Seng Huat Coffee House (North Bridge Road)

Seng Huat Coffee House is probably more than just an establishment in Bugis; it wouldn’t be particularly wrong to call Seng Huat Eating House an icon considering how they are a coffeeshop that is located within a prominently-located shophouse along North Bridge Road. Sure, it may not be the only location that they have and the location of their other coffeeshop at Blk 811 Hougang Central is also equally hard-to-miss; that being said, there is little to no chance that folks around the island would not have known about it especially for those that frequent the area. Seng Huat Coffee House is probably better known for their minced meat noodles / fishball noodles for a good while, though one item that had seen some hype in the past couple of years would be the piggy-styled pork chop buns that are pretty much unique to them — more known to be available at their Hougang location than the one at Bugis. It is also known that their coffee mugs do bear a logo of their coffeeshop, which showcases a pretty illustration of their Bugis coffeeshop with its Chinese name ”成发咖啡” being mentioned at the bottom. Being a coffeeshop though, the Bugis outlet not only consists of a stall that serves minced meat noodles, but also one that serves up a Hainanese Chicken Rice and another that serves mainland Chinese cuisine (there was another short-lived stall that was serving up Taiwanese braised pork rice, though the stall had closed at the time of writing).

This is not our first time dining from the minced meat noodle / fishball noodle stall at Seng Huat Coffee House in the Bugis outlet; there was another occasion that we had done so several years ago as well, though the most recent visit that we had made was pretty much a random eat considering how we had came here after finding out that the spot that we initially wanted to dine at was closed for the day.

The minced meat noodle / fishball noodle stall is unnamed, though it is the most prominent stall there considering how it is located right at the entrance of the coffeeshop with the stall facing the main road. The Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle which we had went for is priced at $4.50; probably quite a steal considering the rising prices of food items in recent years — patrons do get a choice to choose their preferred type of noodles and we opted for Mee Pok. We had also added chilli to our order as well. It is not being described on the menu board what elements come with the Minced Meat Noodle here, though the bowl that we were served comes with the usual — pork slices, pork liver, braised mushrooms and minced pork. Giving everything a bit of a toss, we did feel that the Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle is decent; there was a slight tang from the addition of vinegar though this was not overpowering, while the chili did provide a lightly spicy kick to tickle the tastebuds — not particularly strong though and would work well even for those with lower tolerance to spiciness. That being said, we did wish for a slightly bigger contrast of flavours since this was on the verge towards being a little bit on the flat side. The noodles were springy while the pork slices and minced pork were decent; pork liver wasn’t too grainy and did not seem to be too gamey — the braised mushrooms providing a good bounce and a contrasting savouriness that adds another dimension of flavour, though it is interesting that they do not include crispy pork lard here. Instead, we found Ikan Bilis served in this rendition which provided a crunch and a slightly saltish note to compliment all the flavours going on with the Mushroom Minced Meat Noodles. Overall not a bad bowl of Mushroom Minced Meat Noodles, though there seems to be a noticeable dip in quality which probably translated to how the coffeeshop just wasn’t as packed with people slurping up a bowl of mushroom minced meat noodles as before; not to mention the portion being on the smaller side. That being said, Seng Huat Coffee House’s Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle is still a trusty one to resolve one’s craving for Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle any day.

Adorable cup for an institution, no? I wish they sell it

Apparently there’s a late night (24 hrs?) bak chor mee - an institution- right opposite Bugis Junction. Not bad lah. What’s really excellent is the perfect doneness of the pork and liver. So tender, I still remember it

There are 2 strong points for their rendition of this dish.
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The righteous gravy, with a good amount of black vinegar, tingles the palate and lends depth.
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The extra large and springy juicy fish balls, mildly sweet savoury in taste, are so satisfying.
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Fish Ball Noodles
Seng Huat Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle
@ 492 North Bridge Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2023/02/best-of-singapore-hawkers-fishball-noodles.html

This stall makes the list for only 3 reasons.
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The most unique feature is their use of fried ikan bilis / anchovies, which lends a satisfying crunch to texture, and light savoury salty flavour.
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The gravy is strong, with a good amount of black vinegar, waking the palate with a sour tang.
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Being open 24 hours a day, they're a reliable supper spot, and their dish helps alleviate the effects of the night.
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Bak Chor Mee
Seng Huat Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle
@ 492 North Bridge Road
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2021/12/best-of-singapore-hawkers-bak-chor-mee.html

Minced Pork Noodles ($4):
Ingredients, noodles and condiments are pretty average. Portion is quite small for the price of it.