QQ handmade noodles & delicious fortune pork balls in Ubi worth the trip

As a lifelong Westie, never would I have seen myself voluntarily travelling to ulu Ubi. However, when I heard about DMQ Ban Mian and its QQ handmade noodles, the ban mian fanatic in me knew I had to make the trip down.

DMQ Ban Mian is located in Ubi DMQ Eating House, a short walk away from Ubi MRT station. It is best known for its noodles – ban mian, you mian and mee hoon kueh – all handmade fresh daily.

The stall has been a favourite in the area for almost 10 years, cementing itself as a mainstay of the coffeeshop. The sight of almost everyone in the lunch crowd tucking into bowls of their handmade noodles only served as testament to its popularity.

What I tried at DMQ Ban Mian

In the many years I’ve been enjoying ban mian, I’ve learnt that fresh handmade noodles hold the best bite. The floury balls of noodles at the counter sent a nod my way. With expectations held high, I couldn’t wait to dig in.

A quick scroll through online reviews nudged me to order the Dry Fortune Pork Ball Ban Mian (S$6.50). As a dry ban mian lover, this was a natural first choice. 

While S$6.50 is objectively pricey for a bowl of ban mian, the heaped bowl I was presented with seemed perfectly reasonable. 

The noodles come topped with 4 hefty fortune pork balls, a generous serving of chye sim and a liberal sprinkle of shallots and ikan bilis.

A thorough toss of the noodles coated them in a sheen of that gorgeous dark brown sauce. Much better.

And then came the true test, which it immediately passed with flying colours. First bite and I was sold! The ban mian was perfectly QQ and springy, every strand slathered in that moreish sauce.

While the sauce mixtures in some ban mian tend to be a tad flat, this had a perfect umami balance.

You’ll also be given a small saucer of chilli sauce to adjust the spice level however you like. It’s potent but I highly recommend you to do so as the fragrant garlicky chilli elevates the dish.

You might’ve noticed something missing – the egg! I soon realised that it was concealed within the side bowl of soup, and promptly mixed it into my ban mian. It is worth mentioning that I did find the viscous texture of the soup slightly off-putting, though.

While there was much to shout about for the noodles, I struck gold with the fortune pork balls. These morsels teach you not to judge a book by its cover – encased in each is a delectable chunk of minced meat.

I’d liken it to xiao long bao but with a meatball “wrapper” in place of dumpling skin, with savoury pork juices that flow out. I deeply enjoyed each of these, relishing in the tasty meat and exciting textural combination.

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The second bowl I got was the Lala You Mian (S$6). Lala in ban mian and at a reasonable price too? Rare. I couldn’t miss out! For good measure, I opted for the soup version this time. 

It took a while for my order to arrive. It looked like your stereotypical bowl of soupy you mian – thin handmade noodles submerged in a thick cloudy broth with a healthy serving of spinach.

Like any Singaporean, I’ve been taught to measure value for money in terms of ingredient generosity. I counted no less than 10 lala clams in the bowl. Not bad at all!

Moreover, the lala clams were surprisingly plump. Chewy, sweet and bearing only a slight metallic taste, they were easy on the palate.

Despite having soaked in the soup for a while before I tucked in, the you mian was not soggy at all and retained a bouncy bite. Looks like DMQ’s noodles stand the test of time, both literally and figuratively. 

My main gripe however was with the soup. It was unexpectedly bland when I had my first spoonful. I took a swig of water as a palate cleanser but my opinion unfortunately stood. It had next to no sweetness from the lala and was instead briny – not particularly pleasant for noodle soup. 

Nonetheless, it was clear that the soup was not MSG-laden and I laud them for that.

The final bowl I ordered was the Dry Pork You Mian (S$4.80), minus the vegetables and shallots for a picky dining partner (my sister).

For the umpteenth time, the you mian noodles retained a pleasant bite.

The bowl also came with minced meat chunks and several slices of lean pork. They could’ve afforded to be more generous here for both noodles and meat, as the portion leaned towards the small side.

The sauce mixture was the same delicious one used in my Dry Fortune Pork Ball Ban Mian. For some reason, it felt as though the sauce coated the you mian better.

Final Thoughts

I have one thing to say – where has this ban mian been all my life? Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at DMQ Ban Mian.

The handmade noodles alone are worth making a trip down to Ubi. Simply stellar with a perfect bite, deserving of every bit of recognition garnered.

I highly recommend having their noodles dry with that tasty sauce mixture, and opting for the Fortune Pork Ball version for ultimate satisfaction. 

While I don’t have the best impression of their Lala You Mian in Soup, you have my word that I’ll find my way back to the stall again and again to try other soup versions, and more.

Expected damage: S$4.80 – S$8 per pax

霸婆手工面: Homely handmade noodles & delicious multi-coloured mee hoon kuay hidden in Jalan Besar

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