Springy kolo mee & flavourful Sarawak-style laksa in Bukit Merah

Zhong Pin Noodle House catches my eye every time I’m at Bukit Merah Central Food Centre to grab a bite when I’m in the area for a haircut.

I’ve always been drawn to their purple stall front and their promise of Sarawak-style noodles. Thing is, I’d never been lucky enough to catch them while they’re open since I usually drop by in the late afternoon.

At long last (after countless attempts and mental notes), I returned on a Tuesday morning, delighted to see the stall bright and running. It’s not a difficult find, located in the second-nearest section to the entrance.

You might’ve heard of Zhong Pin Noodle House; it was featured on Mediacorp’s Our Makan Places: Lost & Found in 2018. Its stall front still sports the TV show’s poster, complete with Gurmit Singh’s autograph.

The stall’s menu features several Sarawak-style noodles, their recipes the brainchild of stall-owner Roy Ong. Driven by a passion for cooking, Roy opened the stall in a bid to spread the love for Sarawakian cuisine in Singapore. 

The menu does include a local touch too, with favourites like Bak Chor Mee (S$4.50) and Fishball Soup (S$3.50/S$4.50). Delicious as they looked, I didn’t want to stray from their Sarawakian signatures.

What I tried at Zhong Pin Noodle House

Okay, I have to admit that I don’t know much about Sarawakian cuisine. I’ve enjoyed a fair share of kolo mee, though. With numerous popular eateries priding themselves on the dish, it’s really the only dish I’ve gotten acquainted with as far as the cuisine is concerned.

That being said, I was instantly drawn to Zhong Pin’s Sarawak Kolo Mee (S$4.50/S$5.50). Given that it was my first ever try of the stall’s fare, Roy recommended that I start with the original White Kolo Mee (S$4.50).

The noodles come in 2 other variations: Black and Red, which get their names from the dark soy sauce and red char siew sauce the noodles are respectively tossed in.

The bowl was quite a visually appealing one, with pops of red from the char siew slices and green from the lettuce leaf and spring onions, contrasted against the muted yellow noodles. Would it be too much of an exaggeration to say that its appearance alone whetted my appetite? Definitely not.

I was given a saucer of Zhong Pin’s house-made chilli that I could add as I wished. The spice lover that I am, I didn’t hesitate to mix in every last bit of it with my noodles for that extra kick. Mildly zesty with an aromatic belacan flavour, it definitely took the dish up a notch.

Despite having ordered the smaller portion, the bowl I received came with quite a generous portion of noodles that’ll fill even big eaters right up. 

Zhong Pin has the texture of these noodles nailed – they were springy and held a satisfying firm bite. Tossed in ample shallot and lard oil, they bore no hint of the egginess that some might be averse to. I gobbled down the whole bowl without feeling jelak in the least.

They don’t scrimp on the ingredients either. I was sure to stack each spoonful of noodles with sweet meaty char siew slices, flavourful moist minced pork and fragrant crunchy pork lard. The elements came together in perfect harmony in terms of textures and tastes.

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I couldn’t leave without trying the specialty Sarawak Fusion Laksa (S$5.50/S$6.50). In order to cater to the generic Singaporean palate, Zhong Pin’s recipe for Sarawak laksa has been specifically formulated to be less oily and pungent than it authentically is. How interesting and thoughtful!

The Sarawak Fusion Laksa was by no means similar to the laksa we’re familiar with.

As opposed to a creamy light orange, the broth here is coloured a deep brown and has a runny consistency akin to that of mee siam. It’s pretty heavy on the palate, with a robust and strikingly herbal flavour profile. While seemingly unassuming appearance-wise, it had a spice that slowly crept in. Shiok!

Normally, I would complain about the use of thin bee hoon noodles in place of the conventional thick ones. To my surprise, however, it felt like the most fitting noodle choice for this dish. The bee hoon soaked up the laksa broth unexpectedly well, its unadulterated rice flavour providing a good balance to the rich broth.

The Sarawak Fusion Laksa was tied together nicely by the ingredients that accompanied the noodles. These included tender chicken shreds, strips of egg omelette cut as thinly as tau kee, and 3 fresh prawns, along with well-cleaned taugeh that lent each mouthful a pleasant crunch.

Final Thoughts

My meal at Zhong Pin Noodle House, though not mind-blowing, left me feeling deeply satisfied. While I cannot vouch for the authenticity of its Sarawak-style noodle dishes, I’m compelled to say that they serve up pretty solid bowls of noodles that are worth a try.

If you only have room for one dish, I urge you to head straight for the Sarawak Kolo Mee. With fragrant shallot and lard oil-laden springy noodles, aromatic chilli and complementary ingredients to boot, it truly stood in a league above others I’ve tried. I hold high hopes for the Black and Red variations and will definitely be back to give them a worthy shot.

Expected damage: S$4.50 – S$6.50 per pax

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