Famous Bukit Purmei Lor Mee Reopens in Bugis – Now Run By Uncle Teo’s Nephew!

Hands up if you are a die hard fan of Bukit Purmei Lor Mee.

I visited their Bukit Purmei outlet in 2012 while I was still writing for the papers. That was one of the most memorable hawker features I did. Uncle Teo started helping out his dad in Bukit Ho Swee from the 1950s when he was 8 years old. In the 1960s, the stall moved to Tiong Bahru before it moved again to a coffeeshop in Bukit Purmei.

Unfortunately, Uncle Teo suffered a heart attack in 2014 and closed the stall. He made a comeback in 2016 and opened in West Coast Drive. Sadly, he had another heart attack and closed the stall two years later.

When I heard that they have reopened in Bugis, I was very very excited. Run by Uncle Teo’s nephew Eddie, the new stall is located in a kopitiam near Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple. We went at 10am on the second day of their opening and there was a snaking queue stemming from the stall. We waited for an hour to get our bowl of lor mee.

Old Bukit Purmei Lor Mee comes in three sizes (3.50, $4 and $5). During our visit, they do not have $5 lor mee for now as fried fish is not available.

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I ordered the Medium ($4) lor mee which is loaded with sliced fish cakes, braised pork belly, char siew, and a few ngoh hiang balls.⁣ These crunchy morsels are probably one of the reasons that set this bowl of lor mee apart from what it used to be in the old days. It was a little hard during our visit, let’s give them some time to iron things out since they just opened.

Their “lor” (braising sauce), which is made with a combination of pork ribs, egg-white and five-spice powder, is still as good. The dark, viscous sauce was thick and sticky, and enhanced with copious lashings of black vinegar, chilli and garlic. We would have preferred stronger savoury notes. Nonetheless, after mixing the gravy together with the toppings, minced garlic and sambal, the end result was highly satisfying. The vinegar was aromatic and deepened the flavour of the gravy.

Queuing is expected because you know lah, die hard fans like us have been waiting for a long time!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.