Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

The name means come every day. The queue suggests a worrying number of people took it literally.

Come Daily is the Hokkien mee to plan a Toa Payoh morning around, as long as you come early and preferably in a pair. It is a wetter plate than the dry-fried style, and for us that is the right call: the broth goes into the noodles rather than sitting on the plate. The compromises are time and seats. It trades only from Wednesday to Sunday, closes at 2pm, and seating is limited, so this is a breakfast or early-lunch plan, not a late one.

Why it is worth the wait

Up on the second floor of Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Come Daily has been frying Hokkien mee since 1968. Its Chinese name, 天天来 (tian tian lai), translates roughly as "come every day", which sounds like bravado until you see the regulars. It is still a family business: Steven Ng took over the wok from his father nearly half a century ago and now cooks alongside his son, Jason.

The method is about heat control and patience. Yellow noodles and thick bee hoon go in with big pieces of egg fried in the wok, and the pork lard is fried in the broth itself rather than scattered on at the end. The crisp lard is fried fresh daily and given on request, so ask; it is not the moment to be shy.

How to eat it

Stir the sambal through the noodles before you taste anything; it is meant to be mixed in, not eaten off the side. Then decide whether you are a lard-on-request person. You are.

How to do it well

Go early, and bring a friend. Chey Sua Carrot Cake is a few units along on the same floor and keeps the same Wednesday-to-Sunday rhythm, so a well-organised pair can split up, queue for both and reconvene with two plates for a very good Toa Payoh breakfast (marriages have been built on less). Hold a table before you order if you can; the seats go before the noodles do.

It is about a six-minute walk from Braddell MRT, at 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh. Portions come in three sizes, so a pair sharing two dishes can go small here and save room. Come with time and an empty stomach, and leave with lard on your conscience.

Good to know #02-27 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 8.30am–2pm; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. About a six-minute walk from Braddell MRT.

Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee | Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310127