Think of great Malaysian food and you’ll likely think of dishes such as assam laksa and chicken rice balls from places such as Penang, Ipoh and Malacca. While they are undoubtedly food meccas, we often forget about east Malaysia which comprises Sabah and Sarawak. And among the great dishes that originate from them is the Sarawak kolo mee. Kolo mee is a dish of springy noodles tossed in fragrant oil, usually lard and shallot, before being topped with ingredients such as minced pork and char siew. The result? A moorish, unctuous meal perfect for any time of day.
This humble hawker stall in Bedok was founded by Agnes Wong of Sarikei, Sarawak and is assisted by her son Andy. Her brush with F&B started young as she watched her mother sell noodles in a coffeeshop in Sarawak. Agnes missed the food of her hometown enough to open a stall here selling both Sarawak kolo mee and laksa.
204 Bedok North Street 1, #01-435 Shiweitian Coffee Shop, Singapore 460204 and 1 Expo Dr, Hall 5 outside #01-113, Singapore 486150
For you westies, head to JJ Sarawak Noodles to get a taste of authentic kolo mee. The stall is headed by Madam Wong who had spent two years training and working at a kolo mee stall before opening her own hawker stall. The stall also prides itself on using ingredients from Sarawak and making things from scratch.
3 Yung Sheng Rd, #03-127 Taman Jurong Food Centre, Singapore 618499
Housed in the popular Tampines Round Market & Food Centre, the stall serves up a variety of noodle dishes. Its most notable one is, of course, the namesake kolo mee. Here, the usual minced pork topping is swapped out for wontons, dumplings, pork ribs and char siew slices, giving the dish a slightly different mouthfeel than others.
137 Tampines St. 11, #01-45 Tampines Round Market & Food Centre, Singapore 521137
Having been around for almost a decade, Gold Kolo Mee Ju Xiong has been a longtime favourite among the community. Here, they serve up three styles of kolo mee – white, red and black. The red colour comes from the char siew sauce that is tossed with the noodles while black comes from soya sauce. White, on the other hand, is the original.
205 Bedok North Street 1, Singapore 460205
Meow Mee was founded by first-time hawkers Eric Kon and Lee Chun Hao, a Sarawak food importer and bus captain respectively. They both hail from Kuching and the adorable branding is a homage to the city’s nickname as being the “city of cats”. Meow Mee serves up white and red kolo mee, as well as Sarawak laksa.
Blk 134 Geylang East Ave 1, #01-229 Kim San Leng Coffeeshop, Singapore 380134
165 Pork Rib Prawn Noodles is the brainchild of former Navy regular Alan Woo. He created the stall as he wanted to share his recipe of mala kolo mee he had created that was inspired by his late mother. Besides the kolo mee, the brand is also known for prawn noodles, so give that a taste while you’re there too.
165 Bukit Merah Central, Man Lin F&B, Singapore 150165
Located right next to Aljunied MRT, Tracy was formerly in the construction business before switching to serving food in December 2021. As the name implies, the stall is dedicated to serving authentic Sarawakian food, which expands beyond kolo mee and laksa.
90 Lor 25A Geylang, Singapore 388265
Lin Yu Mei was started by Lin Hang Hua and her sister, both of whom hail from Miri, Sarawak. As evidenced by the long lines at its Haig Road branch, Lin Yu Mei’s popularity has allowed them to expand into another branch at Anchorvale with just two dishes, kolo mee and laksa.
350A Anchorvale Rd, Kwek Seng Huat Eating House, Singapore 541350 and 14 Haig Rd, #01-33 Haig Road Market & Food Centre, Singapore 430014
With five locations dotted islandwide, Traditional Sarawak Kolo Mee is likely one of the more accessible places to get your kolo mee fix. Kolo mee here comes in a variety of toppings options to choose from, ranging from the classic of char siew and minced meat to curry chicken and top shell abalone.
Traditional Sarawak Kolo Mee has multiple locations in Singapore
Jia Xiang is another brand with multiple outlets, but their locations are closer to offices and the central business district than the heartland areas. Unusual toppings here include black pepper smoked duck and fried chicken, in case you’re ever bored of the tried and true classic.
Jia Xiang Sarawak Kuching Kolo Mee has multiple locations in Singapore
This article was first published on Singapore Women’s Weekly.