About 15 years ago, I was introduced to Qiu Lian Ban Mian by my classmate and at first, I was not impressed. Noodles, clear soup, minced meat, egg, anchovies, and a chilli condiment; it just seemed really boring for someone who was more used to rich and flavourful foods like sweet and sour pork or kung bao chicken, but I tried it anyway and my life changed.
Ban Mian is now one of my favourite comfort foods although it is a huge bowl of carbs (now I try to refrain from as much carbs as possible and eat more meat and vegetables instead). When I craved for this at that time, I mainly ate from the countless Qiu Lian Ban Mian franchisees littered all around Singapore; until I was introduced to this Ban Mian stall at Yishun.
This stall is at located at Block 732 Yishun Ave 5 and he has been there for the past 16 years. The price has remained at $2.50 all these years and the only thing that has changed is that they switched from serving in a white/blue ceramic bowl to a red plastic bowl instead. The taste, quantity and quality has remained constant all these years.
Let’s talk about the dish itself. I usually order the u-mian and the texture of their noodles is just so different from that of other stalls. It is a perfect balance between chewiness and softness and it has such a beautiful shine and bite to it. The soup or rather, broth, has not changed in taste all these years. The minced meat, fresh vegetables, egg and anchovies need no introduction and coupled with sliced chilli padi makes this dish amazing for a cold day.
For $2.50, you get the regular sized dish and for a slightly higher price, you can get fresh prawns added to your dish.
Consistency is the key to all food and I am amazed at how consistent they have been all these years. During peak hours, you will have to wait for quite abit but it is definitely worth it.
732 Yishun Ban Mian
Address: 732 Yishun Ave 5
Opening hours:
Monday: 7.20am to 4.30pm
Tuesday to Sunday: 7.15am to 10.45pm
Personal rating: 5/5 (consistent, cheap, hearty)
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