Stalking Bukit Merah Central Food Centre, I noticed that Lai Hin Fishball Noodle is consistently the stall enjoying the longest queue in the sprawling hawker centre with some sixty to seventy Stalls. Couldn't resist joining the queue to see what Lai Hin is about.
Prices start at $3.50 with $5.50 for the largest serving. I opted for $4.50. It was a huge bowl of noodles and fishballs with a clear soup.
The bowl of noodles with its jumbled heap of toppings (fish cake, fishball, fish dumpling, minced pork, pork slices, scallion, fried shallot, lard croutons) doesn't look pretty - it's unpretentious, unabashedly peasants' sustenance (i.e. c'est moi 😬 ). I asked for more lard croutons which auntie obliged generously.
Mixing the mee pok noodles required some effort as there were lots of it, and there was just enough sauce for the noodles, provided they were well mixed. I was tempted to splash in some soup to make it easier to mix.
The noodles were tender without much spring but to me this is alright as it isn't spaghetti or wanton noodle. The sauce was mainly a blend of sambal, soy sauce, black vinegar and lard. It tasted lardy, savoury, spicy and tangy. I enjoyed the lard actually, except that there was slightly too much of it, especially when I bit into a lard saturated crouton 😬
The amount of noodles gave me diabetics' remorse and I thought my heart was grinding to a halt from the lard 😆 Next time, I shall just get the $3.50 version and not ask for more lard croutons.
The fishballs were factory stuff but tasted and felt alright, as long as we understand that it is not handmade.
The fish dumplings were surprisingly good - crunchy skin, well filled with minced pork and tasted nice with savoury sweet flavours.
I like the lean pork slices in the bowl. They were simply blanched and all there was was their natural sweetness, which is enough for me 👍
So why do Lai Hin always have the longest queue at Bukit Merah Central Food Centre (even though it is not an in trend "healthy choice" stall)? The noodles with sauce are pretty tasty, filling and affordable. It's a comforting, filling bowl from the heart (hor lee jiak pah eh 給你吃饱的 😌).
Simple noodles with sauce is the last thing I think of before boarding for long trips and the first thing on my mind when I land at Changi Airport 🛬
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