4 days ago
Haig Road Kolo Mee Showdown: Lin Yu Mei vs Lee Kolo Mee
Finally, my first of the Food Showdown series, featuring none other than Haig Road kolo mee.
Kolo mee is a dry noodle dish from Sarawak, denoted by its light but fragrant, springy egg noodles, often topped with minced pork and char siew slices. I had my first bowl of kolo mee in Sabah as a kid, and it's been one of my favourite noodle dishes since.
With that, meet our 2 contenders for the Haig Road Market & Food Centre kolo mee showdown: Sarawak Kolo Mee • Laksa 李 砂朥越哥羅麵 • 叻沙 (Lee) (right) and 林玉梅 Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee () (left). Both are run by elderly couples!
The latter has long already made a name for itself as one of Singapore's best, while the former, though more obscure, has seen some pretty good reviews too!
Both stalls offer Kolo Mee in white and red versions, with Lin Yu Mei offering the black one on top of that. But for simplicity's sake, I ordered the Dry (White) from both stalls.
Similarly, both stalls offer 2 serving sizes of their Kolo Mee.
Lee's Kolo Mee is recognisable by its orange crockery, and is sold in 2 sizes at S$4/S$5.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu Mei's standout red bowls are priced just a tad bit more at S$4.50/S$5.50. I opted for the smaller bowl from both stalls.
Overall, they carried a similar array of standard kolo mee ingredients. However, Lee's had a handful of leafy veg, while Lin Mei Yu's was topped with a meagre few pieces of fried pork lard, as well as a slightly heftier portion of noodles.
Let's get down to the real Haig Road kolo mee showdown.
But before that, my dining companion and I fed each bowl 2 spoonfuls of their respective soups so we could toss the noodles easily.
Lee: Each strand of noodle retained its QQ-ness even after being left out for a while (sorry, the phone had to eat first), a quality I highly regard when it comes to kolo mee. It was lightly tossed in a mix of minced meat and shallot oil, but was still relatively drier in comparison to the next one.
Lin Mei Yu: On first look, these noodles are relatively lighter in colour, but you should never judge a book by its cover! The taste of shallot oil was more prominent, evenly coating the noodles. Combined with the juices of the crispy pork lard, there was a richer depth to the noodles I just couldn't get enough of.
A notable difference was that these were texturally softer than the former, likely because more oil was incorporated. The noodles were more clumped together, though they still retained a slight bounce.
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Lee: The minced pork that crowns this dish unfortunately did not feel deserving of it. It was rather bland to me, and I wished there was more seasoning aside from the pinch of salt.
In a similar vein, the char siew was nothing to shout about. We were served relatively fatty slices but because they weren't tender enough, we were left to tirelessly chew on the tough fats. Its saving grace was that the edges had a sweet, slightly charred flavour which balanced out the savoury bowl well.
Lin Yu Mei: The minced pork came in slightly bigger fragments, allowing a burst of meaty juice to ooze out when I stuffed a spoonful of it into my mouth. The juices elevated the taste of the noodles, for sure.
'It looks like an eraser', my dining companion joked. Happy to inform that it doesn't taste like one, although it did feel slightly dry and rubbery in my mouth. They are apparently boiled instead of roasted, and hence lack that smoky aroma that usually accompanies it.
Lesson learnt: Never question the amount of chilli added. Though small in portion, both packed an unexpected fire to them.
Lee: Theirs was pungent, carrying a peppery spice that when paired with the noodles and really elevated the dish. This was my main companion in getting through the underwhelming meats.
Lin Yu Mei: 'OMG, spicy sia!', I exclaimed, bug-eyed, to my dining companion sitting opposite me. Even the slightest bit of chilli padi sent a kick straight to the back of my throat. Spice lovers will love this one.
To be very frank, neither bowl was outstanding to me. I suppose I can't compare them to the authentic ones I've had in Malaysia, but I would say both stalls still make for a decent kolo mee fix if I happen to be craving it.
The star of both bowls was undeniably the noodles, while the char siew fell short.
With that being said, I crown the crowd favourite 林玉梅 Sarawak Laksa & Kolo Mee (Lin Yu Mei) the winner of this Haig Road kolo mee showdown! The fragrant oil that clung to each strand of curly noodles was truly addictive, and I preferred the balance of this dish. Although, I wouldn't hesitate to get a bowl from Lee's if there's a queue at Lin Yu Mei.
Hmm… should I do a Sarawak laksa showdown next?
Sarawak Delicacy Laksa & Kolo Mee: Authentic Sarawakian stall hidden in Bedok serves addictive Mee Kampua & Sarawak Laksa
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