Bak Chor Mee (BCM) means minced meat noodles. There is no direct equivalent in Malaysia; Chilli Ban Mian comes a little closer due to its minced pork used but definitely tastes different. BCM typically comprises mee pok or mee kia, tossed in chilli-vinegar sauce with minced pork, pork slices, meat balls, stewed mushrooms, and pork lard!

BCM was one of the first Singapore styled noodles that I came to like. My go-to place had always been High Street Tai Wah Pork Noodles @Hong Lim - brother stall to the Hill Street one of similar name where I queued 1.5hr for a few Saturdays ago!

And so these few weeks, I decided to try out the 12 stalls that food critics recommended in SBO Singapore Business Owners for 2021. Since I am heading the Walking Interest Group, I did a combo and walked to all of them from home in Dover. For some, I had to take two to three trips to get there - the furthest being in Tampines!

Since I like BCM, I found them mostly good. So I will only mention the ones that were special/unique, which you may wish to check out for yourself.

-> Li Yuan @Clementi West - you must try the Miso BCM, which has a delicious Japanese twist with pork belly chashu instead of pork slices, and the gravy is miso and not vinegar. Awesome flavors!

-> Hill Street Tai Wah @Crawford Lane - this is indeed the best, it is also Michelin one star! The dry option that comes with sole fish, stronger vinegarish gravy and delicious soup are a must-have. But if you cannot take the hour-long queue, go to the brother stall at Hong Lim, which is just as good, but you must have the soup option there. The line at Hong Lim would take 30-40mins typically.

-> Teo Kee @Tampines - this bowl is truly different with well braised tender melt-in-mouth pork ribs in thick dark gravy. Actually, it is probably only grouped as BCM due to the little minced pork in the dish!

-> The Milky Way @Tanglin Halt - their BCM is not only unique for its savory sweet rather than vinegarish gravy, but also because it’s housed in a café that sells ice cream and other dishes, including pasta! Apparently, Aw, the owner, started as a BCM hawker stall at Tanglin Halt food centre and moved to this cafe in 2020. It’s also been popularized by Gold 905 DJ Denise Tan!

So what’s your very own favorite? Do share with us in the comment box below so we can all learn from you too. Maybe we should organize a walk together to your favorite BCM like what I did. Remember “Inputs balanced with Outputs - helps us all stay slim and healthy!”