Tai Wah Pork Noodle (大華肉脞麵), Holland Drive

This was a new-ish branch of Tai Wah Pork Noodle from Hong Lim - not to be mistaken with the Michelin starred Tai Hwa Pork Noodle at Crawford Lane which doesn't have other outlets. Apparently Tai Wah has started opening a few more shops recently. I came across this one (#01-39, Blk 40 Holland Drive) and decided to give them another try even though I was pretty sure I was unimpressed the time I had their bowl at Hong Lim. Here's their $7 bowl.

I enjoyed it this time. It was more vinegary than the last time I ate, had decent chilli whipped into the noodles and was overall more satisfying. Would have preferred for their wanton skin to be thinner though but it's not a deal breaker. Quick reference to Tai Hwa which makes more intense bowls and is definitely nicer in my opinion. It's also worth noting that both of them makes similar style of bak chor mee so this would be an apple-to-apple comparison.

That being said, I may no longer have the stomach/patience for the queue at Tai Hwa would gladly eat this instead. 

Tai Wah Pork Noodle (大華肉脞麵), Toa Payoh Central

This was yet another branch of the expanding Tai Wah Pork Noodle. Was curious about how the kuey teow soup from this stall (177 Toa Payoh Central) would fare against Lai Heng nearby. In retrospect, it might not have been a strict apple to apple comparison as bak chor mee soup goes because of the slight difference in ingredients. This bowl didn't have mushrooms but was bolstered by the flavour from ti poh. I'm inclined to feel that Lai Heng was a bit better for flavour but I'm agreeable with both bowls.

Mee kia from Tai Wah Pork Noodle (大華肉脞麵)

Here's a $7 bowl of mee kia from Tai Wah Pork Noodle (大華肉脞麵). Pretty much the same as the mee pok bowl I had the last time except for the noodles. While the mee kia wasn't soggy, it also didn't have the wiry bite I was hoping for. Will stick to the mee pok in the future.

Tai Wah Pork Noodle, Hong Lim Food Centre

Let me see if I got this right. This Tai Wah stall (#02-17, Hong Lim Complex, 531A Upper Cross Street) which is also known as the High Street one, is run by both the brother and nephew of the owner from the Tai Hwa at Crawford. There used to be another stall at the Bestway building that was operated by the said brother, but has closed and consolidated into this stall with his son at Hong Lim. And this would be my first visit.

How did this fare? The noodles (specifically mee pok) were softer than I had been expecting and the flavours of the sauces were unexpectedly quite subdued. The salty parts weren't as salty, the chilli didn't seem to have so much heat and the vinegar was just noticeably weaker in comparison with Tai Hwa. A literal pale comparison if you would. On a positive note, ingredients were generous and the varied cuts from the pork and dried crispy sole provided texture. The wantons were filled with dried sole and delicious and the soup was pretty okay. I'd eat this over Ah Kow any time, but it's going to be difficult to convince myself over the trouble of coming back. 

Bee tai bak from Tai Wah Pork Noodle (大華肉脞麵)

First time getting the rat's tail noodle/bee tai bak from Tai Wah at Holland Drive. This tasted like it was of totally different standards from the previous visits. Today's bowl was noticeably more bland and less vinegary. Quantity of the toppings appear to have lessened significantly - noticeably so was the minced meat which looked pathetic. I'm hoping this was a one off which shouldn't be happening in the first place. Definitely not worth what I paid for. 

Tai Wah Pork Noodle (大華肉脞麵), Singapore Food Street @ Changi Airport Terminal 3

This was mediocre. 👎🏼 The standards of Tai Wah appear to vary from individual branches and can be inconsistent even from the same branch. This one from T3 (Singapore Food Street, #03-11 Changi Airport Terminal 3 Transit, 65 Airport Boulevard) was likely to be the worse of the lot from what I've had. Mee pok was overcooked and felt slimy. This extra spicy bowl wasn't very spicy and the chilli had an underlying sweetness instead of being just straight up savoury. Even the meatballs tasted odd and without the flavour of dried sole. Didn't finish the noodles.

This outpost by virtue of location is supposed to be a showcase of local flavours to visitors?

Capitol Bak Chor Mee, Food Republic @ Capitol Piazza

We noticed the ba chor mee stall (B1-20/27 Capitol Piazza, 13 Stamford Road) the last time we were here and thought it looked good enough that we came back to try it.

I'm inclined to believe that their bowl is setup to be similar with the ones from Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. Yes, that Michelin starred one. And possibly also to Tai Wah Pork Noodle at Hong Lim. The wonton, the piece of ti poh, sliced pork with minced pork and meatballs, no stewed mushrooms and that cloudy bowl of broth on the side. This was what it reminded me of and the similarities end there.

My appraisal would be that this was a pretty decent bowl that I wouldn't say no to. Price aside, it beats the hell out of the majority of the generic stalls; but it is not Tai Hwa as much as it looks like theirs. For a start, my piece of dried sole wasn't fragrant and was inedibly chewy, the wonton skins are a little too thick and the zing from vinegar just didn't come through. And this was supposed to be the larger bowl going for $6. I could eat two of these in a seating if I was starving so yeah, decent but a little expensive.