There’s just something about a steaming hot bowl of ban mian that’s really comforting. I’m sure everyone has their go-to spot for ban mian, but if you’re looking for somewhere new to try, listen up.

Fatty Handmade Noodles 肥肥板面 is located at Yishun Ring Road, though it’s technically closer to Khatib MRT station — it’s just a 10-minute walk from the station to the stall. This might be one of the best ban mian stalls I’ve been to, and I’m not kidding when I say I wouldn’t mind coming back again. And I stay in the far West – it’s that good.

Tucked away in a small coffee shop under Block 618, don’t be fooled by the unassuming stall front. It shares the space with a lor mee stall, a fish soup stall and the famous carrot cake stall.

One thing to note is that they only have two stoves to cook the ban mian on, so service might be a lil‘ slow, especially if there’s a queue.

I started with the Signature Ban Mian 板面汤 (S$3.50), which is a no-frills, hearty bowl of soupy ban mian. If you usually avoid soup noodles because of the MSG-laden soup, good news. Fatty Handmade Noodles doesn’t use MSG in their soups at all!

Digging into the ban mian, I immediately noticed that the noodles here are slightly wider than the usual kind. The slippery noodles were hard to pick up with chopsticks, though that also meant that they had a smooth and chewy mouthfeel.

I’d recommend breaking the egg and mixing it with the noodles and soup, for a creamier and richer taste.

The soup on its own was already very flavourful and umami too; it was thicker and cloudier than most ban mian soups.

What I really liked was that the minced meat came in clumps. This meant I could pop a whole piece of soft, tender and savoury meat into my mouth, instead of trying to scoop up the small minced bits.

Those who don’t particularly enjoy soupy dishes will prefer the Signature Dry Mee Hoon Kuey 面粉粿干 (S$4). For those who aren’t aware, mee hoon kueh refers to hand-torn noodles and these are irregularly shaped.

Fatty Handmade Noodles serves this dry mee hoon kueh dish with a salty and sweet dark sauce. Unfortunately, I found the sauce a little too oily for my liking, as it coated my tongue and lips with greasy residue after the meal.

Each piece of mee hoon kueh was chewy and thick, so if you enjoy the al dente texture, you’ll like this. For me, I prefer my noodles a little softer — which I imagine it would be if it was soaked in the soup instead.

The dry noodles came with a gooey, flowy onsen egg which I really appreciated. Break the yolk and mix well for a creamy and comforting mouthfeel.

Finally, with the mala hype in Singapore still going strong, how could I miss out on the Signature Dry Mala 麻辣干 (S$5)?

This was by far my favourite dish from Fatty Handmade Noodles. Even as I was mixing the noodles and the mala sauce, I could already smell the characteristic peppercorns and sneeze-inducing spices.

They add a mala paste to the noodles before cooking, but I have to say, this is the real stuff. Unlike some mala dishes that are simply painfully spicy, Fatty Handmade Noodles actually manages to incorporate the iconic numbing peppercorn.

This dish even comes with a plump and succulent prawn, on top of the usual minced meat clumps.

Again, this is best enjoyed if you break the egg yolk and mix it in. Bonus: the yolk actually helps to reduce the spice level of the dish.

Fatty Handmade Noodles also offers Tomyum Soup 冬炎(S$4), though I didn’t manage to try it as they were sold out. Definitely, something for me to try the next time I head down!

While the location of Fatty Handmade Noodles may not be the most accessible for those who don’t stay in the area, it’s worth a visit.

Nothing too fancy about their noodle dishes, but each bowl was comforting and hearty — just the way good ban mian should be.

Expected Damage: S$3.50 – S$5 per pax