slices. For such a premium item, they are surely generous in portions!
What attracted me were the thick chunks of pork lard. Look at it shine in all its glory. These were huge! Try smiling at the uncle when he pours the pork lard over your plate before handing the bowl to you, maybe he’ll give you a few pieces more!
Okay, no more deviating. The main point of this article is to tell you how delicious this bowl was. This was a solid bowl of tasty bak chor mee— one word of warning though, it is very spicy! It doesn’t look deadly but my mouth was on fire.
The noodles were not too sticky or clumpy and the sauce seemed to gel every component perfectly. I spoke to the aunty as she was preparing my food and she shared that they used flat sole fish in their sauce and soup, elevating its tastiness.
Furthermore, I am big on big portions and the fact that every mouthful was filled with ingredients was a huge plus point for me. The delicious Chinese flat mushrooms was an aspect that I enjoyed thoroughly, for it absorbed the sauces from the noodles and burst with flavour once bitten into.
Dip it into the chilli padi-soy sauce concoction for an addictive saltiness to it. It is not really need though, as the chilli sauce mixed in the bowl already packs a kick!
As for the meatballs, they gave 3 big ones. These did not taste unbearably meaty or gamey, and they were very juicy too! It’s easy to overcook this component due to its texture but the stall did it well.
Furthermore, they also included copious amounts of minced meat which I appreciated. Simply delightful!
Honestly, the soup came as a surprise to me. Soups usually get grainy at the side when we’re focusing on our mains but the broth actually retained its smoothness. Not to mention, it was extra flavourful because of their secret ingredient of bian yu too! Usually when my noodles get clumpy, I find myself adding dashes of soup into my bowl. Yet at Grandfather Food Empire Bak Chor Mee, that wasn’t necessary because the noodles retained its wetness.
Final thoughts
Overall, this was a good bowl of bak chor mee. Grandfather Food Empire Bak Chor Mee ticked all my boxes in terms of generosity in ingredients, flavour, and noodle texture. Hence, I can say that I left satisfied and the stall is officially approved by the bak chor mee queen!
With its central location, you’ll definitely catch me here again. Maybe next time I’ll try their off menu item, spicy mee tai mak!
Expected damage: S$5 – S$7 per pax
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