Fully loaded claypot Hokkien mee at Hup Lok

SINGAPORE –All around me is Chinese New Year fever. Restaurants are all trotting out identical menus – yusheng, pencai, braised this or that.

There is only so much I can take. I know I will be heading back to Hup Lok for something different.

This 38-seat restaurant in Havelock Road opened in September 2025. I had interviewed owner Hong Junchen, 41, for another story, but did not visit until recently, when a colleague told me she had had a good meal there.

Two of the three dishes I order are terrific. The first is Claypot Hokkien Mee ($18.80, serves two), which arrives at the table bubbling. Four large prawns, thickish slices of pork belly, squid rings and a crispy, lacy omelette make my belly growl with hunger. Even better, there are cubes of lardons scattered on top.

Nothing prepares me for how good the noodles are. They have that beguiling, smoky flavour and there is enough sauce to coat each strand without drowning the noodles.

This is a rich dish and I would have liked more than one calamansi lime to squeeze over it. I would also like a lot more of the sambal that is served alongside. Not too spicy, not too sweet. What it has is lots of oomph, not least from the ikan bilis in it. I wish the restaurant would bottle and sell it.

The other dish is Grandpa’s Pomfret Soup ($13.80), named after Mr Hong’s 76-year-old father. Now this would be a good antidote to the rich food this time of the year. The terrific stock is made with dried sole, chicken and fish bones, and there is huadiao wine in it too. It is pepped up with salted plums, tomatoes and salted vegetables.

And the soup comes with what looks like an entire pomfret, meaty and just cooked. When it lands on the table, attack at once, so the residual heat does not overcook the fish.

The only dud in the meal is Large Hokkaido Gyoren Scallop ($7.90 each). There is nothing wrong with the shellfish; it is the sauce I object too. It is unpleasantly peppery and there are curry leaves in it. I cannot begin to fathom what this sauce is trying to be.

Just stick to the Hokkien noodles and pomfret soup. Although, on my next visit, I want to try the Signature Prawn Noodles ($12.80) and Alaskan King Crab Noodles ($38.80, serves two).

Where: 725 Havelock Road
MRT: Havelock
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 9.30pm (Tuesdays to Sundays), closed on Mondays. Closed from Feb 17 to 19; reopens on Feb 20 at 5.30pm
Info:

huplok.sg