There are some young hawkers who found themselves caught in a very challenging situation, especially when they have just opened in 2020.
While this promising Ban Mian stall Mian Zhuang 麵荘 is located at the popular Hong Lim Food Centre, it is found at the back area of level 1 (behind the famous Sotong Soup stall) which can make it hard to find.
Before the COVID-19 days, the stall found some popularity with the office workers around the vicinity, but unfortunately they lost a huge CBD crowd after the “Circuit Breaker” measures kicked in.
When owner Jonathan first wrote to me early this year, I told him I would visit his stall anonymously – which I did eventually.
The dilemma is, we (food bloggers) do receive numerous requests on a daily basis till it can get quite overwhelming (and everyone is asking for help of some kind).
I find the need to be fair in a way too, and so decided to try out many other new ban mian stalls in Singapore, which result in this post. Yes, click here.
So I tried Mian Zhuang 麵荘 twice – at the food centre and delivery; and also recommended a few friends to the stall. They gave it the thumbs up.
What is noteworthy is that Mian Zhuang 麵荘 uses noodles made from scratch daily and not bought from any factory, and is healthier without added preservatives.
The stalls serve up a variety of noodles (ban mian, you mian, mee hoon kueh), with choices of like abalone, razor clams, fish maw, prawns and batang fish.
A basic bowl goes for $4.50, while the larger bowl is priced at $6.50.
With that said, the menu board could be confusing for first timers as you would be pictorially bombarded. Plus it was a hot, narrow part of the food centre with little space to see clearly.
To streamline, their top-sellers include Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh with Prawns, Handmade You Mian with Abalone Clams, Handmade Ban Mian with Sliced Fish, Hong Kong Mee with Fish Maw, and Cintan Mee with Abalone Clams.
I ordered a Mee Hoon Kueh with Fish, and noted that the uncle serving it drizzled some black sauce in a circular motion at the end.
This was the sauce that made quite a bit of difference – thick, savoury and packed with flavours.
The self-blended chilli was also rather spicy, but very shiok and added a bit helped ‘lift’ the overall taste.
Even after dabao, the Mee Hoon Kueh pieces were soft and didn’t clump together. You can sense the heart 心 in the hawkers in perfecting the finer details.
Interesting to note that the stall also offers kimchi (additional $2) that the couple ferment themselves. Apparently, they went to Korean previously to learn how to make kimchi properly.
Last message goes to Jonathan and girlfriend (? I think so haha): I hope you both can strive through this period. Stay positive, and looking forward to eat the Ban Mian again ‘live’ at your stall. Jia you!
Delivery
Mian Zhuang is providing island wide delivery (except Jurong Island) for just a flat rate of $10 with no minimum order. Fees go direct to the rider – they don’t earn any delivery fee, and also absorb the sauce of the delivery containers. Menu here.
– Order by Whatsapp: +65 8488 7898
– Payment via Paynow/lah to confirm the order
– Pre-order before 10am recommended so that they can prepare noodles fresh
In the WhatApp, include:
– Full name (same as Paynow name for easier checks)
– Date/Time of delivery or pick-up
– Menu items x quantity, for example
Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh with Prawns x 1
Hong Kong Mee with Fish Maw x 2 etc
Mian Zhuang
531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Food Centre #01-51, Singapore 051531
Opening Hours: 9am – 3pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Other Related Entries
10 Delicious DRY BAN MIAN In Singapore
10 Must-Try BAN MIAN In Singapore
China Whampoa Ban Mian (Whampoa)
Ji Ji Noodle House (Hong Lim Food Centre)
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