Best Hokkien Mee in Singapore - Yara Coffeehouse

 

Claypot Hokkien Mee - House Speciality 

The last 4 days were a revelation to me. My car had a major breakdown, the ECU (electronic control unit which is the modern day equivalent of the distributor) was engulfed by some oil when the engine thermostat malfunctioned and my trusty Mercedes finally gave in. 

Truth be told, this is the first serious service job I had to engage with my car in over 10 years of owning it. I bought it second hand in 2016 and it is the second E250 which I have owned. I love the model and the classy look and feel of this ECU saloon car.  My father also owned the E 250 for a number of years, so I guess I inherited his love for the marque.

Over the years, I have owned 3 Mercedes Benzes, the first was in 1996. It was the E 190 and it served me pretty well when the boys were just toddlers. I believe I drove it for 6 years till 2002.  

Walkway along Evans Road 

Back to today's post. Since I was carless for almost 4 days (Sat - Tue), I took public transport to and from work. So on Tuesday, I decided to take the bus to National University campus where at the side of the campus along Evans Road, there is this airconditioned food court called Sprouts, which serves awesome Bak Chor Mee (Pork Noodles). 

When I was walking the length of Evans Road, I chanced upon this small cafe called Yara which seemed to be busy with patrons. The foodie in me was piqued, and I walked across the road and stepped inside the cafe. It was a homey place and the specialities were 

a) Nasi Lemak

b) Crab Meat Bee Hoon

c) Singapore Hokkien Mee in Claypot.

I decided to opt for the Hokkien Mee which is one of the signatures of this cafe. I was not disappointed at all. The dish was chock a block of yummy ingredients. 

I took my first bite and it was a revelation. The "wok hei"  (breath of the wok) which  was the slightly smoky charred flavor and aroma when the dish is stir fried very fast over a strong flame was so apparent, I was in foodie heaven. The broth or gravy , I learnt, is slow cooked for 5 hours, hence the awesome robust flavor.  

They served 2 tiger prawns, which were really fresh and succulent. There were so many ingredients, each mouthful was bursting with flavor. Let me try to list them down :

a) belly pork - plenty 

b) pork lard - at least 4 to 5 large pieces (I put them aside)

c) dau gay or bean sprouts 

d) squid rings

e) spring onions

f) 2 tiger prawns

g) chives

h) eggs

i) yellow noodles

j) bee hoon.

Man, I had never eaten such an awesome calorie laden dish in a long while. Be warned, the dish is piping hot when served, so be patient with each bite ! 

I threw out my less carb diet for the week, and tucked in.

I washed it down with a kopi C siew dai (Coffee with evaporated milk less sugar). 

Lunch coma was avoided when I finished the feast, and then proceeded to walk almost 1 km in the hot afternoon sun to the bus stop along Bukit Timah Road.

The gem of the cafe :

Yara Coffeehouse

26 Evans Road

Singapore 259 367 

My dear readers, do give the Coffeehouse a visit, and experience for yourself if the Hokkien Mee is really as good as I said it is !