Orchard Plaza has long been a supper haunt for night owls and the nightlife crowd in Orchard Road. Now, there’s another reason to hit the old-school mall up when you’re hankering for late-night mee pok in a hipster setting: Orchard Bak Chor Mee.
Located on the fourth floor, the two-month-old eatery, which opens from 7pm to 5.30am, has been pulling in the crowds with its signature dry minced meat mee sua.
There are only 12 counter seats, so it fills up easily. And yes, expect to queue, especially in the wee hours.
“It’s crazy after 1am. People are drunk after clubbing and crave something hot. The line is the worst at 4am, don’t know queue until where,” boss Cliff Ho, 42, tells 8days.sg.
The interior of Orchard Bak Chor Mee. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
But the line moves quickly as service is speedy and diners vacate as soon as they are done.
After all, the hole-in-the-wall noodle shop is not the kind of place where you’d want to linger and chat, especially when it’s packed. The stools are inches apart, you have to make a conscious effort not to elbow your neighbour while slurping up your food. Think the Singaporean version of a modern ramen shop.
Orchard Bak Chor Mee owner Cliff Ho. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
The vibe of Orchard Plaza may not be for everyone, but Ho gravitated towards the mall because of its affordable rent.
The F&B entrepreneur has been running popular Japanese restaurants, Kai Yakitori and the more upmarket izakaya Homura by Kai, here for more than five years, and it made sense to have all his businesses under one roof for “maximum manpower efficiency”. His family also runs a popular long-standing Chinese restaurant on Orchard Road that counts "old money" folks as regulars; he declines to name it on record.
A year ago, Ho decided to start a supper joint after seeing the “strong late-night crowd”, many of whom had migrated from the now cleaned-up Orchard Towers, and thriving businesses of neighbours La Pona and Tha Siam Thai Kitchen.
He was already renting the fourth-floor unit which he considers the prime spot in the mall for a late-night diner and spent S$70,000 to convert it into an eatery.
“This is the best spot [for a supper joint] as Club Lunar is just around the corner. It is tested and proven by the eateries here – the nasi lemak and Thai eateries have a full house every night,” he declared.
Some of the dishes at Orchard Bak Chor Mee. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
But Orchard Bak Chor Mee had to weather some twists and turns before it could open its doors to the public end of November.
“Renovation was completed, and we were just waiting for our [operating] licence. We had to get approvals from SFA (Singapore Food Agency) for things like exhaust systems and fire safety. If not for the delays, we would have opened three months earlier,” revealed Ho, estimating he made an overall loss of “at least S$60,000” due to the delay.
Andrew Yong (pictured) has four decades of experience as a bak chor mee cook. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Orchard Bak Chor Mee is manned by two staff – one of whom is 65-year-old Andrew Yong, who has four decades of experience as a bak chor mee cook.
Some of you might recognise him from the hawker chain Shan Yuan Teochew Kway Teow Noodle. He used to helm their 24-hour stall at BK Eating House, another supper haunt loved for its mee sua bak chor mee, along Circular Road.
In fact, Uncle BK, as he’s affectionately called, was a huge factor in Ho’s decision to start a bak chor mee joint.
The initial plan was to open a modern ramen bar, but Ho switched gears to selling bak chor mee after a chance meeting with Yong. Local food is also more accessible to the masses.
“My friends and I have been eating his bak chor mee for years. We would go to BK for supper after drinking and are fans of his noodles. Last year, I met uncle, so I asked him if he wanted to join me to start a bak chor mee shop and he agreed,” shared Ho, adding that he gives Yong free rein to run the shop and express his ideas and creativity.
“I let him come up with our menu. It was his suggestion to offer laksa and he developed the recipe. It gives him a purpose and a new identity. Previously he was just a cook at the stall, now he is like his own boss, and I think he likes the feeling.”
A bowl of meat. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Ho has Yong and his bak chor mee to thank for the shop’s popularity. A lot of people recognise him from his days at BK Eating House and he has his own regulars who come just for his noodles.
“Uncle made Shan Yuan’s outlet at BK famous. I have a lot of friends who are very supportive of him. After a night of drinking, they will come here and eat. Four people can eat S$100 [worth of food],” laughed Ho.
Orchard Bak Chor Mee recently garnered some social media hype after fans shared snaps of Yong at the eatery and the “crowd has been too wild to handle”.
“There was one day where we had to close at 11pm for an hour ’cause we ran out of meat and had to wait for it to be delivered, then we ran out of noodles. I think we sold 300 bowls of noodles that day,” Ho added.
There are plans to extend opening hours to include lunch and start a second outlet soon. And if the opportunity arises, the ambitious entrepreneur hopes to open more eateries within Orchard Plaza.
“This building has grown a lot in the last few years after COVID and there are a lot of opportunities here as there are entertainment and nightlife spots. I hope to open a few more late-night concepts offering local food, so it becomes the go-to supper destination,” he said.
Dry bak chor mee sua, S$7.90. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
We started with the shop’s signature dry bak chor mee sua, which came with a big bowl of soup brimming with pork and liver slices, fish dumplings, fish cake, two handmade yellowtail fishballs and a meatball.
Though made simply with “fishball water and some seasoning”, the broth was robust and boasted a delicate sweetness. The star for us was the beautifully cooked liver. Well marinated and blanched till pink, the thin liver slices were tender, without any gaminess or powdery texture.
The mee sua – adorned with minced pork and tossed in a fragrant, spicy mix of Yong’s housemade sambal, vinegar, and crunchy pork lard – was nicely done too. Just cooked and not soft or clumpy, the noodles were a good sponge to soak up the gravy.
Dry bak chor mee pok, S$7.90. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Cooked al dente, the noodles are springy with a good bite. If you’re a fan of meatballs, we recommend adding the ping pong ball-sized Fuzhou-style “special pork balls” (extra S$2 for two pieces) that have a flavourful and juicy minced pork centre.
Dry liver, S$6.90. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
We were so impressed with the liver that we decided to try the dry version, sans noodles, served in a punchy sauce consisting of the same chilli, vinegar, sesame oil and lime. We gave up after some intense counting, but you can be sure there were more than 20 liver slices in our S$6.90 bowl.
But perhaps you might want to share this with a few friends. The distinct flavour of the organ started to get to us after we devoured a few slices.
Old-school laksa. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Despite its name, this isn’t quite your classic laksa. Besides the usual suspects of sliced fish cake, beansprouts, tau pok, eight smallish blood cockles, and half a hard-boiled egg, you’ll find unusual toppings like tau kee, fried beancurd roll and fishball.
Taste-wise, it’s a respectable rendition, but the gravy, cooked with housemade rempah, could do with more spice and umami flavour. We had to request for more sambal to elevate its taste. Only 20 bowls of laksa are available each day, so come early if you wish to try it.
Now that we’ve tried the mee sua at Orchard Bak Chor Mee, we can see what the hype is about. From the noodles to the generous ingredients, sauce and soup, this bak chor mee hits the right notes, though we’d go for the mee pok as we prefer our noodles springy. The liver, blanched to perfection, is also a winner. Sure, you may have to wait in line for a bit but it’s a great spot for a no-frills and affordable meal when you’re in town.
Orchard Bak Chor Mee is at 150 Orchard Road, #04-17, Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841. Open Mon-Sat, 7pm to 5.30am.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
Located on the fourth floor, the two-month-old eatery, which opens from 7pm to 5.30am, has been pulling in the crowds with its signature dry minced meat mee sua.
There are only 12 counter seats, so it fills up easily. And yes, expect to queue, especially in the wee hours.
“It’s crazy after 1am. People are drunk after clubbing and crave something hot. The line is the worst at 4am, don’t know queue until where,” boss Cliff Ho, 42, tells 8days.sg.
The interior of Orchard Bak Chor Mee. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
But the line moves quickly as service is speedy and diners vacate as soon as they are done.
After all, the hole-in-the-wall noodle shop is not the kind of place where you’d want to linger and chat, especially when it’s packed. The stools are inches apart, you have to make a conscious effort not to elbow your neighbour while slurping up your food. Think the Singaporean version of a modern ramen shop.
IT'S THE SPOT FOR SUPPER
Orchard Bak Chor Mee owner Cliff Ho. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
The vibe of Orchard Plaza may not be for everyone, but Ho gravitated towards the mall because of its affordable rent.
The F&B entrepreneur has been running popular Japanese restaurants, Kai Yakitori and the more upmarket izakaya Homura by Kai, here for more than five years, and it made sense to have all his businesses under one roof for “maximum manpower efficiency”. His family also runs a popular long-standing Chinese restaurant on Orchard Road that counts "old money" folks as regulars; he declines to name it on record.
A year ago, Ho decided to start a supper joint after seeing the “strong late-night crowd”, many of whom had migrated from the now cleaned-up Orchard Towers, and thriving businesses of neighbours La Pona and Tha Siam Thai Kitchen.
He was already renting the fourth-floor unit which he considers the prime spot in the mall for a late-night diner and spent S$70,000 to convert it into an eatery.
“This is the best spot [for a supper joint] as Club Lunar is just around the corner. It is tested and proven by the eateries here – the nasi lemak and Thai eateries have a full house every night,” he declared.
OPENING DELAYED FOR THREE MONTHS
Some of the dishes at Orchard Bak Chor Mee. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
But Orchard Bak Chor Mee had to weather some twists and turns before it could open its doors to the public end of November.
“Renovation was completed, and we were just waiting for our [operating] licence. We had to get approvals from SFA (Singapore Food Agency) for things like exhaust systems and fire safety. If not for the delays, we would have opened three months earlier,” revealed Ho, estimating he made an overall loss of “at least S$60,000” due to the delay.
HELMED BY 'FAMOUS' BAK CHOR MEE UNCLE
Andrew Yong (pictured) has four decades of experience as a bak chor mee cook. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Orchard Bak Chor Mee is manned by two staff – one of whom is 65-year-old Andrew Yong, who has four decades of experience as a bak chor mee cook.
Some of you might recognise him from the hawker chain Shan Yuan Teochew Kway Teow Noodle. He used to helm their 24-hour stall at BK Eating House, another supper haunt loved for its mee sua bak chor mee, along Circular Road.
In fact, Uncle BK, as he’s affectionately called, was a huge factor in Ho’s decision to start a bak chor mee joint.
The initial plan was to open a modern ramen bar, but Ho switched gears to selling bak chor mee after a chance meeting with Yong. Local food is also more accessible to the masses.
“My friends and I have been eating his bak chor mee for years. We would go to BK for supper after drinking and are fans of his noodles. Last year, I met uncle, so I asked him if he wanted to join me to start a bak chor mee shop and he agreed,” shared Ho, adding that he gives Yong free rein to run the shop and express his ideas and creativity.
“I let him come up with our menu. It was his suggestion to offer laksa and he developed the recipe. It gives him a purpose and a new identity. Previously he was just a cook at the stall, now he is like his own boss, and I think he likes the feeling.”
A LOT OF CUSTOMERS ARE FROM BK EATING HOUSE
A bowl of meat. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Ho has Yong and his bak chor mee to thank for the shop’s popularity. A lot of people recognise him from his days at BK Eating House and he has his own regulars who come just for his noodles.
“Uncle made Shan Yuan’s outlet at BK famous. I have a lot of friends who are very supportive of him. After a night of drinking, they will come here and eat. Four people can eat S$100 [worth of food],” laughed Ho.
Orchard Bak Chor Mee recently garnered some social media hype after fans shared snaps of Yong at the eatery and the “crowd has been too wild to handle”.
“There was one day where we had to close at 11pm for an hour ’cause we ran out of meat and had to wait for it to be delivered, then we ran out of noodles. I think we sold 300 bowls of noodles that day,” Ho added.
There are plans to extend opening hours to include lunch and start a second outlet soon. And if the opportunity arises, the ambitious entrepreneur hopes to open more eateries within Orchard Plaza.
“This building has grown a lot in the last few years after COVID and there are a lot of opportunities here as there are entertainment and nightlife spots. I hope to open a few more late-night concepts offering local food, so it becomes the go-to supper destination,” he said.
BAK CHOR MEE SUA (DRY), S$7.90
Dry bak chor mee sua, S$7.90. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
We started with the shop’s signature dry bak chor mee sua, which came with a big bowl of soup brimming with pork and liver slices, fish dumplings, fish cake, two handmade yellowtail fishballs and a meatball.
Though made simply with “fishball water and some seasoning”, the broth was robust and boasted a delicate sweetness. The star for us was the beautifully cooked liver. Well marinated and blanched till pink, the thin liver slices were tender, without any gaminess or powdery texture.
The mee sua – adorned with minced pork and tossed in a fragrant, spicy mix of Yong’s housemade sambal, vinegar, and crunchy pork lard – was nicely done too. Just cooked and not soft or clumpy, the noodles were a good sponge to soak up the gravy.
BAK CHOR MEE POK (DRY), S$7.90 (8DAYS PICK)
Dry bak chor mee pok, S$7.90. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Cooked al dente, the noodles are springy with a good bite. If you’re a fan of meatballs, we recommend adding the ping pong ball-sized Fuzhou-style “special pork balls” (extra S$2 for two pieces) that have a flavourful and juicy minced pork centre.
LIVER (DRY), S$6.90 (8DAYS PICK)
Dry liver, S$6.90. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
We were so impressed with the liver that we decided to try the dry version, sans noodles, served in a punchy sauce consisting of the same chilli, vinegar, sesame oil and lime. We gave up after some intense counting, but you can be sure there were more than 20 liver slices in our S$6.90 bowl.
But perhaps you might want to share this with a few friends. The distinct flavour of the organ started to get to us after we devoured a few slices.
OLD-SCHOOL LAKSA, S$7.90
Old-school laksa. (Photo: 8Days/Kelvin Chia)
Despite its name, this isn’t quite your classic laksa. Besides the usual suspects of sliced fish cake, beansprouts, tau pok, eight smallish blood cockles, and half a hard-boiled egg, you’ll find unusual toppings like tau kee, fried beancurd roll and fishball.
Taste-wise, it’s a respectable rendition, but the gravy, cooked with housemade rempah, could do with more spice and umami flavour. We had to request for more sambal to elevate its taste. Only 20 bowls of laksa are available each day, so come early if you wish to try it.
BOTTOM LINE
Now that we’ve tried the mee sua at Orchard Bak Chor Mee, we can see what the hype is about. From the noodles to the generous ingredients, sauce and soup, this bak chor mee hits the right notes, though we’d go for the mee pok as we prefer our noodles springy. The liver, blanched to perfection, is also a winner. Sure, you may have to wait in line for a bit but it’s a great spot for a no-frills and affordable meal when you’re in town.
Orchard Bak Chor Mee is at 150 Orchard Road, #04-17, Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841. Open Mon-Sat, 7pm to 5.30am.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...