Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle – Best Michelin-Starred Bak Chor Mee in Singapore

If there is one dish that truly represents Singapore, I think it has got to be bak chor mee. Unique to our little red dot, this noodle dish is served either dry with chilli and vinegar, or in a bowl of soup.

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle has to be the most talked about Bak Chor Mee. This is the oldest bak chor mee stall in Singapore — its origins date back to 1932 when Mr Tang Joon Teo set up shop at a coffeeshop along Hill Street. They are the first family to create a popular version of bak chor mee which brings black vinegar and chilli paste together with egg noodles and minced pork. Now, it’s an iconic dish in Singapore.

The stall moved to Marina Square, before relocating permanently to Crawford Lane. There is always a queue and it is normal to queue for at least 30 minutes for these noodles. After they have won a Michelin star in 2016, the wait is even longer. If you come early in the morning, you may be able to still witness Mr Tang in action. However, most of the time, the stall is taken care of by his cook, who has been with him for more than a decade.

Because this is a dish that Singaporeans call their own, you can easily find this dish in all hawker centres. Everyone has their favourite stall, and while not everyone agrees that the bcm at Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is the best, I really like it. I’ll always bring my guests from overseas here. To me, this is the real deal; the most authentic local Teochew-style Bak Chor Mee. It is particularly loved by those who enjoy an extra dash of black vinegar in their noodles.

The sliced pork, pork liver, minced meat, meatball, and dumplings are fresh and delicious. The pig’s liver is cooked for just the right amount of time, hence it’s very tender and not too grainy. There is also fried ti poh (fish sole) which is very rare! The handmade dumplings are plump and juicy, and the soup is rich and flavourful.

The al dente mee kia, which is thicker than the usual mee kia, is perfect. It is firm and springy. The best thing about the noodles is that they don’t have that alkaline taste which is present in many noodles. The cook is always very generous with the chilli and vinegar concoction, which makes the dish exceptionally tantalising. Give the noodles a good toss before you dig in!

To me, Tai Hwa deserves the Michelin Star. I like that they still stick to one outlet with no intention to expand. It is very difficult to maintain the standards once big players come in. Their prices start from $6, which some may find steep, but the noodles are really delicious! I’ll actually recommend that you go for the $8 or $10 portion.

Note that this is THE ONE AND ONLY OUTLET for Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. All the other outlets you see in food courts do not belong to them. If you are a bak chor mee fan and has never try this before, you are definitely missing out.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.