We tried Singapore’s worst-rated Hokkien Mee
Doing my research for the worst-rated Hokkien mee, I came across 85 Bedok North Fried Oyster with its 2.7-star Google rating and 154 reviews (at time of writing).
Hmmm. The name rang a bell and when I looked it up, sure enough, there it was at spot #7 on our Aug 2022 list of the supper stalls at Bedok 85 Food Centre! Surely this was a mistake!
Reading the entry, I took note that it began with, “Come for the one thing 85 Bedok North Fried Oyster is named after— its Oyster Omelette…” Oh, so that aligned with the terrible Hokkien mee rating.
So did the concluding paragraph that said, “Take note that online reviews have mentioned that consistency is not this stall’s… forte, with the quality of food depending on which chef is cooking that day.”
As I headed down, I wondered if perhaps I would strike it lucky and get the better chef. I love it when these “worst” stalls end up being much better than their ratings suggest. That sentiment was shaken slightly when I identified the stall. The whole Bedok 85 market seemed to be buzzing but 85 Bedok North Fried Oyster stood out for its lack of a queue. Uh-oh.
What I tried at 85 Bedok North Fried Oyster
Fighting the desire to try their Oyster Omelette, I went dutifully to work by asking for the Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle (S$5/S$6/S$8).
I am a fan of Hokkien mee and with my dining partner in tow, decided to spring for the largest portion (S$8). Now, regardless of what the taste would be, we certainly expected a serving that would reflect the price. Boy, were we in for a surprise.
He and I glanced at each other when the plate arrived. Was that it? 2 pieces of prawn and 2 slices of pork belly? Surely, some more would be hidden under the mee, right? Actually, yes, that assumption was right— we found another prawn for a grand total of 3 of the crustaceans. Other guest appearances were a few taugeh and one little strand of sotong. Like half a ring of sotong (can you spot it?)
On the other hand, there was a decent amount of egg in the dish, which compensated to some extent, however small. Also, the discovery of the third prawn gave us some hope— perhaps there would be some other redeeming features here, after all. We were also encouraged by the colour and the wetness.
That glimmer of hope was quickly snuffed out after our first few bites.
It was so bland. Despite the colour that promised infusions of ingredients that would regale us with their tantalising flavours, there was just no richness or oomph. The prawn broth that should have been bursting with seafood-y goodness was a letdown.
The pork belly lacked flavour and was rather unremarkable. The prawns were average and required the sambal for an added burst of flavour.
Then, there were the soggy noodles that told a tale of shoddy preparation. There was no wok hei at all. We later watched another order being cooked and saw that the noodles were pre-cooked. When the order came, they were tossed into a wok with soup and just heated up. Wok hei surely won’t have.
As one reviewer had revealed, “The Chinese helper simply scooped the watery hokkien mee from the wok— what seems to be the leftover from a while ago. Didn’t even try to pretend to fry a little to make it hot.”
Final thoughts
Based on their Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle alone, 85 Bedok North Fried Oyster is sadly no better than 1.5 stars. There is little doubt that they are a candidate for the worst Hokkien mee title both for taste and value for money. That said, I would rate the stall 2 stars because of the sambal which (kind of) saved the dish… as much as it could.
Sometimes, hawker stalls decide to expand their repertoire in the hopes of attracting more customers, especially as the hawker stall rent squeeze continues. In this case, it’s a bad idea.
85 Bedok North Fried Oyster does its titular dish well, and it looks like that’s it. If they can stick with this 1 dish, it would save them from a lot of flak and allow us to appreciate their signature dish without ill-advised distractions.
Expected damage: S$5 – S$8 per pax
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