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

Adele Chiang
Adele Chiang
May 24, 2017

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”.

Ban Mian: Grandma Ban Mee
Ban Mian: Grandma Ban Mee
Ban Mian: Grandma Ban Mee

Grandma Ban Mee (老妈子板面)

Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road #01-07, Singapore 069111

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10.30am-2pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grandmabanmee

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!

Ban Mian: L32 Geylang Homemade Noodle
Ban Mian: L32 Geylang Homemade Noodle
Ban Mian: L32 Geylang Banmian Soup

L32 Geylang Handmade Noodles

Address: 558 Geylang Road Jln Geylang Lorong 32, Singapore 389509

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.

Ban Mian: J99 TPY Banmian
Ban Mian: J99 Banmian Soup

J99 Coffeeshop Toa Payoh Ban Mian

Address: 186 Toa Payoh Central Singapore 310186

Opening Hours: 6am to 9pm Daily, Closed on Sundays

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. 

Ban Mian: Greenview Far East
Ban Mian: Greenview Dry

Greenview Cafe

Address: 14 Scott's road Far East Plaza 04-96 Singapore 228213

Opening Hours: 10.30am to 8pm Daily, Closed on Monday and Public Holidays

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.

Ban Mian: Top One Homemade Noodle
Ban Mian:
Ban Mian:

Top 1 Home Made Noodles

Address: Beauty World Centre #04-44, 144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 588177

Opening Hours: 9am to 8.30pm Daily, Closed on Tuesday & Wednesday

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!

Ban Mian: China Whampoa Homemade Noodle
Ban Mian: China Whampoa Homemade Noodle
Ban Mian: China Whampoa Homemade Noodle

China Whampoa Homemade Noodles

Address: Blk #01-24, 91 Whampoa Drive Singapore 320091

Opening Hours: 7am to 2pm Daily, Closed on Mondays

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.

Ban Mian: Xuan Miao Vegetarian
Ban Mian: Xuan Miao Vegetarian Banmian Soup
Ban Mian: Xuan Miao Vegetarian Dry Umian Noodles

Xuan Miao Vegetarian

Address: Paya Lebar Road, #B1-51, Singapore 409051 Paya Lebar Square Canteen, Store 3

Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 12pm to 9.30pm, Open Daily

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.

Ban Mian: Poon Nah City Homemade Noodle
Ban Mian: Poon Nah City Homemade Noodle

Poon Nah City Banmian

Address: #05-02, City Plaza, 810 Geylang Road Singapore 409286

Opening Hours: 11am to 8pm Daily, Closed on alternate Saturdays

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.

Ban Mian: eletar Sheng Mian
Ban Mian: Seletar Sheng Mian
Ban Mian: Seletar Sheng MIan

Seletar Sheng Mian & Mian Fen Guo

Address: Blk 226H Ang Mo Kio Street 22, Kebun Baru Food Centre #01-07, Singapore 568226

Opening Hours: 6am - 2.30pm Daily. Closed on Fridays

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. 

Ban Mian: Marsiling Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh
Ban Mian: Marsiling Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh

Marsiling Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh

Address: #01-15 Marsiling Lane Food Centre, 20 Marsiling Lane, 730020

Opening Hours: 3am to 8pm (or till sold out), Open Daily

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

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