A Golden Mile Food Centre gem: Shiok Hokkien Mee serves wok-hei-filled noods by three young hawkers

Mention “Golden Mile” and the first thing people think about is authentic Thai food. Well, maybe in the 2010s, but the ship has long sailed with the closure of Golden Mile Complex in 2023 and the mass exodus of its tenants.

Nowadays, most of the tasty food in the area comes from Golden Mile Food Centre, located opposite the now-boarded-up icon.

And foodies would know that it’s an extremely underrated hawker centre and houses hidden gems including curry noodles, braised pork rice and, more importantly, Hokkien mee.

The two-storey compound boasts of not just one, but two, of the most popular Hokkien mee stalls in Singapore — Hainan Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee on the first floor and Shiok Hokkien Mee on the second.

Unlike the legendary stall on the first floor, Shiok Hokkien Mee is a much newer face in the scene and, more interestingly, helmed by a group of young hawkers and childhood friends who studied at the same secondary school.

Some might remember it as You Fu Hokkien Mee, which was started by one of the co-owners’ — namely 26-year-old Mitchell Ong — family.

The stall first went viral in 2020 when Mitchell’s younger brother Dre, 21, first became popular as a young hawker frying Hokkien mee.

Mitchell, who used to work in sales, subsequently joined the business and now runs it with Kendrick Tan and Bryan Aravind, both also 26.

Under the trio, the stall has undergone a rebrand and is now known as Shiok Hokkien Mee. But the quality remains — all three members of the team have undergone strict training and know their way around the wok quite well.

Shiok wok hei

The Singapore-style Hokkien mee can broadly be subdivided into two categories: Dry or wet. 

For those who enjoy the drier rendition, where the stock is mostly absorbed by the noodles, the stall on the first-storey would tickle your fancy.

Decadent and saucy Hokkien mee though? That’s Shiok Hokkien Mee’s signature.

More importantly, it’s probably one of the few in Singapore sporting a good dose of smoke — most of our Hokkien mee have a moderate dose of wok hei (Cantonese term meaning “breath of the wok”) but aren’t that potent.

There are three different sizes available, starting from S$5 for a small portion, S$8 for medium and S$10 for large. Small is good for one while a large one is good for sharing between three diners.

It’s likely the first thing you notice when you slurp up your first mouthful of Shiok Hokkien Mee is its wok hei — an exuberant smoky aroma permeates the noodles. 

Combined with the umami seafood flavours of the broth, it makes for a very satisfying plate. 

Texture-wise, it’s loaded up with enough broth to keep the springy noodles moist and lightly lubricated, but not to the point of the noodles becoming thick and viscous or sloppily soupy.

On top of that, Shiok Hokkien Mee’s rendition is also jumbled up with an assortment of egg, pork belly, prawns, squid, and topped up with some crunchy fried pork lard.

At the side, you also get a sizable portion of sambal chilli — be warned, this one is quite fiery, but adds a lot more punch and umami for those who enjoy a boatload of richness.

Because of the heft of flavours, it’s best recommended to eat Shiok Hokkien Mee’s noods with a drizzle of some calamansi juice. The citrus’ bright acidity does wonders in opening up the dish’s profile.

All in all, a pretty good plate that will likely please those who enjoy their Hokkien mee with a bit more smoke. Guess the “shiok” in the new branding is actually pretty accurate!

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the best restaurants to go for date night at buzzy Telok Ayer and the best high tea to pamper yourself and live out your tai tai dreams.

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Shiok Hokkien Mee at Golden Mile Food Centre.