For decades, countless arguments and disputes have been raised as to which stall serves the best Bak Chor Mee in town. Almost every foodie is guilty of the controversial “there is this stall I know that’s really good” syndrome which would usually escalate into some kinda fist fight. Let us join in the fray by recommending Ah Kow Mushroom Mince Pork Mee; an old timer who’s been in the BCM business even before Luke got his first lightsaber.

Locally we have got 2 breeds of BCM, namely the kind served with fishballs or the other type that’s laced with minced meat (bak chor) and stewed mushrooms. They’re further broken down into two variants; served either in soup (usually referred as ‘terng’) or tossed in chilli and sauce (often called dry or ‘tah’ in Hokkien). Ah Kow serves the latter stewed mushrooms version with both formats, in ol’ skool teochew style.

Rule of the thumb to good BCM is usually distinguished by the following characteristics: The texture of the noodles; the base sauce; the chilli and freshness of ingredients. All these qualities play a pivotal role (very much like the folks from Easy Company in Band of Brothers) in making a bowl of great tasting BCM. Screwing up this definitive checklist will probably be as good as getting shot in the butt.

Located in a bustling Hong Lim Food Centre, Ah Kow’s BCM stall has come a long way, hailing from the old Wayang Street hawker days during the early 70s and has since garnered a loyal bunch of fanboys, some of whom have purportedly been eating here for two decades or more. To have supporters eating for that long, you’re either dishing out some frickin good shite or you’re selling some extremely funky brownies.

What makes the BCM stands out from the regular bunch is the traditional teochew signature style which includes the unbridled use of black vinegar (some unique brand that can be found only in China) and servings of ‘Keow’ (teochew dumpling) that comes with the dish. Choices of Mee Poh (flat yellow noodles), Kway Teow (flat rice noodles), Mee Kiah (thin yellow noodles) and Mee Tai Mak (mouse tail shaped rice noodles) are available. The sumptuous noodles arrive topped with a generous amount of minced pork and braised mushrooms. Every bowl comes with a piece of tasty ‘Ti Po’ (deep fried sole), some teochew ‘Keows’ and a bowl of soup. The noodles are nicely tossed in a mixture of braised sauce, vinegar, chilli, crispy pork lard and oil delivering a whole new magnitude of awesomeness that I never fail to relish in every single time I drop by. The texture of the noodles are springy and yet not soggy, synergized wonderfully with the sauce, the lean pork and liver that accompanies the dish – really tender and cooked to perfection. All these spiced up by the excellent chilli that sets this BCM apart from the rest. And for another few more bucks, you can indulge in their dumpling with soup, sliced pork, minced meat and ‘Tang O’ (Garland Chrysanthemum).

Ah Kow’s BCM maintains the right balance in every aspect of the dish, from the preparation of the ingredients to the point of delivery. Not sure how long this old guard is gonna continue running the stall but do stop over and try it before he calls it quits. You’ll be steamed to the brim if you know what I mean.

-Darth Sidtoh