For those planning to visit this stall at Beauty World Food Center, don’t come before 11.30am. You will not be allowed to queue or place order. And if you come after this time, anything goes so be prepared to queue more than 30 minutes and wait for up to an hour.

The system here is quite simple. Choose your noodles, choose your soup base, choose your add on. But for me, a handmade noodle stall should be judged based on its Mee Hoon Kuay served with clear soup with none of the fanciful clams and abalone. Just prawns and minced meat. So when my turn came, I ordered the Big Prawns Minced meat Mee Hoon Kuay.

Was the Mee Hoon Kuay hand torn into the pot? Check! Did it come with Money Vegetable from Malaysia? No! Prawns were shell on and good size? Check! Soup is clear with hint of seafood umami and yellow beans? Check. Ample ikan bilis? No. Good piquant spicy chilli sauce? No.

I must say that this stall is easily top five in Singapore and being in the west of Singapore gives it an advantage. But alas! The best it is not.

If I am craving for a good bowl of handmade noodles, the timing fits and I am too lazy to head east, I’ll be back. Otherwise, just the thought of a hour wait will put me off. Even if they are top five.