Today was one of those days when I just felt like having good noodles, where it didn't matter what kind of ingredients came in accompaniment. Just good, solid, lardy noodles. And so here I was at Hong Lim FC - check out that beautiful, oily sheen coating the al dente mee pok!
To be honest, this is one of those stalls where the noodles and accompanying sauce are the main characters, while the fishballs, fishcakes and lean meat slices are factory-made and hence mere sidekicks. And in this case, I was more than happy to have the main characters dominate like this.
If you sit around to observe Uncle at work, you will realize that he has a pretty good memory. There is no buzzer system here, and Uncle is the one who takes and arranges the orders. There is no physical queue, but do not be duped into thinking there is none. The order system is as such: you tell Uncle your order and sit around in the vicinity for your turn. While Auntie cooks, Uncle will constantly scan the surroundings to summon the next-in-line to collect the order.
They had been closed indefinitely over the Covid period. It was a little disheartening to see their shutters down each time I was in the Hong Lim area. There was a point when I thought I had eaten there for the last time without even knowing it. Thankfully, they re-opened sometime in March this year, although their opening hours nowadays are sporadic and inconsistent.
My wife took a glance at the couple behind the stall front and remarked, "If you really like this, eat to your heart's content. You may not have many more opportunities."
True in so many ways. With age catching up and without a successor in sight, the future of the stall is really on tenterhooks. So yes, I will enjoy it while it lasts, and so should you.
Teochew Fishball Kway Teow Mee 潮州鱼圆粿条面
Hong Lim Food Centre #02-65
Opening Hours: 7am to noon or sold out.
Closed on weekends & public holidays. Closed on occasional weekdays as well.
Date of Last Visit: 20th May 2022
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