Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee – One Of Bedok North’s Best Comfort Food

Ask anyone in Bedok North what’s the go-to store for bak chor mee, and the two most common responses you’ll get from residents are either ‘Seng Hiang’ or ‘Xian Ji’, both located at Block 85. Here, we’ll be taking a look at the former and see what sets their bak chor mee (BCM) apart from their rival next door.

Brief History

For the uninitiated, you might find their origins bewildering. Seng Hiang BCM was named after its founder, Chua Seng Hiang. It first begun as a stall selling you tiao (fried dough fritters) and char kway teow at Upper Changi Road until 1977 where they shifted to Fengshan Centre in Block 85 and has remained there ever since. Around this point, they revamped their menu to selling satay and bak chor mee like their rival next door, Xian Ji Bak Chor Mee ^{(which I’ll cover in another post soon, I promise)}, but unlike the latter, their bak chor mee also comes with the dry version.

The stall was soon joined by a new member with Seng Hiang’s son, Chua Yoke Chai in 1979. This was the period where they expanded their operations by increasing food variety such as satay, while further experimenting on creating the perfect bowl of BCM. They stopped selling satay by 1985, leaving only their bak chor mee most remembered by customers today¹.

Experience

One glance from afar and you’ll be able to see the various accolades Seng Hiang has received over the years. With numerous reviews from various newspapers, magazines and online articles behind a blue background, it’s their way of showing newcomers and regular customers that these guys are the real deal and take bak chor mee very seriously. You definitely can’t miss it when looking for the store in a huge hawker centre/wet market such as Block 85.

Upon arriving at the store front, you will be greeted by two gruff servers who are ready to take and serve your order with high efficiency. No frills, no nonsense, just the essentials.

There wasn’t much of a queue at around 5.30pm and I proceed to made my order, asking for extra noodles to sate my hunger. Typical of stores with a high (customer) headcount, you are given a buzzer to notify you of your order ready for collection once it buzzes. Empty tables were aplenty at that hour and before I could take a seat, the buzzer vibrates, signalling me to collect my freshly made bowl of bak chor mee.

Taste Test: Bak Chor Mee Soup With Extra Noodles ($5)

Note: Not the same as the $5 BCM where there are more portions like pork balls and minced meat provided.

From its aroma alone, the freshly-cooked noodles and subtle garlic-tinted broth were the first thing that hits the senses. Compared with the many BCM soups I’ve eaten so far around the east, the dish was very well-balanced without any ingredient overpowering the other. The noodles were slippery enough to slurp down without a hitch after giving it some time to cool. It was until this taste test that I realized that the soup was mildly delicious, with the fried garlic taking a backseat in Seng Hiang’s rendition of BCM.

Pork balls were of the right texture to bite on without forcing myself to use too much jaw strength, unlike some pork balls prepared by inexperienced or dispassionate chefs from other stores. Helps that they’re boiled in the stock for hours to provide a slightly bouncy texture.

The minced meat was fluffy and flavourful at the same time, as I have fun using my spoon to scoop up the soft minced meat sunken at the bottom of the bowl, as if I was unearthing some precious treasure or some important archeological artifact off the ground.

Final Thoughts

Remember when I say how Seng Hiang’s BCM is very well-balanced without any ingredients overpowering the others? Personally, this is Seng Hiang’s biggest strength and weakness. For anyone who dislikes one ingredient dominating the other, then Seng Hiang’s BCM would be the most balanced one out of all the BCM soups across Singapore.

At the end of the day, it all purely boils down to personal preference. I’ve tried BCM where the garlic essence can be extremely dominant and overshadowed the rest of the ingredients that makes it difficult to taste anything else. For those who love garlic like myself, it’s not too much of a bother. But to anyone who finds garlic repulsive? You’ll most likely to be turned off and never plan to return to the store ever again.

That said, I’ll still return to Seng Hiang for the soup version again and to try the dry version of BCM, since Xian Ji only serves the soup version. I’m curious to see if the dry version holds up like the soup version or possibly exceed my expectations.

Address & Opening Hours

Address:
85 Bedok North Street 4, #01-08, Singapore 460085
Opening Hours:
Thu to Tue: 3.30pm to 12am
Closed on Wed

1. History of Seng Hiang BCM from their official FB post: https://www.facebook.com/senghiangbakchormee/posts/pfbid02wdJH1DZLiJHMa9w5R5JvbahpzfuDQHtk6PR3VrmnoJ7jqTDQizXoYRk3A6nKdEwWl ↩︎