I was first introduced to Hock Lam Beef @ Far East Square by a colleague some years back when I was working at Raffles Place area then. Their beef noodles was one of the better ones in Singapore that I’d tried so when the husband told me he wanted to have beef noodles, this place just came to mind.
If you’d read The Straits Times earlier this month, you might have come across the 5 famous Singapore food feuds article in which Hock Lam Beef was also featured. I’ve not tried the other beef noodles stall (maybe I will soon) but I’m sure each of them has their own strength and loyal customer base. For now, I’m happy with my choice.
The husband and I were here just after the lunch hour and the restaurant was pretty much empty. Anyway, the ARC seemed quite dead on weekends too and most dining establishments here weren’t too crowded as well.
What I like about dining at Hock Lam Beef is that we can customise our orders to our preferences i.e. we can choose the noodles and beef toppings and then indicate if we want it dry or with soup. And if we have any other special request, we can just make a note on the order chit before we hand over to any service staff who will process our orders speedily.
And for dine-in customers, you’d get to enjoy free flow of hard boiled eggs. I didn’t notice other customers helping themselves to the eggs but I wasn’t surprised to see the husband walking back to our table with 4 eggs, lol. Protein-rich egg whites – his all-time love.
Mixed Beef with Thick Bee Hoon in Herbal Beef Broth $7.90
When I eat beef noodles, I only go for thick bee hoon as I feel it has the best texture that complements the soup or gravy. In this bowl of mixed beef soup, there were sliced beef, tripe, shin and a beef ball. The beef that were slightly pinkish, tripe and shin were absolutely tender and the beef ball, really springy. I loved the broth that had a subtle herbal flavour and was flavoursome and hearty. The fried lotus root crisps on top were a nice touch and tasted better than fried shallots which I never did fancy. The chopped salted vegetables gave a nice tangy kick to the broth too.
Their homemade chilli sauce and braised peanuts were worth a mention too. The chilli was perfectly balanced with both sweet and soury flavours and somehow lifted the senses when you dip the meats in it. The braised peanuts were robust and soft.
A bowl of sheer comfort. What’s not to like, really.
Sliced & Chunky Beef with Thick Bee Hoon in Gravy $7.80
The husband preferred the dry version with gravy that came with tender cuts of sliced and chunky beef. The gravy was a little starchy for my liking (that’s why I normally order soup base) but its flavour was full-bodied and robust. The additional ground peanuts gave it a nice nutty aroma too. Every order of dry noodles will come with a small bowl of soup that is similar (slightly saltier) to the broth used in the soup version.
Will we be back? Definitely, every now and then as the prices here are slightly steeper than other beef noodles plus there are additional GST & service charge while dining in. It’s still acceptable with this being restaurant standard so we can dine in comfort. Worth a try if you haven’t been here.
Hock Lam Beef @ Alexandra Retail Centre
460 Alexandra Rd, #02-24
Nearest MRT station: Labrador Park
Tel: 6272 9945
Website
Facebook page
Opening hours:
10.00am to 9.00pm (Mon-Fri)
11.00am to 9.00pm (Sat, Sun & PH)