Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian - Bedok's Original Soup-Only Bak Chor Mee

At Fengshan Market and Food Centre, widely known to locals as Bedok 85, Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian serves a version of bak chor mee that has become rare across Singapore’s hawker landscape: a soup-only preparation, with no dry option offered at all. The stall is credited as the originator of what many now call Bedok-style soup bak chor mee, a lineage that has earned it recognition in the Michelin Guide as a Michelin Plate establishment. Behind the single bowl on offer lies a broth built over hours, house-made noodles, and a minced pork preparation that has remained the stall’s sole focus for decades.

Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian began as a roadside stall in Changi in 1968, before relocating to Fengshan Market and Food Centre in 1976, where it has operated ever since. Over its decades at the same location, the stall has built a reputation as the originator of the soup-style bak chor mee associated with the Bedok area, a dish that remains harder to find in other parts of Singapore. Its long-standing presence at Bedok 85 has made it a fixture for residents and visitors seeking this particular style of the dish.

The stall’s only dish is a bowl of thin yellow egg noodles, known as mee kia, served exclusively in soup rather than the tossed, vinegar-based style found at most other bak chor mee stalls. Each bowl combines the noodles with pork meatballs, finely minced pork, and chopped red chilli, finished with a broth that carries a light but distinct pork flavour. The noodles are cooked to a springy, slightly firm texture that holds up well against the hot soup rather than softening in it. The minced pork is prepared fine enough to melt through the broth, while the meatballs retain a firmer, bouncier bite for contrast. Portion sizes are offered in regular and large, allowing diners to adjust the amount of noodles, meat, and broth to their appetite.

The Broth

The stall’s broth is made from pork bones simmered over an extended period, producing a base that leans savoury rather than heavily seasoned. Fried garlic is added to the soup, contributing a fragrant note that runs through the bowl without overwhelming the natural pork flavour. This approach sets it apart from the more assertively seasoned soup versions found elsewhere, with the emphasis placed squarely on the depth drawn from the bones themselves rather than from added condiments.

The Noodles and Minced Pork

The noodles used are thin egg noodles, prepared to carry a subtle eggy taste alongside their springy bite. Unlike stalls that offer both dry and soup versions, Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian’s noodles are cooked and portioned specifically for the soup format, which shapes both their texture and how they are served. The minced pork itself is prepared in a fine, almost cottony texture, distinguishing it from the coarser style of minced meat used in many dry bak chor mee preparations, and is what gives the broth its distinctive body once stirred through.

For those exploring the range of hawker fare at Bedok 85, Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian offers a straightforward but distinctive bowl of noodles, built around a broth and preparation method the stall has refined since 1968. It remains a stop worth making for diners curious about the soup-based version of a dish more commonly served dry elsewhere.

Blk 85 Bedok North Street 4, #01-07, Fengshan Market and Food Centre, Singapore 460085
Opening Hours: Mon–Wed, Fri–Sun, 11:30am – 11:00pm (Closed Thursdays)
Tel: +65 9841 0071
Instagram/Facebook: @bedok85xingjirem, @bedok85bcm