Eric Chia has officially passed down his beloved Ah Hoe Mee Pok stall at West Coast to his trusted apprentice and godson Oliver Chia, who has since renamed the stall to Fan Ji Specialty Noodle. The young hawker was once a loyal customer of Ah Hoe's since its good old days at a Clementi coffeeshop nearby.
Now, while the signboard and owner have changed, the recipes here remain the same. Regulars flock back for Fan Ji's signature mee pok noodles, which boast a firmer and chewier consistency than regular mee pok, thanks to a special supplier that the stall has been supporting since its early days. Each strand has a satisfying, bouncy bite and soaks up the seasoning excellently. A word on the seasoning: while it's customary to calibrate your bowl of noodles by adding vinegar or soy sauce, you likely won't find a need for that here, as each portion of noodles is doused in a punchy, flavourful sauce that coats every strand perfectly. The bowls are then topped off with pork lard and faux abalone slices — Eric's signature touch. While noodle portions are on the smaller side, you can ask for a bigger portion at no additional cost.
The highlight here is the generous bowls of minced pork and seafood soup that come with your noodles. There's none of that MSG-laden, clear token soup nonsense here. Each hearty bowl comes loaded with chopped Chinese cabbage, tender lean pork slices, minced pork, a homemade fish dumpling, and a large prawn. The standard set goes at $7, and those who love fish maw can opt for the fish maw soup set ($9) for thick, spongey fish maw slices that soak up all the soup. But Fan Ji's most popular set is undisputedly the prawn paste noodle soup set (from $7) which features the stall's signature handmade prawn paste. These sell out fast so make sure to arrive early to get first dibs.