JOFA Mee Pok – They Bougie Up Your Bak Chor Mee With Seafood Toppings!

Bak chor mee has always been a classic no-frills hawker favourite. So what happens when it’s all zhng-ed up with fanciful ingredients? JOFA Mee Pok is a prime example of how quality and quantity can perfectly balance each other. Located in a coffee shop in Tampines (another brownie point to the east), JOFA is run by two former poly classmates who brought their relationship to the next level — business partners. 

On their menu, the main dishes are either this or that – Signature Minced Meat Noodle ($6/8) or Minced Meat Noodle ($4.50) (dry or soup). If you’re looking for something lighter, you can opt for their Prawn Paste Soup ($5.50), Meat Ball Soup ($4), Fish Ball Soup ($4) and even Fried Fish Sticks ($3) to munch on! 

Looking at the bounty of ingredients in the dry Signature Minced Meat Noodle truly makes one feel like a king. The bowl was piled with the usual suspects of fishball, minced meat, pork slices and bits of crunchy lard alongside seafood-centric toppings of clams, scallop, prawn paste, mock abalone and fried fish sticks. 

The noodles were pleasantly QQ and tossed in a fragrant, lard-laden sauce that was plenty vinegary with a touch of chilli. I did wish that it was higher on the spiciness scale, but it was ultimately still a fairly addictive mix that will keep you coming back for more. 

As for the individual ingredients themselves, every one of them added that little extra oomph that made going through the bowl of noodles feel like a mini treasure hunt. Special shoutouts go to the fairly plump scallop, well-seasoned meatball, bouncy fishball and chewy fish sticks that had soaked up the sauce and tasted absolutely delicious. Most of all, I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet juiciness of the mock abalone! 

I decided to get the Prawn Paste Soup as I wanted to give the broth a taste as well. Made using pork bones, chicken and more, the light-looking soup yielded a strong wave of umami and a soothing sweetness that you can’t get enough of. 

I didn’t mention the prawn paste in the previous bowl as I wanted to save my praise for this one. These handmade babies were surprisingly soft, instead of the slight bite I was expecting, but were seasoned beautifully and had that distinct, prawn-y sweetness. 

What had me lowkey obsessed were the Fried Fish Sticks that are sold as an a la carte dish. Unlike the toppings in the premium bak chor mee that became slightly soggy after being tossed with the noodles, the deep-fried fish paste wrapped in beancurd skin were perfectly crispy and gave off a satisfying snap when bitten into. And, they’re 100% addictively savoury. 

Albeit not as intense in flavour, JOFA Mee Pok’s style of bak chor mee is a very pleasant change from the norm thanks to their good execution of ingredients. Tampines is a bit of a distance for me but I’m definitely heading to JOFA Mee Pok whenever I’m in the area!

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

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