We tried Singapore’s best-rated bak chor mee

Hello, everyone! I’m back exploring Singapore’s top-rated spots, and this time, I’m visiting the best-rated bak chor mee stall. While doing my research, a couple of places showed up and I decided to go for Macpherson Minced Meat Noodles.

To refresh your memory on my criteria, here it is: no restaurants (just stalls), a minimum of 150 Google reviews, and a minimum rating of 4.2 stars.

This establishment has a few branches around Singapore including one in Bukit Batok, which we reviewed a couple of years back.

But it was the outlet at Tai Thong Crescent which tipped the scales. At the time of writing, it has racked up a total of 323 reviews, and has received 4.4 stars out of 5 on Google reviews.

Numerous reviews touted this as Singapore’s best bak chor mee. But as a food reviewer myself, I know that taste is very subjective so I took it with a pinch of salt. I guess the only way to find out was to try it for myself, right?

Arriving at 11.15am, there was already a lengthy queue formed in front of the stall. Surprisingly, my turn to order came fairly quickly. You’re prompted to choose your preferred noodles and asked if you’d like any greens (spring onions).

What I tried at Macpherson Minced Meat Noodle

Call me biased, but I will always choose the dry option over soup, unless I’m a bit under the weather. So I got the ball rolling with the dry Minced Meat Noodle (S$5). Opting for mee kia, it was accompanied by pork slices, minced pork, liver, a scoop of braised black mushroom slices, fishcake pieces and a cute bowl of broth by the side.

As I mixed the ingredients in the bowl, the yellow mee kia strands transformed into a slightly orangey-red shade as it absorbed the seasoning underneath, creating a shimmering display of irresistible, oily deliciousness.

Wolfing down my first mouthful of noodles, I relished the texture of it which had a satisfying bite. For those who enjoy vinegary bak chor mee, this will definitely hit the spot without it being overpowering.

The slices of black mushrooms had fully soaked up all of that savoury soy-based marinade hiding beneath. Combined with its earthy richness, it transformed into a delightful explosion of flavour with every spoonful.

I couldn’t help but feel that the chef deserved a mini award from me for flawlessly preparing the liver. Overcooked liver often carries a stronger, almost metallic taste, but in this case, it was cooked to a perfect medium well. The pork slices were also tender and crumbled effortlessly with every chew.

I also added chilli padi to spice things up. While my taste buds weren’t exactly thrilled with the heat, I couldn’t deny that the spiciness was both addictive and shiok.

I also decided to get the soup version of the Minced Meat Noodle (S$5). All the ingredients were the same as the dry variant, and I chose mee pok for this.

Much like the mee kia before, the mee pok wasn’t overcooked and possessed a nice texture as I slurped them up loudly (hopefully not offending anyone) like ramen.

The soup boasted a clean, delicate sweetness; a testament to its prolonged simmering. It didn’t seem laden with excessive MSG that would leave me reaching for numerous glasses of water afterward.

One might assume that liver pieces in a hot bowl of soup could end up tough and chewy, but my experience was quite the opposite. I was genuinely impressed; the liver maintained a medium-well texture. It led me to speculate that the chef intentionally undercooked them slightly before adding the hot soup; how clever of him if he really did so!

To wrap up my lunch, I ordered a Dish & Noodle (S$7) A.K.A 小碗面 (I added this translation since I found the English dish name a little odd). There were a few reviews stating that this was highly-recommended.

The bowl of noodles was simple with just sliced mushrooms and pork lard bits together with my mound of mee pok.

The small golden nuggets of pork lard were delightful, although my inner greedy self couldn’t help but yearn for a more generous portion. That way, it could deliver an even more sinful explosion of umami goodness.

The bowl of soup had a chockful of ingredients: minced meat, fish cake and pork slices, a whole poached egg, liver, and a single, precious piece of herh kiao.

I prodded the poached egg on purpose and integrated it into the soup, which elevated the soup’s natural sweet taste and bestowed it with a mellow creaminess.

To be frank, the lone fish dumpling was decent, not mind-blowing. It fulfilled its purpose, as a few of my colleagues would say. All in all, the entire bowl of soup felt incredibly comforting and would be the perfect companion on a stormy day.

Final thoughts

In a nutshell, the Tai Thong Crescent outlet of Macpherson Minced Meat Noodles was a great experience. While the dry version of their bak chor mee holds its own and could win over many, I personally found room for some minor adjustments that could elevate it to a higher rating in my assessment (specifically, the size and portioning of the pork lard, ahem).

Location wise, it was conveniently located nearby Potong Pasir MRT station, just a stone’s throw away from the awesome prawn fritters at Lao Zhong Zhong Fine Spice Stall.

For those who haven’t tried it, I invite you to have a taste and let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Expected damage: S$3 – S$7 per pax

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