Just to establish from the start, this review is all about Char.B‘s Mee Hoon Kueh and not their charcoal BBQ. Located amongst the maid agencies and tuition centres in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, Char.B’s second outlet is a cosy restaurant run by a benevolent owner selling local cuisine from the heart.
In fact, I had no idea they sold anything other than noodles because the signboard is of the establishment they replaced, even 1.5 years after opening. I could barely find information about this outlet on Google. Is this what they call a hidden gem?
Char.B’s first outlet, which is within walking distance of this one at Beauty World Food Centre, opened 3 years ago. They focus on BBQ dishes such as BBQ fish and prawns.
However, what’s special about this outlet is that they sell noodle dishes on top of classic charcoal grilled dishes. Their noodle selection includes U Mian, Ban Mian, Mee Sua and Mee Hoon Kueh, all priced at S$7.
What I tried at Char.B
When the kind elderly lady at the counter greeted me with big smiles and recommended their best-seller, Mee Hoon Kueh (S$7), how could I say no?
I got the mee hoon kueh both ways—one dry and one soup version. Each bowl of mee hoon kueh comes with minced pork, mani cai, black mushroom, ikan bilis and fried shallots. You can add on an onsen egg for S$1 as I did for the best taste experience.
First up is the Dry Mee Hoon Kueh (S$7). Although S$7 is slightly steep for a mee hoon kueh, the portion was pretty generous and came with a good amount of ingredients, including a small bowl of soup (same as the one used for their soup version) and 2 meatballs.
Starting off with the highlight of any mee hoon kueh, the noodles (duh). Their hand-torn flat noodles were relatively thin while still retaining their firm texture, which made for an amazing mouthfeel without getting too jelak despite the big portion.
Each piece of noodle was coated in a mix of deliciously sweet dark sauce and the creamy onsen egg, paired with their homemade chilli.
It’s definitely on the sweeter side of dry mee hoon kueh, but the spice from the chilli cuts through it and makes for a well-balanced bowl of noodles. Do note that their chilli has quite the kick, so I’d recommend opting for less if you can’t handle spice well!
Packed filled with the same ingredients and generous portion, the Soup Mee Hoon Kueh (S$7) carried a light and slightly savoury broth that felt a lot easier on my arteries. However, the noodles got increasingly soggy in the soup as I ate.
I enjoyed the mani cai and black mushroom a surprising lot. The natural sweetness of the veggies, and contrasting textures of the ingredients gave Char.B’s Mee Hoon Kueh more depth. Every bite was a little different.
For drinks, I got a Blue Pea Lemonade (S$2). Nothing to shout about, just a refreshing lemonade that quenched my thirst after all that mee hoon kueh. Plus points that it’s purple.
After a chat with Anthony, the owner of Char.B, I learnt that their soup is boiled with fish bones, following a recipe he learnt from his grandma. She used to be a hawker at the old Golden Shoe Hawker Centre for over 50 years, selling handmade Chinese noodles and soups as well.
Having grown up around the hawker community, Anthony has accumulated everything he’s learnt from the hawkers around him into the recipes he uses for his dishes.
As part of his efforts to give back to this community, Anthony actively provides job opportunities at his stalls for the pioneer generation (see above).
Char.B isn’t Anthony’s first hawker stall. He previously owned about 10 stalls before this one, ranging from Bak Chor Mee to Western, Drinks stalls and more.
Despite all the setbacks he’s faced, Anthony is certain that this is the industry he wants to be in. As someone who also strongly believes that food connects people, I was touched by the pride he took in our local cuisine and his determination to cook it for the community he loves.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was a homely afternoon trying Char.B’s Mee Hoon Kueh and chatting with the owner, getting to know more about the interesting backstory behind their stall. I enjoyed the dry mee hoon kueh over the soup one, but that could also just be my personal preference. I do think they are both above average, though.
It’s a restaurant worth checking out if you’re ever in the West! Also, it’s barely a 100m walk from the famous Top 1 Home Made Noodle if the queue there ever gets too long (quite often, it seems).
I’ll be back soon and maybe next time I’ll try their grilled dishes as well!
Expected damage: S$7 – S$10 per pax