456 Mian Fen Guo – Delicious Handmade Noodles In Bedok

Hot take incoming: Bedok, in most cases, has the best food in Singapore.

Born and bred in the east side until a couple of years ago, these days I found myself returning to this charming place as much as I can. This time, we’ll be taking a look at 456 Mian Fen Guo.

Brief History

456 Mian Fen Guo has been in operations in the Bedok area since 1991, with the business currently in the hands of its third generation. They mainly served handmade noodles like ban mian (flat, handmade noodles made of flour) and u-mian/youmian (thin, handmade noodles made of flour) and of course, the namesake noodle mian fen guo (hand torn noodles) in both soup and dry forms.

The store was started by Madam Lim Kwee Kee, with her grandson Dickson Ng taking the reigns in their flagship store currently. Not bad for a store selling seemingly simple handmade noodles 👍.

The Experience

Back when I was residing and working around the area, 456 Mian Fen Guo was a store that often left me coming back for more each time. Their noodles were seriously on a different level (which I’ll explain shortly in the taste test), with a lot more personality than most handmade noodles I ever eaten across Singapore.

Each visit, I joined the line during lunch hours, and man, the line’s seriously long at peak hours. They closed quite early at around 2pm (or even earlier, depending on how much they prepared for the day), so you’re also racing against time if you turn up later. So plan your visit accordingly. You may have better luck on weekends.

Contrary to official opening hours stated online, the store usually begins operations at 9.30am. There would usually be a short line formed before opening hours on some days, so just join the line whenever you can. It also doesn’t hurt to ask the store owner if the store’s open. At times it seems like the store is closed with the lights on the store board switched off which might send a different signal for first-timers.

Anyways, you’re here for the food. After a few minutes, it’s time to dig in.

Taste Test: You Mian/Ban Mian Soup (Medium, $5.50)

After years of patronizing the store on and off, it still looks and tastes the same. Though, not in a bad way.

By now, hardcore noodle fans know that the noodles served in 456 takes a step further compared to handmade noodles used in most Singapore ban mian stores. One slurp of a noodle and you can already tell the difference. The noodles itself are already tasty enough, even without adding soup and toppings into the mix.

What’s the reason behind these fascinating strands of noodles? It all lies with the use of high-grade Italian pasta flour alongside tapioca flour, bringing out the springiness and savoriness of their noodles that makes it pleasant to eat alongside the soup and toppings. Because of the use of Italian pasta flour, the texture does share some resemblance to spaghetti or linguine, which brings us to how the noodles are made.

As you move closer to the store front, you can witness how the dough is flattened before they are cranked using a pasta machine. Noodles are made only upon order, so every bowl of noodles served are always fresh from the counter.

Complementing 456’s noodles were the thick and stewed shiitake mushrooms that enhanced the dish immensely by its juiciness and sweetness. I’m guessing that the store might have used rock sugar in the stewing process to fully extract the flavors present in the mushrooms. The fried garlic and shallots provided an extra dose of umami to the noodles that helps stand out more.

Of course, which bowl of handmade noodles wouldn’t be complete without minced pork and egg?

The minced pork, as ubiquitous as it is in handmade noodles, would be one ingredient that could have made the youmian more meaty and satisfying if not for being a little on the dry side. While it was certainly tasty, I couldn’t help but feel that something was a little missing whenever I took a bite out of the minced pork.

The egg, on the other hand, was tender and fun to eat. I prefer having my egg yolk intact in one piece. Nevertheless, it took some time, dexterity, and a bit of luck peeling off the egg white with a clunky pair of chopsticks, making sure that the yolk doesn’t break.

Final Thoughts

Finishing the bowl brings back tons of fond memories as I drank the last drops of soup. Good things have to come to an end, if only they are more than just fond times to look back to.

Once again, 456 did not disappoint even after undergoing renovations and changes around the area over the years. It’s a bowl of handmade noodles that I take comfort returning to whenever I miss it. Even better; it’s right opposite The Marketplace at 58, so you can’t miss it.

If not, you can always go for some bak chor mee (which I’ll be referring to as ‘BCM’ from here on). One stall I’d recommend is Old Chai Chee Minced Meat Noodles, which used to be located at The Bedok Marketplace. They moved a few times, a few months at a coffeeshop at Block 56, and recently settled at Block 58. A review of Old Chai Chee’s BCM will be available in this site one day, so keep your eyes peeled.

Address & Opening Hours

FoodHub 59 (大食汇)
Block 59 New Upper Changi Road, #01-1248, Singapore 461059
Opening Hours:
Fri to Tue, 9am to 2pm
Closed on Wed and Thu
Stall accepts cash only