10 Awesome Ban Mian Places Worth Sweating in the Scorching Weather For

A good ol’ bowl of handmade noodles is comfort food for most of us Singaporeans. Despite the swelteringly hot weather, I’ve conquered many a bowl of ban mian in humid hawker centres. Here, I bring to you 10 Ban Mian Places which are worth the sweat stains that you’ll earn from slurping down those delicious egg noodles.

Grandma Ban Mee

Expect a super long queue during lunch time at Grandma Ban Mee! While I have not tried Kin Kin to make a comparison, the noodles here are springy with a moderately spicy chilli paste, egg, ikan bilis and minced meat. You could feel a little heat, but it keeps you going, perhaps due to the fragrance from the shrimps. Before you know it, the bowl of noodles is gone!

Grandma Ban Mee’s clear soup version was lighter than many other ban mee stalls but it’s filled with ingredients like mushrooms, black fungus, ikan bilis and vegetables. My dining partner finds that it lacks depth, which is understandable. But for me, it has a similar taste to what I eat at home. I call it “comfort”.

L32 Geylang Handmade Noodles

Okay this is IT. This is officially my new favourite banmian store. 

The Dry Pork Banmian ($4.30) contains both sliced pork and minced pork, a nice touch which justifies the (slightly) higher price of their noodles. The pork slices used here was of the leaner variety, making it a bit tough. Perfect for the more health conscious crowd though. I liked the addictive savoury-sweet dark sauce that coated the noodles. It might not be as strong as the one at Greenview, but it showcases the quality of the noodles better, since it is not as overwhelming. The homemade noodles and broth which is boiled for more than 10 hours is definitely worth sweating for. Be prepared to wait, especially during the dinner rush!

J99 Coffeeshop Toa Payoh Ban Mian

Despite staying a fair distance away, this might be one of my new favourites and I’ll be sure to make another visit to try their famed dry version. We got the soup Ban Mian ($3.50) from this popular store at Toa Payoh. Situated in a coffee shop, we spotted most of the patrons slurping down noodles from their iconic red bowl. The noodles are done just right, with a nice bite.

Unlike some places have a cloudy soup base, the soup here is extremely clear. With the generous serving of lettuce, we felt healthier just by eating this bowl of goodness.

Greenview Cafe @ Far East Plaza

Looks can be deceiving. Don’t judge a bowl of noodles by its appearance! Made to order, the thick and chewy Dry Mee Hoon Kueh ($4.50) here is to die for. The dark sauce that coats each chunk of noodles is deliciously sweet, with a tinge of saltiness. It is also tossed together with chilli, bringing you an explosion of flavours with just one bite. The sauce comes mixed in with the noodles, instead of like how other places let you mix in the sauce yourself. Well, that just means we can dig in even sooner!

I like that the clumps of minced pork were well seasoned and especially fragrant after being coated in the sauce. However, if seafood is more up your alley, opt for the version which comes with prawns instead. 

Top 1 Home Made Noodles

This place gets a little confusing for first timers. You start by choosing your type of noodles, followed by your soup base and finally, the type of ingredients you want to top your noodles with. Their special black sauce is more savoury than sweet, but is nothing much to shout about. The real kick comes in after you add in their killer chilli sauce and toss your noodles again. Their mee hoon kueh is thinner than usual and not too starchy. Makes for easy slurping! Nicely seasoned minced pork and meat balls are included as well. 

Do try their mala mee, which comes with flat noodles, fresh prawns and well seasoned minced meat. The heat will kill you but it might just turn out to be a love-hate relationship.

China Whampoa Homemade Noodles

A clear and light broth that is only cooked with ikan bilis and soya beans instead of pork bones is served here at China Whaompoa. Unlike other ban mian stalls, no eggs are added. In addition, they add the old-school mani cai (马尼菜 or sweet leaf) into the soup which helps to give a little sweetness to the soup. 

Their more popular dry version is tossed with their premium dark soy sauce and homemade chilli sauce. The texture of the noodles stand out much more when you order the dry version. The sauce used is flavourful, but some may find it a tad too sweet. 

They have two variations of chilli for you to pick from. One is sweet with pineapple, while the other is a more savoury one. Do ask for the chilli to be placed separately because it sure packs a punch!

Xuan Miao Vegetarian @ Paya Lebar Square

Labelled simply as ‘Vegetarian Food’, this unassuming store in Cantine Food Court at Paya Lebar Square has its own crowd of healthy fans. We tried the U-Mian Dry ($6.50), Banmian Soup ($6) and Bak Kut Teh Soup ($7). I would recommend the Dry U-Mian, which comes with a blob of xiang chun sauce, a type sauce made with Chinese toon leaves. Grainy and green in colour, it reminded us of pesto sauce and coats the noodles evenly after a few tosses. It has a strong garlicky taste, which some may find too overwhelming. Black sauce which had more savoury than sweet notes sealed the deal the for us, complementing the xiang chun perfectly. 

The other dishes taste a little too bland for most, and would be best reserved for when you’re feeling a little under the weather.

Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle

Located at the food court of City Plaza, Poon Nah serves 8 different kinds of noodles. From ban mian to you mian, mee sua, bean flour noodle etc, you’ll be spoilt for choice! Furthermore, there are so many permutations. You can either pair it with prawns, fish, kidney, clams etc. Its kinda like ‘DIY Banmian’ if you think about it. Poon Nah serves chewy and soft noodles. Along with the tasty clear soup that contains wolfberry leaves in their dishes, the combination is mouthwatering! Their chilli sauce gives a punch to the entire flavour of the dish, as it may get a bit plain for some.

Seletar Sheng Mian & Mian Fen Guo

In the dry version of this dish, the owner mixes in the sauces before pouring it to the noodles. The umami flavour that hits you after the chilli sauce is mixed with the mee hoon kueh is irresistible! While the savoury sauce is tasty, the chilli does not carry much heat. The fried shallots and crispy ikan bilis makes for a satisfying bowl of handmade noodles. Do add an extra 50 cents for some extra ikan bilis crunch. The minced pork in the soup makes it extra tasty. This place is extremely popular with the elderly and a perfect spot to dine with your grandparents! His brother owns another outlet in Blk 210 Lor 8 Toa Payoh.

Marsiling Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh

At $2.80, this is definitely one of the cheapest bowls of Banmian you can find in Singapore. With extremely early opening hours, starting from 3am daily, you can be sure of getting a hearty bowl of noodles for breakfast, if the craving ever arises. However, we thought that the soup was too salty and the noodles were overcooked. While the portion was generous (we even spotted a lone fishball in our bowl of noodles!), this place is best left as a cheap fix instead of a regular haunt. 

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to the stalls listed above. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!