Mee Pok Vegetarian - Yio Chu Kang

In Singapore, we know of many places famous for one dish in particular - Li Wei and its chicken rice, Tian Yi with its kway chap, Lin Lin with its hor fun - The list can go on and on.  Now to add to that list of specialty eateries is this humble stall, recommended to me by a reader named Rachel.  This stall has gained popularity specifically for its mee pok, although other dishes are also sold.

 
Mee Pok Vegetarian
Location: Block 630 Ang Mo Kio St 61
Contact: Unknown
Opening Hours: Daily 24 hours (sometimes prone to randomly closing)

Of course, it is an inevitability that I will be reviewing the mee pok.  But before we get to that, let us have a quick gander at another dish they sell.  This is the Kway Chap.  The sizing for this dish comes in two types - Small and large.  The small size costs $2.50, while the larger one is $3.00 (this is also the same for the mee pok).  Overall, while this kway chap is nothing to jump up and down about, I did find it to be a satisfying rendition of the dish.  The kway noodles were firmer than usual, which I didn't mind.  The soup base and the sauce which accompanies the other ingredients were both tasty.  What was lacking though was the red chilli, which is essential in traditional kway chap.

Price: $2.50.     7/10
As in my mind, I was expecting this to be an outstanding dish, I must admit that the Mee Pok did eventually come as a disappointment.  The problem with this dish was the most common mistake in all Singaporean cooking - Too much spice.  It is important to know the balance between including spice and the spice being unbearable - This is especially important in a dish such as mee pok, which should traditionally have a punch of vinegar.  On the brighter side, I found the noodles fresh and bouncy.  I'm left with little to say about fish balls, as personally I can't stand those rubbery textured jelly monstrosities.

Price: $2.50.     5/10

Conclusion - Funnily enough I found myself opting for the kway chap far more than the mee pok.  If someone didn't tell me prior that this was a famous dish, then frankly I wouldn't have noticed.  While the mee pok was not a disaster, I just found the flavours to be too rudimentary.  Worth a visit, but don't set your expectations too high.

Overall Rating
Food - 6/10
Ambiance- 6/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 7/10