Whereas most hawker stalls in Singapore are run by middle-aged distributors, Jiak Mee stands out— this ban mian stall is operated by younger Gen Z hawkers.
Jiak Mee could be discovered on the meals courtroom on the second flooring of Bishan bus interchange. Characterised by its shiny signage and popping visuals, the stall rapidly attracted lengthy queues inside weeks of its opening. Once I visited the stall round 3pm on a weekday, I didn’t should queue in any respect, fortunately, although there was a ready time for the meals to be ready.
The noodles on the stall are all handmade and hand-torn. To take pleasure in one thing additional, Jiak Mee additionally affords à la carte dishes like Crispy Luncheon Meat (S$6) and Hen Cutlet (S$6).
What I attempted at Jiak Mee
I began my meal at Jiak Mee with the Conventional Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh (S$4.80), a piping sizzling soup dish containing hand-torn mee hoon kueh, spinach, an egg, minced meat and fried ikan bilis.
This dish tasted like your common soupy mee hoon kueh— the noodle items had a pleasant al dente texture and wasn’t too chewy or too comfortable. The minced meat clumps, whereas not very beneficiant in portion, have been tasty and meaty, successfully giving the dish a bit extra of a chew.
The broth was mild and refreshing with a slight umami flavour. It wasn’t too overwhelming and paired properly with the opposite parts of the dish, making for a easy but comforting and hearty meal. Although it wasn’t tremendous distinctive or excellent, S$4.80 wasn’t a foul value to pay, if you happen to ask me.
I moved on to the Hen Cutlet Ban Mian (S$7) at Jiak Mee— this dry noodle dish got here topped with chopped items of fried rooster.
The rooster cutlet was a delight to savour as every bit consisted of a beautiful crispy golden brown pores and skin and a juicy flesh beneath. The rooster had additionally been marinated properly, giving it a savoury and barely salty flavour.
The ban mian had a springy but comfortable and chewy texture. Tossing the noodles allowed for the darkish sauce on the backside of the bowl to coat every strand effectively. The sauce had a candy, salty and savoury profile, making your entire dish pop with a wealthy flavour. Nonetheless, I felt that there might have been a better quantity of sauce inside to be extra proportionate to the quantity of noodles.
Just like the Conventional Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh, the Hen Cutlet Ban Mian wasn’t exceptionally excellent or distinctive as in comparison with different stalls, nevertheless it was nonetheless extremely satisfying and attractive, albeit priced somewhat on the upper finish.
Should you’re contemplating whether or not it’s best to strive one of many à la carte sides at Jiak Mee, belief me once I say that the Crispy Hen Wing (S$6) are a must-get merchandise— this dish comes with 5 rooster mid wings, fried to a golden brown perfection.
The pores and skin of the rooster was tremendous crispy, with loads of mild, crunchy bits peppered on its floor.
The rooster had been well-marinated such that its flesh was juicy and attractive too, with the sturdy aroma of savoury prawn paste. Should you’re an enormous har cheong gai fanatic, these wings will definitely fulfill your cravings.
Ultimate ideas
I used to be fairly impressed with the meals at Jiak Mee— every dish was hearty and satisfying with comparatively reasonably priced value tags. I couldn’t get sufficient of the Crispy Fried Hen, specifically, and I discovered each the dry ban mian and the soup mee hoon kueh to be fairly delectable.
The dishes weren’t all that mind-blowing and tasted fairly regular, however for a very good bowl of ban mian or mee hoon kueh, I’d undoubtedly revisit Jiak Mee, particularly once I’m across the Bishan space.
