This was to be my last sit down hawker meal before the additional restrictions for “Phase 2 Heightened Alert” came into effect, so the pressure was on to choose something satisfying. A last supper if you will. IMO, the majority of hawker food is made to be eaten then and there. To truly appreciate the essence of the dish, the skill of the hawker, you must eat it as it is presented to you. Every minute can be critical in order to maximise enjoyment — before sauces congeal, noodles get tired and soggy, vegetables wilt, fried food stops being crispy etc. So I had to savour it one last time.

Marine parade, the location I chose, turns out was the epicentre of a Covid-19 cluster. Perhaps not the wisest decision I have ever made, not without a vaccine in me. I did not know this at the time though.

I had a craving for mee goreng mamak. There is something about fried yellow noodles that is really my comfort food. It goes back to a childhood memory of my favourite food in Chinatown in Adelaide, which was essentially yellow noodles — referred to as Hokkien noodles in Australia — stir-fried in a peanut satay sauce. So after sending some SOS messages to friends, I got given Deen’s muslim food as a recommendation.

First off, this is quite a spicy mee goreng. The dude did not hold back with the slices of chilli padi, not for the faint hearted. Every bite was a potential explosion of heat, mee goreng roulette.

The noodles themselves had a beautiful aroma of wok hei and were perfectly chewy without being too dry. I ordered the regular, which came with sliced cabbage, fried egg chopped up and mixed in, some diced tofu, and some diced fritter (not exactly sure what, but the sort found in Indian rojak). This really hit the spot. Was it the best mee goreng I have ever had? No. But it was above average.

As an aside, I have never understood the reason behind the obligatory slice of cucumber, smothered in what is presumably maggi chilli sauce. I normally ask for without, but forgot this time. The sickly sweet chilli sauce is not for me.

…and with that I reluctantly left what might be my last sit down hawker meal for a while.

Price: $3.50

Coffee shop: 80S Corner Coffee Shop
Address: Blk 80 Marine Parade Central
Hours: 8am - 3am