While most hawker stalls in Singapore are run by middle-aged vendors, Jiak Mee stands out— this ban mian stall is operated by young Gen Z hawkers.
Jiak Mee can be found on the food court at the second floor of Bishan bus interchange. Characterised by its bright signage and popping visuals, the stall quickly attracted long queues within weeks of its opening. When I visited the stall around 3pm on a weekday, I did not have to queue at all, thankfully, though there was a waiting time for the food to be prepared.
The noodles at the stall are all handmade and hand-torn. To enjoy something extra, Jiak Mee also offers à la carte dishes like Crispy Luncheon Meat (S$6) and Chicken Cutlet (S$6).
What I tried at Jiak Mee
I started my meal at Jiak Mee with the Traditional Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh (S$4.80), a piping hot soup dish containing hand-torn mee hoon kueh, spinach, an egg, minced meat and fried ikan bilis.
This dish tasted like your usual soupy mee hoon kueh— the noodle pieces had a nice al dente texture and wasn’t too chewy or too soft. The minced meat clumps, while not very generous in portion, were tasty and meaty, effectively giving the dish a bit more of a bite.
The broth was light and refreshing with a slight umami flavour. It wasn’t too overwhelming and paired nicely with the other elements of the dish, making for a simple yet comforting and hearty meal. Though it wasn’t super unique or outstanding, S$4.80 wasn’t a bad price to pay, if you ask me.
I moved on to the Chicken Cutlet Ban Mian (S$7) at Jiak Mee— this dry noodle dish came topped with chopped pieces of fried chicken.
The chicken cutlet was a delight to savour as each piece consisted of a lovely crispy golden brown skin and a juicy flesh beneath. The chicken had also been marinated nicely, giving it a savoury and slightly salty flavour.
The ban mian had a springy yet soft and chewy texture. Tossing the noodles allowed for the dark sauce at the bottom of the bowl to coat each strand well. The sauce had a sweet, salty and savoury profile, making the entire dish pop with a rich flavour. However, I felt that there could have been a greater amount of sauce within to be more proportionate to the amount of noodles.
Like the Traditional Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh, the Chicken Cutlet Ban Mian wasn’t exceptionally outstanding or unique as compared to other stalls, but it was still incredibly satisfying and tasty, albeit priced a little on the higher end.
If you’re considering whether you should try one of the à la carte sides at Jiak Mee, trust me when I say that the Crispy Chicken Wing (S$6) are a must-get item— this dish comes with 5 chicken mid wings, fried to a golden brown perfection.
The skin of the chicken was super crispy, with plenty of light, crunchy bits peppered on its surface.
The chicken had been well-marinated such that its flesh was juicy and tasty too, with the strong aroma of savoury prawn paste. If you’re a huge har cheong gai enthusiast, these wings will certainly satisfy your cravings.
Final thoughts
I was pretty impressed with the food at Jiak Mee— each dish was hearty and satisfying with relatively affordable price tags. I couldn’t get enough of the Crispy Fried Chicken, in particular, and I found both the dry ban mian and the soup mee hoon kueh to be pretty delectable.
The dishes weren’t all that mind-blowing and tasted pretty normal, but for a good bowl of ban mian or mee hoon kueh, I’d definitely revisit Jiak Mee, especially when I’m around the Bishan area.
Expected damage: S$4.80 – S$7 per pax
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