Yong He Seafood Bak Chor Mee: $7 bak chor mee with scallop, abalone, prawn & lala

Usually, when I think of bak chor mee, I imagine noodles with a large serving of minced pork on the side. So, finding out that Yong He Seafood Bak Chor Mee does their version with seafood as the main ingredient, I was keen to try it.

Yong He Seafood Bak Chor Mee is located at Bedok South. More specifically, it’s situated at a cosy kopitiam right across the Pasar 16 Food Centre. 

I was greatly caught off guard when I ordered, as I was asked if I would like some gold plum vinegar with my noodle sauce. It intrigued me, so I agreed to have it for both my orders. 

What I tried at Yong He Seafood Bak Chor Mee

I decided to get Yong He Seafood’s Signature Noodle (S$7) as it had two additional ingredients more than the bowl of Bak Chor Seafood Noodle (S$6). Since I got the dry version, I was given a small bowl of clear soup on the side. 

The single pawn was buried under a heap of ingredients. As there were no alternative sizes, just an option of adding more Noodles (S$1), I felt the default size was a little pricey. 

The vinegar didn’t smell very prominent or pungent. But with just a mouthful, it will make itself known. However, it’s not overpowering. It struck a good balance between the dark sauce and vinegar. To me, it made the springy noodles rather addictive. 

Then again, I am the type of person who adds spoonfuls of vinegar to hot and sour soup, so I may not be the best judge for the threshold. 

The two additional ingredients it has that the Bak Chor Seafood Noodle does not are a piece of abalone and one scallop. 

The abalone was juicy and not overly chewy. It managed to absorb some of the sauce, which gives the usually rubbery ingredient a punch. The scallop itself was nothing of note, but a good addition if you want more seafood to begin with.

The lala in the bowl had broken free from their shells long before I began to mix the bowl and move the ingredients about. They were fresh and the slight sweetness stood out more thanks to the mellow sourness of the sauce and noodles. 

The fresh piece of prawn was thoughtfully deshelled with just the head and tail. The saving grace was that it was at least considerably large. The sweetness stood out again, thanks to the vinegar.

Yong He Seafood’s Signature Noodles also come with slices of braised mushroom and fatty and lean minced pork. When eaten with the bak chor mee, the savoury braised mushrooms with the sauce create an added layer of depth.

Of course, I can’t forget the crispy bits of pork lard. They’re all at the bottom of the bowl until you give everything a good mix. 

To further build my spice tolerance, my second order was the dry version of Mushroom Meatball Bak Chor Noodle (S$4.50) mixed with chilli and vinegar. 

This had a lot more minced meat than in the Signature and had the added ladle of sauce from the braised ingredients pot. Unfortunately for me, I barely could make it out at all. 

I found the noodles overbearingly spicy and even after I downed a whole bowl of soup, my lips and tongue continued to burn. I could make out the slightest hint of sourness from the vinegar, but not even that helped me.

When I asked the auntie managing to stall about the chilli, she explained that it’s common for regulars to ask for it to be less spicy when ordering. It’s pretty well-liked among spice enthusiasts, though. 

I felt that the number of ingredients in Yong He Seafood’s Mushroom Meatball Bak Chor Noodle, was more generous here, except for one of them. 

The major difference from the Signature was the inclusion of meatballs and braised meat. The meatballs themselves were just ok. It’s the kind you would have with your hot pot.

I received one piece of braised meat, which was a pity. It was both tender and fatty, which made it a rich contrast to the rest of the ingredients. But as minced meat was abundant, it’s not fair to say it was lacking in meatier ingredients. 

A surprising standout was the clear soup. It may not have saved me from the heat, but the prominent sweetness set it apart from the noodles which were mostly sour and savoury.  It made me regret not getting the Mushroom Meatball Bak Chor Noodle with soup instead.

Final Thoughts

Not including the version with chilli, I consider the noodles at Yong He Seafood Bak Chor Mee part of the clean plate – well, bowl – club. The inclusion of vinegar made everything addictive and easy to devour in one go. My only major issue is that the stall can be a little stingy, especially when you order seafood menu items.

Expected damage: S$4.50 – S$16 per pax

Order Delivery: foodpanda

The post Yong He Seafood Bak Chor Mee: $7 bak chor mee with scallop, abalone, prawn & lala appeared first on SETHLUI.com.