Jia Xiang – Fifty-Year-Old Mee Siam and Lontong Stall in Redhill (Worth The Trip!)

I used to think I preferred dry mee siam over the wet ones because the ones I’ve eaten usually had gravy that was either lacking in flavour or way too overpowering in taste. That is, until I visited Jia Xiang, an old-school mee siam stall helmed by a mother-and-son duo in Redhill Food Centre. 

I don’t frequent Redhill and, looking around, I could see my colleague and I were one of the youngest people there. Most of the patrons around were folks getting on in their years, happily chatting with friends or quietly having their breakfast as they sip on coffee. 

Mdm Tan Bee Eng is currently the second-generation boss of the stall that has more than 50 years of history. She has been in the business since she was a young girl. You can tell that she puts a lot of love into her food and always has a smile on her face when speaking to customers. She’s an absolute sweetheart. 

Besides mee siam, the only other dish they have is lontong, both priced at $3. At first, I was intrigued by the pandan mee siam that was pictured on their signboard (along with nasi lemak) but I was told that they no longer sold those. 

Even with just two dishes on the menu, the stall needs to prepare a large number of liao (ingredients) which customers can see through the counter’s window. There were piles of fishcakes, tau kwa (tofu), fried omelettes and two different kinds of chilli, to name a few.

The bowl of mee siam was steaming hot and topped with tau kwa, tau pok (fried beancurd), two limes, chives, beansprouts, fried croutons, a whole hard-boiled egg and sambal belacan chilli. Talk about hearty!

The thin vermicelli noodles were cut shorter here, making it easy to spoon up with the thick gravy. The tangy and spicy tamarind broth was an absolute delight to slurp up with the noodles. I also noticed it was on the sweeter side compared to other mee siams I’ve had. I found it addictive enough to finish it all up. 

But for me, the icing on the cake was definitely the fried croutons, which I mistook as lard at first. These crunchy gems were a delightful surprise and stayed firm even after being soaked in the gravy for some time.

The lontong might seem to be the healthier option of the two but as soon as I had my first sip of the broth, I knew I had underestimated its savouriness. 

Rich with a hit of spice, the coconut milk curry was very fragrant and not at all thick. This made it easier for the stir-fried vegetables and tau kwa to soak up the broth. Top it off with belacan and you’re golden. And if you think this is not filling enough, think again. Hiding beneath the broth are three whole ketupat (compressed rice cakes) and a whole egg! 

With every bite and slurp, you can taste the amount of heart and soul Mdm Tan and her son put into every dish they send out. No-frills with simple ingredients, this is indeed hawker food at its finest. I would 100% head down to visit her stall again for both the mee siam and lontong!

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

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