Li Yuan Mee Pok (Bedok)

Here is a hawker take on Japanese fusion ramen and BCM. My order of Japanese fusion mee pok in shoyu comes with noodles, pork ball, pork slices, minced pork, abalone slices and cha shu then topped with loads of crispy pork lard.

The cha shu was tender and thickly sliced with a good ratio of fat to meat. The noodles are cooked to a springy texture with a generous amount of ingredients in flavourful shoe and garlic sauce packed with umami goodness. Overall a wholesome and satisfying meal for my hungry belly 》$8/large

Basically an elevated meepok, pretty yummy!
Not cheap for a coffee shop store, but once in awhile I’d probably crave it

Had the trending Japanese infused mee pok, miso based, both dry and soup ($7 each) and I would say I have mixed feelings. Good points were that the noodles were al dente with a good bite and all meat ingredients were tender. However, for the dry version, the sauce is on the sweeter side. As for the soup version the miso flavours isn't really strong, though is still a good soup. I wouldn't travel to eat this, but still not bad of a bowl of mee pok.

My first brush with Li Yuan Mee Pok was on Ghib Ojisan's youtube, when he patronised the stall over at Boon Lay. First thought — interesting.. but..? I don't know what would follow, all I knew was there was a but. Now that they have opened a branch in the East, I decided to give it a go.

I went for the Japanese Miso Mee Kia, because I was feeling for thinner noodles rather than the thicker alternative, mee pok, that day. I went for the dry option as well upon recommendation by the staff, and then opted for the miso flavour. Although I went slightly after lunch period, I waited for about 10-15 minutes, primarily because it seemed like the cook was very meticulous in cooking and placing all the necessary ingredients in the bowl. You see, I really didn't know what to expect with this fusion mee kia. In fact, it is such a quintessential dish in my life that I didn't think I could envision it in any form. But when I placed this bowl in front of me — I could see why it is truly a Japanese-Singapore fusion meal. On first look, all the essentials in a mee pok — fishcake, minced pork, meatballs, and then slices of Japanese chashu standing out. Not forgetting, this bowl of noodles was drizzled with lard. You could smell it, the fragrance, together with the very apparent Japanese miso aroma. The chashu was also decent enough, tender and not all just fat. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how well-executed this fusion bowl of noodles was. Throughout the meal, there was indeed a stark miso flavour, but it does not really take away the baseline flavours of Singaporean mee pok.

So back to my first thought: interesting.. but..? BUT you have to really like and appreciate BOTH Japanese and Mee Pok flavours in order to truly enjoy this, if not I don't think anybody would be ever willing to spend $7 on mee pok in a coffeeshop. I do think that it is a worth a try for its interesting fusion flavours and splendid execution, but I also believe that many Singaporeans are satisfied with their more affordably priced mee pok, that is also spicier and equally flavourful in its own right.

Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Saw this advertised to be open by a Japanese hawker living in Singapore and had to give it a try. All the fusion mee pok dishes had a choice between miso and shoyu; we got the shoyu and it was nice and light flavoured.

Dry version of the Japanese Fusion Mee Pok with Shoyu base - The bowl consists of springy mee pok noodles, firm pork balls, minced pork, lard, and is topped off with fatty slices of Japanese chashu.

Read more: https://www.misstamchiak.com/li-yuan-mee-pok/