Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is a family-run stall whose story goes back to the 1930s, when the founder began selling noodles on Hill Street. Run today by the next generation of the Tang family, it became world-famous in 2016, when the first MICHELIN Guide Singapore gave it a star, making it one of the first two street-food stalls in the world to receive one. It has stayed in the guide ever since, and the queues have never really gone away.

The dish to order is bak chor mee, minced pork noodles. Each bowl is cooked and tossed to order: springy noodles are coated in black vinegar, chilli paste and lard, then topped with minced pork, slices of pork, liver, meatballs, dried sole and crisp pork lard. The result is sour, savoury and spicy at once, and the black vinegar is what sets this version apart. Most regulars choose the dry version, with a small bowl of soup on the side, though a soup version is available. Bowls come in several sizes, and you can tell the cook how spicy you want it.

Because every bowl is made individually, the line moves slowly. Waits of an hour or more are common, especially at weekends and on public holidays, so arrive early in the day, bring patience and something to read. The stall can close earlier than its posted hours if ingredients run out, and it closes on some days each month, so it is worth checking the latest information before making a special trip.

This is a meal for dedicated food lovers rather than anyone in a hurry. It is cheap, filling and eaten at shared tables in a simple coffee shop at the foot of a public housing block, which is very much part of the appeal. Solo diners and pairs will find seats more easily than large groups. There is no air conditioning, so dress for the heat.

The stall is at Block 466 Crawford Lane, near the Kallang River and the Lavender area, and Lavender MRT station is about ten minutes' walk away. Afterwards, it is a short walk to Kampong Gelam and Haji Lane, or along Jalan Besar towards the specialty coffee of Chye Seng Huat Hardware on Tyrwhitt Road.