King Of Ban Mian: Delicious QQ ban mian & hand-torn mee hoon kueh that reign supreme

I find myself drawn to stalls with big, daring names. They just scream confidence and huge promises, you know? It’s as though they’re daring you to bring it on. Enter my latest conquest, the almighty King Of Ban Mian — are they truly worthy of the crown? As a self-proclaimed ban mian connoisseur, I was itching to find out.

Judging by the perpetual queue it drew when I visited, King Of Ban Mian seemed to be the main attraction of the quiet Hougang coffeeshop it’s housed in. Donning a vibrant stall front complete with enticing pictures of their offerings, I guess you could say there was no wonder why. Regardless, their obscure location behind Hougang Green Shopping Mall isn’t the most accessible for non-residents, to be honest.

The stall was run by several young gentlemen whom I watched in awe as they worked together like a well-oiled machine. One took orders, another whipped them up, while one hand-kneaded the noodle dough, dusted it with flour and milled slabs of it through a noodle machine. I was thrilled to see that the noodles were freshly handmade in-house. 

Could they deliver on taste and truly reign supreme, though?

What I tried at King Of Ban Mian

Well, they’re called King Of Ban Mian so what better way to start my meal than with a bowl of ban mian? I opted for the Dumpling Ban Mian in Soup (S$5.80). The bowl contained plenty of ban mian noodles, chye sim, and yellow dumplings bathed in a piping hot soup, all garnished with a sprinkle of ikan bilis and shallots.

The soup was piping hot, alright; I had to fan away so much steam to even get a clear shot of the dish!

Alright, first impressions: this isn’t your average ban mian. From the get-go, the noodles struck me as way thicker than those I’d typically get from other establishments; it took a fair amount of effort to lift them up for my camera to eat first.

And then came the true taste test, which it passed with flying colours. They were cooked to a perfect al dente, possessing a bite that was satisfyingly firm and chewy. Despite having soaked in the soup for a bit before I tucked in, they were thankfully not soggy nor mushy in the least. The crunchy chye sim lent the noodles a nice textural contrast, too.

The soup was light and comforting, with an umami-rich and slightly briny flavour profile imparted by the salty ikan bilis and the infusion of aromatic fried shallots. While it truthfully wasn’t as outstanding as the ban mian, the broth served as a great complement to the slurp-worthy noodles, making for spoonfuls of hearty, wholesome goodness on end.

Although I had already been plenty impressed by the noodles, the dumplings that accompanied them were the perfect cherry on top. Before I sunk my teeth into these plump yellow morsels, I marvelled at the intricate folds they sported — nothing speaks of comfort like these hallmarks of handmade labour.

Encased in each silky wrapper was delectable minced meat studded with crunchy water chestnuts, accompanied by a small piece of prawn. I kid you not when I say that these dumplings burst with flavour in my mouth — the combination of savoury minced meat and sweet prawn was utterly tasty. They were so addictive that I almost (unreasonably) lamented their already-generous serving of 4.

My next dish, the Dry Mee Hoon Kueh with Dace Fishball (S$6.30), had huge shoes to fill after the strong showing from the Dumpling Ban Mian. Besides, mee hoon kueh is one of my favourite foods of all time, so you can imagine how lofty my expectations were.

What I did not expect, though, was that they would be hand-torn! Although I’ve always preferred it that way, I know how laborious tearing mee hoon kueh by hand can be. As such, many establishments rely on machines to shape and cut the noodle dough to save time. So, of course, this came as a nice surprise.

The noodles here were accompanied by dace fishballs, minced meat chunks and a sauce mixture that lay beneath. Like the previous bowl, it was topped with chye sim, ikan bilis and fried shallots.

I gave the noodles a thorough toss, ensuring that each piece would be evenly coated in that luscious dark brown sauce. While it took a fair bit of mixing as the noodles had clumped together over time, they turned out just right.

There was a great mix of both thick and thin mee hoon kueh pieces, each bearing irregular edges — perfect imperfections, if you will. Again, King Of Ban Mian had the texture of these down to a tee; each piece held a good bite that was chewy yet not overly doughy. Perfection.

The sauce mix was nothing short of addictively tasty, too. The sweet black sauce was complemented by aromatic notes of garlic and shallots, creating a well-balanced flavour profile as a whole. It clung wonderfully to the noodles, and I found myself reaching for piece after piece.

Now, onto the dace fishball. Prior to this, I’d neither heard of this creation nor even tried dace on its own. Nonetheless, I was game to try it after hearing multiple consecutive customers order the dish — it had to be good to be this popular, right?

It absolutely was! The fishball had a unique texture; it was chunky and dense, yet bouncy, soft and chewy. Taste-wise, the freshness and fragrance of the fish shone through, with a pleasant umami enhanced by a touch of pepper.

My only issue would be that the pieces were a tad small, though that’s just my gluttony speaking. I wasn’t going to complain about the serving of 6 (although my dining partner did drop a piece on the floor…).

I couldn’t leave without trying out King Of Ban Mian’s house-made chilli sauce, seeing that many customers were helping themselves to saucers of it. The bright orange chilli blend was thick, chunky and laced with chilli seeds, and boy, did it pack a punch. If you’re a spice-loving daredevil and would like a fiery kick to your noodles, you’ll love this.

However, I have to say that the spice was somewhat overwhelming, numbing my palate to other flavours.

Final Thoughts

Ban mian fans, look out. King Of Ban Mian really can play in the big leagues although it’s a lesser-known fixture of the handmade noodle realm.

The stars of the show have indeed got to be the freshly handmade ban mian and hand-torn mee hoon kueh. I was thoroughly impressed and satisfied with the amazing mouthfeel they offered and how well they paired with the clear broth and tasty sauce mixture respectively. The dumplings and dace fishballs were delectable complements to the noodles, too.

As much as I wholeheartedly would love to return, I have to admit that its relatively obscure location in the north-east is pretty inaccessible for me. Nonetheless, I urge those who live nearby to give them a worthy try. You also have my word that I’ll definitely swing by for a delicious ban mian and mee hoon kueh fix if I’m in the area.

So, to answer my question: yes, King Of Ban Mian reigns supreme.

Expected damage: S$4.80 – S$6.80 per pax

Order Delivery: foodpanda 

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