We tried Singapore’s best-rated Hokkien Mee

In your opinion, what constitutes a great plate of Hokkien mee? Is it the smoky wok hei, the intensity of the prawn broth, the sambal, or a combination of everything? So for the next instalment of our best-rated series, I decided to hunt for a ‘Fujian mian’ stall in Singapore. This led me to Mian Wang 1971 situated at Bukit Batok Street 52.

If you find this establishment familiar, it’s because we featured it 5 years ago, and now we’re ready for a revisit. At the time of writing, this stall had garnered 207 reviews, and it has received 4.4 stars out of 5 on Google Reviews.

Mian Wang 1971, run by 53-year-old Alvin and his friendly wife, has been occupying this elusive tiny kopitiam for the past 7 years. The stall stays open for only 4 hours, closing at 2.45pm. The business was first established by Alvin’s father in the city area in 1971.

Alvin learnt the craft of frying Hokkien mee from his elder brother, and in 2004, went on to set up his own food stall in JB. He later returned to Singapore and took over the business, operating within ITE West’s school canteen for 3 years before opening this current spot.

“I’ve tried it before and didn’t enjoy it,” said my boss, Seth, who used to live in the neighbourhood. Well, I’ve always believed that taste is subjective, so let’s find out whether I liked it, shall we?

What I tried at Mian Wang 1971

Besides serving plain Hokkien Mee (S$4.50/S$5.50/S$8), the stall offers 6 other interesting options at S$7 each. These were the three I selected: Crispy Chicken Cutlet Hokkien Mee (S$7), Seafood Lala Hokkien Mee (S$7) and Red Flamed Braised Pork Hokkien Mee (S$7).

I remembered doing a double take when Alvin’s wife served the Crispy Chicken Cutlet Hokkien Mee. It has earned the title of ‘wettest Hokkien mee‘ in my books.

The strands of yellow mee and thick bee hoon were served in a pool of light-brown gravy, topped with a pair of prawns, sotong pieces, pork slices, pork lard, and calamansi. On the side, chopped crispy chicken cutlet rested on a huge piece of cabbage, acting as a barrier to prevent it from getting soggy.

Personally, I lean towards the drier kind of Hokkien mee— yes, I’m one of those weirdos who thinks that it tastes better if you da bao it home. Call me biased, but the state of the sauce on the noodles had already put me off a bit before I even started tasting. Fortunately, by the time I was done with the photo-taking, the noodles had already absorbed some of the stock.

From the first mouthful, I understood the wok hei appeal that many netizens were raving about. The noodles were smoky and fragrant with each subsequent chew. As someone who has religiously made seafood stock for catering events in the past, I must say that the stock was quite robust.

Its thick consistency allowed it to cling well to the noodles, like a thin coat of liquid armour, enhancing the experience. The bits of egg that were stir-fried together were also delightfully creamy and not dry.

The chicken cutlet chunks were not only addictively crispy but also seasoned exceptionally well. What about the flesh then? It was juicy and tender as well— 2 thumbs up! If my dining partners and I had eaten them in a library, we would have surely been kicked out.

The sambal wasn’t the usual fiery kind that instantly sends SOS signals to your brain, making you rush for a glass of water; it was flavourful and packed with a decent punch of spice.

The golden nuggets of pork lard were my favourite— crispy, umami-filled bites of indulgence; so good!

Onto the next plate, the Red Flamed Braised Pork Hokkien Mee had similar ingredients to the previous dish. It featured chunky, chopped pieces of pork belly on the side, coated in a dark red glaze reminiscent of char siew.

The braised pork belly might not appeal to those who dislike fatty meats, but for someone like me who enjoys them, it was a delightful sight! Each hefty piece melted in my mouth like soft butter, transporting me to gastronomic heaven.

That being said, I wished the braised flavour profile had been stronger, as I found it slightly too mild.

The prawns were fresh and naturally sweet, so no complaints there. One thing that confused me was the use of lean pork pieces instead of pork belly. Maybe the intention was to make it healthier? Unfortunately, the meat was slightly dry and tough for my liking.

We then moved on to the final dish, the Seafood Lala Hokkien Mee. The dual mixture of chor bee hoon and yellow mee was stir-fried with egg, pieces of pork, clams and squid, then topped with 3 prawns, chives and calamansi.

Unlike other establishments that usually serve rubbery and tough sotong, the squid here was so tender that even my grandma could enjoy it without her dentures.

I heaved a sigh of relief as the clams were free of any unpleasant sand. Each bite revealed a burst of briny sweetness and a succulent, tender texture.

Final thoughts

Overall, we had a good experience after trying the Hokkien mee from Mian Wang 1971. Though there were certain areas that could be improved, it still managed to hit the sweet spot for us.

Its strong wok hei and decent portions were definitely major plus-points for us. I sincerely believe that this stall truly deserves its 4.4 rating on Google— if only its location were easier to reach.

Expected damage: S$4.50 – S$8 per pax

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