Kampong Glam, Bugis’ ever-changing hip neighbourhood, is now more exciting than ever thanks to the new halal eateries that have emerged in recent weeks.
Businesses are flocking to the shophouse units in the area to satiate us foodies with many food and drink options, such as teppanyaki fusion nosh, waffles and gelato, and upscale Chinese cuisine.
Since the venues here are, in general, pricier compared to other areas like say, Simpang Bedok, we are surprised to discover even more shops opening soon.
Enter Kulon, a new halal bakmi spot that will open this coming Friday (October 30).
What is bakmi
Bakmi (Hokkien for meat noodles) is a popular Chinese Indonesian dish and ubiquitous in Indonesian cities.
According to Wikipedia, Bakmi is a “wheat based noodle which was brought to Indonesian archipelago by Hokkien Chinese immigrants”, and is generally prepared and topped with meat (e.g. minced pork), green vegetables and a bowl of broth.
Today, the dish can be found both in restaurants and even humble travelling carts.
Perhaps the most common version we can find in eateries here is mie ayam or bakso, but it is often squeezed into the menu amongst more popular Indonesian dishes.
As far as we know, there has not been a bakmi specialist yet, much less a halal one.
Unless you’ve heard of, or even eaten from, a place called Indo Java.
Previously known as Indo Java
Indo Java offered Indonesian-style noodles and snacks from a stall in Singapore Polytechnic and some pop-up events, but it ceased operation in August last year.
The stall was managed by its young owner, Hariz Ahmad, who grew up loving Javanese food, so much so that he went on a solo trip to Jakarta prior to opening Indo Java to immerse and familiarise himself with the city’s authentic food.
Unfortunately, we never had a chance to try his bakmi then.
The good news is that he has now launched the new brand, Kulon, which will be opening at a more accessible spot for us to slurp up all the noodles goodness.
Noodles-focused menu
Whilst we still know very little about Kulon, we expect bakmi to be a prominent dish in its menu.
So far, we’ve seen three bakmi dishes being introduced on Kulon’s social media channels.
1. Bakmi Bangka
Seasoned Indonesian style dry noodles, braised sweet soy sauce chicken, blanched bok choy
2. Bakmi Char Siu Ayam
Seasoned Indonesian style dry noodles, char siu style roasted chicken thigh, blanched bok choy
3. Bakmi Kaldu
Seasoned Indonesian style dry noodles, diced chicken braised in Javanese spices, blanched bok choy
The dishes above feature a standard based of dry noodles which Kulon claims is not of the instant variety, and blanched green vegetables.
But what differentiates each bowl of noodle is the meat that comes with it, and we suspect there are more iterations of bakmi to be seen.
And the only way to find out is to go down there ourselves and try several bowls when Kulon opens on October 30.
Here’s where to find Kulon: 30 Bali Lane, Singapore 189866
Halal status: Muslim-owned
Opening hours: TBC (check @kulon.sg)
Top images by Kulon.
