Fans of Hong Lim Food Centre’s High Street Tai Wah Pork Noodle, rejoice. The Bib Gourmand recipient in 2018 and 2019 is opening an outlet at a kopitiam in Bedok Central on August 3, assuming “everything goes well,” says towkay Gerald Tang, 42. The bowls here will be a dollar cheaper than at the original Hong Lim outlet (which often boasts a queue).

Though Tai Wah Pork Noodle at Hong Lim Food Centre only opened its doors in 2003, its history stretches back two generations earlier. The late Tang Joon Teo started it all back in 1939 at Taiwah Coffee Shop on Hill Street. Gerald is the nephew of the hawker behind the more famous one-Michelin-starred Hill Street Tai Hwa (notice the slightly different spelling) Pork Noodle stall at Crawford Lane. However, both businesses run independently of each other.

Despite similarities in ingredients, our colleagues who have tried the dish from both stalls find they do not taste quite the same. The one-star noodles are more consistently seasoned and QQ.

Gerald says the new outlet is a joint venture with “some friends”, and they have “hired experienced workers [to cook at the stall in Bedok].” He adds: “[The proportion of] the vinegar, the sauces, and so on, we will [provide] to them so that the flavour will be the same. We will also be there for the first few weeks to [check on the quality] of the cooking, before slowly stepping back.”

“[We’ve] been looking at expansion for some time,” shares Gerald. Apart from the location, we needed to see which kopitiams [had available stalls]. Most of them already sold bak chor mee or fishball noodles.”

He eventually found a suitable location at FoodHub in Bedok Central. The kopitiam is also home to popular brands like a newly opened King of Fried Rice branch (their fourth outlet so far), as well as Chef Wei HK Cheong Fun, run by an ex-Peach Garden dim sum head chef that’s drawing snaking queues despite opening just two weeks ago.

“We’ll see how [biz at] this stall goes, and maybe open a few more [in future],” he says.

The bowls here cost $5, $7 and $9 for three sizes — they usually go for $6, $8 and $10 at the HQ stall. “At neighbourhood locations like this [with lower operating costs], the prices will be a bit cheaper. Only at food courts or shopping centres will the prices be the same as at Hong Lim,” says the hawker.

If you’re hankering for Tai Wah’s signature bowl of bak chor mee that comes with a liberal sprinkling of crunchy ti poh (fried flat fish), note that its Hong Lim stall isn’t open for business right now. Like several other hawker centres, including Toa Payoh Lor 5, Chong Boon, Chong Pang and Haig Road, the entire food centre is closed from July 17 to July 31 for deep-cleaning and to break the transmission of the Covid-19 virus after cases related to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster emerged there.

High Street Tai Wah Pork Noodle’s new branch will open in Aug at #01-633 FoodHub Coffeeshop, Blk 209 New Upp Changi Rd, S460209. Open daily, 7.30am - 8.30pm. More info via

Their original outlet reopens on August 1 at #02-16 Hong Lim Food Centre, 531A Upper Cross St, S051531. Open daily except Mon, 7.30am - 3pm. Delivery via Foodpanda.

Photos: Gerald Tang