Miss Tang’s Rice Noodle, one of only a handful of eateries in Singapore offering Yunnan ‘Guo Qiao Mi Xian’ (Crossing Bridge Rice Noodles) has now opened its second Singapore outlet at Funan, after its first longstanding restaurant at Novena. Featuring over 14 varieties of Mi Xian from a wallet friendly S$7.90, the new restaurant also offers over 20 types of Chinese fried skewers.
Miss Tang’s Rice Noodle at Funan. Photo © Fen Chia.
The story goes that some years ago, the restaurant’s founder, Helen, undertook a life-changing long trip in China travelling from Chengdu to Tibet, where she met her life partner while hiking. Together, they continued onward to Mengzi in Yunnan province, where they both fell in love with the dish Crossing Bridge Rice Noodles, a native Yunnan dish.
After the couple got married, they happened to visit friends in Singapore and got inspired to bring the dish here. Helen even spent a month in Mengzi to hone her cooking skills so as to do justice to the heritage and authenticity of the food.
The many condiments available at Miss Tang’s Rice Noodle. Photo © Fen Chia.
Crossing Bridge Rice Noodles is a time-honoured dish in China. The native version is known for being covered in a thick layer of fat or oil to retain the heat – one aspect that Miss Tang’s does not replicate for its Signature Imperial Scholar Crossing Bridge Rice Noodles (S$15.90). A huge stone bowl arrives with a steaming hot and bubbling broth made with pork and chicken bones. A platter of various ingredients accompanies the broth, including prawns, bacon, quail eggs and salmon, among others, with plain rice noodles on the side. Mix in the ingredients all to cook for a few minutes, and the stone bowl retains the heat very well to give you a comforting and nourishing bowl of mi xian.
Signature Imperial Scholar Rice Noodles. Photo © Fen Chia.
Stir in all ingredients, wait a few minutes, and voila! Photo © Fen Chia.
Every bowl of mi xian is cooked to order in a small copper pot for the best flavours, starting from the same bone broth as the base. We also tried two other mi xian dishes that appeal to those seeking bold flavours, sure to please local tastebuds have been well honed with the recent rise in popularity of spicy Sichuan and Hunan cuisine here. The Signature Braised Beef Rice Noodles (S$12.90) and the Spicy Pickled Cabbage Rice Noodles (S$7.90) are crowd-pleasers that will tickle your tastebuds with their spicy and sour flavours respectively, with the former featuring many tender chunks of beef. Disposable aprons are thoughtfully made available to prevent spills and splashes.
Signature Braised Beef Rice Noodles. Photo © Fen Chia.
Spicy Pickled Cabbage Rice Noodles. Photo © Fen Chia.
There are many other varieties of rice noodles such as pork intestines and shrimp balls, or even a comforting Wild Mushrooms Chicken Soup Rice Noodles (S$18.80), and a dry tossed tofu version. Best of all is the option to ‘D.I.Y.’ your rice noodles by choosing from four soup bases (pork ribs, spicy pickled cabbage, tomato and mala), three mains (rice noodles, noodles and glass noodles) and a range of toppings (minimum six).
Wild Mushroom Chicken Soup Rice Noodles. Photo © Miss Tang’s Rice Noodle.
For sharing, go for a hot pot dish and also add on some skewers. Try the Spicy Boiled Pork Slices Hot Pot (S$13.50) or Braised Beef Hot Pot (S$13.50), appetising in their lip-stinging broths that are sure to fire up your stomachs. There are also non- or less spicy options like Beef Brisket Hot Pot and Pork Stomach and Chicken Hot Pot (S$13.50 each).
If you’re dining alone and getting a hot pot for yourself, adding on a mere S$1.50 gets you a free flow of rice or rice noodles. Surprisingly, there is also a Kids’ Meal (S$7.80), where the child can choose from braised pork rice or shredded chicken rice noodles paired with snacks and sides. Adults can also get their regular-sized serving of the Braised Pork Rice (S$8.50).
Spicy Boiled Pork Slices Hot Pot. Photo © Fen Chia.
We also tried some addictive Fried Skewers, for which there is a great variety at S$3.80 per set for threes, except for the chicken feet and fresh prawn which come in pairs. They were well-seasoned, though some worked better than others–meats were tasty but the chicken feet, for example, were quite hard to bite and probably needed more pre-cooking before the frying.
I also enjoyed my usual vegetarian skewer faves like mushroom and potato slices, though I felt that more surface oil could have been removed before plating. The taste and smell of cumin, which I personally do not like too much, was mild or even indiscernible, while it can be overpowering as it can be at other Chinese skewer restaurants. There are also other side dishes both savoury and sweet, such as Black Fungus Salad (S$4.90), Pumpkin Pie (S$4.90) and Soy Sauce Chicken (S$6.90).
Skewers. Photo © Fen Chia.
More skewers. Photo © Fen Chia.
We had ordered the Handmade Plum Juice (S$3.00) and Punched Lemon Tea (S$3.50) at the start of the meal, which came in large glasses and served very well so far to cut through the spiciness, though there are many other teas, soft drinks and beer available. To conclude the meal, we got the only dessert on the menu, the Handmade Ice Jelly (S$4.50), a very refreshing mix of ice jelly, red bean, and fruits.
Handmade Ice Jelly. Photo © Fen Chia.
Miss Tang’s Rice Noodle offers an extensive menu at an incredibly affordable nett price for its central location. It is a family restaurant with several menu items suitable for the kids, and one wonders why it took so long to expand from its first outlet.
To celebrate the launch, diners at Funan can enjoy 50% discount off their second mains for a limited period (available daily from 3pm onwards).
Miss Tang’s Rice Noodle
107 North Bridge Road
#02-37/38 Funan
Singapore 179105
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 10pm
