The Hokkien Mee Club by Shiok Hokkien Mee opens at Newton Food Centre with opeh leaf-wrapped noodles

Mention Shiok Hokkien Mee to its loyal fans and you’ll see their eyes light up. The brand has grown fast since starting in late 2023, and now has 10 outlets dotted across the island, from Jurong all the way to Sengkang.

Now it’s pivoted to something new. The Hokkien Mee Club, run by the same founder and team, has opened at Newton Food Centre, with a few upgrades.

With Newton Food Centre being a magnet for tourists, this concept’s concepts are likely go down well with visitors looking for something quintessentially Singaporean.

For those unfamiliar with the Shiok Hokkien Mee story, it began humbly, with the family of 27-year-old founder Mitchell Ong.

He grew up helping his father at hawker stalls from the age of 12, which was where he first got hands-on with the wok. Those years laid the foundation for his craft.

The stall first caught the public’s attention in 2020, when You Fu Hokkien Mee, Mitchell’s family business, went viral. When Mitchell joined after his stint in sales, the Golden Mile stall was rebranded as Shiok Hokkien Mee. 

Since then, its fan base has only kept growing, with the sheer number of outlets as proof.

We showed up at 5.15pm, a little before its 5.30pm opening, and a queue had already formed. The team had even started taking orders.

The new menu

Shiok Hokkien Mee’s well-loved wet-style Hokkien mee, along with its smoky wok hei, is still very much part of the offerings at The Hokkien Mee Club. In short, they kept what worked.

There are two main differences to look out for at this new concept: a new opeh leaf-wrapped Hokkien mee, and premium ingredients across the menu items.

The new Hokkien mee with opeh leaf (from S$9.50 for medium) wraps its noodles in areca palm leaf, the way few Hokkien mee stalls do these days. It’s a traditional touch you can’t just find just anywhere.

A card comes with the wrapped noodles, advising diners to let them rest for at least five to ten minutes before digging in.

The leaf does plenty for the dish. The noodles take on a woodier and more fragrant aroma. The smoky wok hei seems to cling better, too, and the umami hits harder. 

The more noticeable change is, perhaps, its texture. It’s even wetter than Shiok Hokkien Mee’s already saucy offerings. But this isn’t a bad thing, just a matter of preference.

The second thing to look out for is the premium ingredients, which applies to both the opeh leaf-wrapped and the plated Hokkien mee (from S$6.50 for small).

You’ll taste it from its broth, which is built on blue swimmer crabs and prawn heads for around 12 to 13 hours. The result is noticeably more briny than its Shiok Hokkien Mee counterpart, with a more concentrated flavour that clings onto every noodle strand.

The noodles come tossed with pork belly, squid, prawns, and pork lard.

Its large red leg prawns are plump and sweet with a springy bite. The crispy fried pork lard is larger, too, and stays crunchy as the noodles soak up the gravy.

The plated Hokkien mee was the crowd favourite at our table, mostly because my dining companions preferred its texture. That said, if you don’t mind a wetter plate, go for the opeh leaf version — the extra moisture doesn’t dilute any of the flavour.

The chilli on the side is worth a shoutout, too — it was hard to keep away from. It lifts the whole plate, especially in the opeh leaf version, where its woody and umami-rich notes complement the heat.

For both dishes, you can add more noodles for S$1 or ingredients for S$3.

You might notice that the price point here is a little higher than at Shiok Hokkien Mee, but given the step up in quality at this more premium concept, as well as its location at Newton Food Centre, it’s easy to understand why.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, check out our Newton Food Centre guide on 15 stalls and 10 trending JB cafes to visit on your next long weekend.