Mian Jia Noodle Bar

The broth was a bit spicy, and while it was quite seafoody I think we preferred if there was more of that natural sweetness. The prawn balls (steamed and fried) were bouncy and tasted like the prawn paste you get at hotpot restaurants. The prawns were pretty large and fresh. Would rather go for the noodles with wanton & meatballs, it’s more satisfying! And also much cheaper.

So yummy! What a pity that they’ve closed on 27 Aug. There’s options for gong zai mian, youmian, and thick noodles. I chose youmian! It was done al dente so it had a nice bite, texture was good. Tossed in a scallion (& garlic?) oil + dark sauce mix, it was v fragrant and delish. There’s 2 stalks of blanched crunchy kailan too.

The handmade wanton and handmade pork balls were soooo soft and juicy? Loved the chives flavour in the wanton. Probably the softest wantons & meatballs
I've ever had. There isn’t any filler I believe, just meat. I do appreciate a bit of a bite since usually wantons/meatballs aren’t as soft, but this I enjoyed a lot too!

Definitely would reco and I hope they will appear in sg again~

The homemade wantons are done very plump with smooth and thin skin, but I’d personally like the meat filling to be just a tiny bit fattier for that juiciness.

Between the homemade wanton and housemade pork balls, I prefer the latter! You can try them as a topping with your noodles.

Had Mian Jia twice in 2 weeks - I’m so sad to have just discovered them, as they have finalised closure on 27 Aug 🥺
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My picks from these 2 visits are their Pickled Veg Fish Fillet Tonkotsu Soup and the Singapore-style Crispy Crusted Chicken Cutlet, both with their Special Sauce Dry Noodle (aka scallion oil noodles). The dry noodles are my fav, it’s EXTRA FRAGRANT and they top it off with bonito flakes which gives an extra delicate smokiness. Their base Tonkotsu broth is creamy and rich. Please come by to try!

Tucked in the outskirts of Holland Village, Lor Liput side is this unassuming noodle bar. Their speciality seemed to be lobster la mian, but I’d wanted something simple for lunch.

My choice: You mian with slightly spicy tonkotsu soup, with 5-spices pork chop.

Noodles are springy, the kind that wouldn’t turn soggy after a time. The soup was so tasty I almost finished it up. Restaurant was liberal with 7 pieces of the crispy pork chop.

Rating: 4/5
Noodles: $12.90

I chanced upon this noodle place in 2021 when I was in Holland for lunch, and most other restaurants were closed for lunch service. At a corner of Holland Village, they are barely noticeable but boy am I glad I stumbled upon them! They sure serve a mean bowl of spicy noodles. If you love mala, you will love this too. It's not exactly like the typical mala broth. The tonkotsu broth on its own has its own flavor, and they add chilli to it which has a bit of this mala kick that keeps every mouthful of this dish extremely appetising. I can never get enough of it!

I used to love their prawn + pork ball noodles but it appears that they have altered their menu. The closest substitute I could find was Double Treasure Tonkotsu Broth Noodle ($10.90) which has pork balls and pork dumplings with chive. The noodles are as good as I remember, and the dumplings were super fresh! However, it appears they have changed the way they do their pork balls; the meat is packed so tight that they are extremely hard now and lack texture. That said, I still love their noodles so this won't deter me from returning.

Special mention to their service. The staff is generally polite and the most recent visit I dined here with someone else who already had dinner. But they gave me an extra set of cutlery and bowl without me asking for it, and were extremely courteous about it. Their noodles are so affordable too. Highly recommend to all Burpplers!