UPDATE: It seems the hawker wanted a break and she has ceased cooking for a while.

This particular Saturday started with a leisurely cycle around Bedok Reservoir - earnestly attempting to work off the calories from that second bottle of wine decision at dinner the night before. It was to be a day of firsts; my first time to bedok reservoir, my first time to see a bird song competition in action, and my first time having kolo mee outside of Sarawak.

I found Yu Xiang’s kolo mee using google maps, trying to find something to eat for lunch. For the uninitiated, kolo mee is a signature of the Sarawakian food scence. I would describe it as a less saucy version of wanton mee, with a noodle that is more wavy and chewy in texture (QQQ?). Whenever I am in Kuching I had at last one bowl of kolo mee each day, either kosong (best for breakfast), merah (reddened with the sweet sauce used to marinate char siew) or black sauce.

The combination of both minced pork and char siew is what I love about kolo mee, especially when tossed with some vinegar. Sarawak style char siew tends to be sweeter than the Singapore counterpart and this char siew was true to that style. The umami of this dish comes when you toss the noodles in all the pork lard…. I’m drooling as I write this. Yu Xiang’s kolo mee close to what my memory of what kolo mee should be, if not quite reaching the standards I was used to in Kuching (although can food ever taste as good outside of the local setting and experience?). However, I will definitely be coming back here to satisfy my cravings, now I know it exists. I will also have to try their Sarawak laksa, a favourite of Anthony Bourdain, as every local in Kuching will tell you.

There is a promotion on here too, 50c off both laksa and kolo mee (I do not know if this is one of those eternal promotions — think rug shops), so I suggest trying this ASAP. Yun xiang also seem to have their own website, which is cool but my mandarin is not that strong.

Price: $3.50

Coffee shop: Block 418 Coffee shop
Address: 418 Bedok North Ave 2
Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm