New Bak Chor Mee Joint At Orchard Plaza Draws Long Queues Even At 4am

But the line moves quickly as service is speedy and diners vacate as soon as they are done. 

After all, the hole-in-the-wall noodle shop is not the kind of place where you’d want to linger and chat, especially when it’s packed. The stools are inches apart, you have to make a conscious effort not to elbow your neighbour while slurping up your food. Think the Singaporean version of a modern ramen shop.

It is the spot for supper

The vibe of Orchard Plaza may not be for everyone, but Cliff gravitated towards the mall because of its affordable rent. 

The F&B entrepreneur has been running popular Japanese restaurants, Kai Yakitori and the more upmarket izakaya Homura by Kai, here for more than five years, and it made sense to have all his businesses under one roof for “maximum manpower efficiency”. His family also runs a popular long standing Chinese restaurant on Orchard Road that counts old money folks as regulars (he declines to name it on record). 

A year ago, Cliff decided to start a supper joint after seeing the “strong late-night crowd”, many of whom had migrated from the now cleaned-up Orchard Towers, and thriving businesses of neighbours La Pona and Tha Siam Thai Kitchen.

He was already renting the fourth-floor unit (it was used as a storage space) which he considers the prime spot in the mall for a late-night diner and spent $70K to convert it into an eatery.

“This is the best spot [for a supper joint] as Club Lunar is just around the corner. It is tested and proven by the eateries here — the nasi lemak and Thai eateries have a full house every night,” he declares.

Opening delayed for three months

But Orchard Bak Chor Mee had to weather some twists and turns before it could open its doors to the public end November. 

“Renovation was completed, and we were just waiting for our [operating] licence. We had to get approvals from SFA (Singapore Food Agency) for things like exhaust system and fire safety. If not for the delays, we would have opened three months earlier,” reveals Cliff, estimating he made an overall loss of “at least $60K” due to the delay. 

Helmed by “famous” bak chor mee uncle 

Orchard Bak Chor Mee is manned by two staff, one of whom is 65-year-old Andrew Yong, who has four decades of experience as a bak chor mee cook.

Some of you might recognise him from hawker chain Shan Yuan Teochew Kway Teow Noodle. He used to helm their 24-hour stall at kopitiam BK Eating House, another supper haunt loved for its mee sua bak chor mee, along Circular Road.

In fact, uncle BK, as he’s affectionately called, was a huge factor in Cliff’s decision to start a BCM joint. 

The initial plan was to open a modern ramen bar, but Cliff switched gears to selling bak chor mee after a chance meeting with uncle. Local food is also more accessible to the masses.

“My friends and I have been eating his bak chor mee for years. We would go to BK for supper after drinking and are fans of his noodles. Last year, I met uncle, so I asked him if he wanted to join me to start a bak chor mee shop and he agreed,” shares Cliff, adding that he gives uncle free rein to run the shop and express his ideas and creativity.

A lot of customers are from BK Eating House

Cliff has uncle and his bak chor mee to thank for the shop’s popularity. A lot of people recognise him from his days at BK Eating House and he has his own regulars who come just for his noodles.

“Uncle made Shan Yuan’s outlet at BK famous. I have a lot of friends who are very supportive of him. After a night of drinking, they will come here and eat. Four people can eat $100 [worth of food],” laughs Cliff. 

A couple of weeks ago, Orchard Bak Chor Mee garnered some social media hype after fans shared snaps of uncle at the eatery and the “crowd has been too wild to handle”. 

“There was one day where we had to close at 11pm for an hour ’cos we ran out of meat and had to wait for it to be delivered, then we ran out of noodles. I think we sold 300 bowls of noodles that day,” he adds.

There are plans to extend opening hours to include lunch and start a second outlet soon. And if the opportunity arises, the ambitious entrepreneur hopes to open more eateries within Orchard Plaza.

“This building has grown a lot in the last few years after Covid and there are a lot of opportunities here as there are entertainment and nightlife spots. I hope to open a few more late-night concepts offering local food, so it becomes the go-to supper destination,” he says.

Bak Chor Mee Sua (Dry), $7.90

We started with the shop’s signature dry bak chor mee sua, which comes with a big bowl of soup brimming with pork and liver slices, herh keow, fish cake, two handmade yellowtail fishballs and a meatball. 

Though made simply with “fishball water and some seasoning”, the broth is robust and boasts a delicate sweetness. The star for us is the beautifully cooked liver. Well marinated and blanched till pink, the thin liver slices are tender, without any gaminess or powdery texture.

Bak Chor Mee Pok (Dry), $7.90 (8 DAYS Pick!)

Liver (Dry), $6.90 (8 DAYS Pick!)

Old-School Laksa, $7.90

Despite its name, this isn’t quite your classic laksa. Besides the usual suspects of sliced fish cake, beansprouts, tau pok, eight smallish blood cockles, and half a hard-boiled egg, you’ll find unusual toppings like tau kee, fried beancurd roll and fishball. 

Taste-wise, it’s a respectable rendition, but the gravy, cooked with housemade rempah, could do with more spice and umami flavour. We had to request for more sambal to elevate its taste. Only 20 bowls of laksa are available each day, so come early if you wish to try it.

Bottom line

Now that we’ve tried the mee sua at Orchard Bak Chor Mee, we can see what the hype is about. From the noodles to the generous ingredients, sauce and soup, this BCM hits the right notes, though we’d go for the mee pok as we prefer our noodles springy. The liver, blanched to perfection, is also a winner. Sure, you may have to wait in line for a bit but it’s a great spot for a no-frills and affordable meal when you’re in town. 

Orchard Bak Chor Mee is at 0417, Orchard Plaza, 150 Orchard Rd, S238841. Open daily except Sun, 7pm to 5.30am. More info via Instagram. 

Photos: Kelvin Chia