Intro:
While most of the food we typically cover on this
blog fall within the mid-range price category, there is an undeniable case to
be made for enjoyable food on a budget. Singapore is blessed with its hawker
culture, making great-tasting food accessible to all, regardless of
socio-economic background. Although hawker food usually lacks the more refined
presentation and sophisticated taste of more expensive options, they do not
detract from their core strengths of deliciousness. This is definitely the case
with Qiu Rong Ban Mian, a humble ban mian store in the basement food court of
Roxy Square II.
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| This way to great ban mian! |
Ambience:
Being located in a small
food court, Qiu Rong Ban Mian doesn’t have much of an ambience to speak of. At
times, I do feel that the food court is an extension of the stall instead of
the stall being the food court’s component, upon looking at the sheer
percentage of customers eating from orange or pink bowls of noodles, which
signifies its popularity. During peak periods, this stall enjoys long queues,
while the rest of the food court’s stalls appear to be looking forlornly on.
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| Sterile food court environment |
Quality and Taste:
Mee Hoon Kuey ($3.00)
What’s most striking about this bowl of noodles is its
deceivingly simplistic exterior. It really doesn’t look like much. The cloudy
soup (a hallmark of a well-done bowl of ban mian) however is the first
indicator that beneath its unassuming façade lies a dish of truly potent
proportions. The ikan billis is flavourful, strong and crispy, and remains
crunchy for a surprisingly long time while submerged in the soup (do try to eat
it as soon as possible though –nobody wants soggy ikan bilis). I particularly
enjoy digging for the egg yolk, and with its similar colour, find it akin to
digging for gold. Indeed, it’s one of the highlights of my meal, with its
tendency to explode in mouths of hungry customers, filling them enjoyably with warm
eggy goodness infused with a fair serving of tasty broth.
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| My mee hoon kuey looking good for the camera |
It’s a rarity these days to find stalls making their own
noodles, with most preferring to buy them from suppliers. Qiu Rong Ban Mian
does this however, with their own noodle-making machine in the stall. The
noodles (or in my case, mee hoon kuey pieces) turn out nicely supple and soft (which
isn’t to be confused with the effects of overcooking them).
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| Freshly-made noodles |
Although it’s unelegant-looking, the minced pork meat is
well-marinated, and has a nice texture to it. That being said, it does taste
much better the longer it’s left in the broth, as it soaks up its flavours as
well as lends the broth its own. Consequently, I like leaving mine alone until
the end of the meal when it’s at its best, flavourwise.
The soups of ban mian stalls tend to belong to either of two
extremes –being rather diluted and flat (some of which are barely
differentiable in taste from tap water), or having copious amounts of MSG added
to them. Qiu Rong Ban Mian’s however is extremely robust, tasting like a hearty
blend of what I’m guessing to be pork, anchovies, tapioca, and a whole lot of
ingredients undiscernible to me. It has an undeniable character to it, one
which thankfully isn’t derived from MSG. While it’s understandably not as heavy
as the broth of a good Ramen, I’d rate it right up there in terms of taste.
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| Murky soup, a hallmark of great ban mian |
I also ought to mention that in the 5 years or so of my
patronage, the ban mian’s taste has not changed one bit, which is an impressive
testament to the dedication as well as masterful cooking of the China
owner-chefs.
Value:
If you can look past the lack of a classy ambience, I’d say
that $3.00 is money very well-spent, considering the sumptuous meal you get at
this very low price. I often leave the food court feeling very satisfied and
bloated even, with the generous portion of ban mian.
Conclusion:
Qiu Rong Ban Mian is one of those fabled hidden gems, being
located in the basement of a shopping mall that has seen better days, and a gem
it truly is, with its unpretentious, delicious ban mian. I’d go so far as to
say (and I’m sure that its band of loyal patrons will agree) that it is the
quintessential ban mian, worthy of anybody’s visit.
FOODIE’S RATING
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Quality & Taste(75%)
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8.0
| Tasty and filling, this is definitely a meal worth having |
Value (15%)
|
8.5
|
A true steal for the price
|
Ambience & others (10%)
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5.0
| At least the food court looks reasonably sterile |
Total
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7.8
| Great taste, great price, it's tough to ask for more |
Address:
#B1-01, Roxy Square, 50 East Coast Road
Opening Hours:
Daily, 9:30am to 9pm
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