Kuching kolo mee ($6.90)!
City Hall Sarawak kolo mee: bouncy thin noodles tossed in shallot oil with minced pork, red char siew and scallion, with a clear soup side. $6.90.
Lunch at City Hall: Kuching kolo mee, $6.90. The Sarawak signature. π
What was in the bowl:
- Bouncy thin noodles: the springy kolo mee, tossed in a shallot-oil dressing
- Minced pork: the savoury crumble over the noodles
- Red char siew: the dyed-red roast pork slices
- Chopped scallion through it
- Side clear soup with scallion, and a sambal dip
Kolo mee (ε₯η½ι’) is the Sarawak signature noodle, the pride of Kuching, and it differs from Singaporeβs Cantonese-Teochew noodles in one key way: the dressing stays pale. Where local wanton mee leans on dark soy and sweet sauce, kolo mee is tossed in lard and shallot oil with light seasoning, letting the noodleβs spring and the shallot aroma carry the dish. There is no dark sauce drowning it; the first bite reads almost plain, then the lard-and-shallot fragrance builds.
The noodle is the whole point: kolo mee noodles are made to be bouncy and springy (the βQQβ texture), cooked fast and rinsed so they stay al dente and separate. The distinctive springy bite is what Sarawakians judge the dish by, and it is genuinely different from the softer Singapore mee kia.
The toppings follow the kolo mee standard: minced pork for the savoury base, red char siew (in Kuching often dyed red and sometimes minced over the top), and scallion, with a clear soup on the side. The sambal dip is the optional heat.
Sarawak food in Singapore is a small niche, and a proper kolo mee, with the right bounce and the restrained shallot-oil toss, is worth seeking out because the style genuinely differs from anything in the local noodle canon.
At $6.90 for an authentic Kuching kolo mee at City Hall, this is fair specialty-noodle pricing.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. πππΌ The bouncy Sarawak noodle in the restrained shallot-oil toss was the standout. Authentic kolo mee in SG, would re-order.
