This is one of the most boring dish…names. It means “boiled noodles” and really, can anyone expect anyone else to line up and even pay for a platter of noodles with such a name? In fact, yes, you can, in smart makan nations like Singapore. Because the mere mention of Mee Rebus, conjures up way more than just what the name spells. It’s like chilli crabs.. truly really a misnomer, what with all the spices, eggs, sambal and vinegar or lime.

Since the closure of Selera Kita Mee Rebus in Changi some years back, there was somewhat of void. Their humble legend had no successor, or so we thought. Truth is, there are and they are worthy ones. Mee Rebus in its street elegance state, is made with a meaty stock, a taucheo based rempah, grago (or dried krills) and sweet potato mash (and/or sweet potato starch), as a thickener. It is slathered over boiled noodles and the edgier ones include traces of lamb or beef to well.. beef things up.

There are a few stalls offering Mee Rebus at Haig Road Hawker Centre, but I find two of which are natural successors to the Selera Kita phenomena and one, is in a league all by themselves.

Haig Road Food Centre. Blk 14 Haig Road .

Waliti HJ Mazuki, #01-18, 6am-7pm, close on Friday.
This is as close as can be to the famous and defunct Selera Kita at Changi Road. The all important sauce is thick, sweetish yet intensely savoury with heavy accents of grago or dried krills. The egg, green chilli and bean sprouts lend texture but like the others here, they sprinkle fried shallots instead of crispy krills atop. Best is to bite into the bits of fresh cut green chillis as you take a mouthful of the noodles and sauce with a little chunk of egg.

Affandi Hawa and Family, #01-21, 10.30am-8pm, closed Tuesdays and Wednesday.
Boss Mr Affandi Ahmat now has his 30 year old son Ahmad Tarmidzi helming he show. Ahmad took a leap of faith 8 years ago to inherit the family stall business. Their sauce is thick, and I mean, almost curdling thick and it comes with faint hints of lamb off-cuts and fats. Very alluring. It is very hard to tell apart theirs from Waliti’s version, safe for that little wistful hint of gaminess. I think no one wants to rock the boat, and divide the customers, they just want to keep it sane, safe, similar and superb.

Goody N Jolly, #01-71, 10am-6pm, closed Monday and Thursday.
They initially made their name running the old food court stall at the basement of Parkway Parade. Then they moved on when a change of management took over. The moved around and in the East and now roost here, with a beverage stall right beside. Theirs is the Chinese- Nonya style and is in a league all by their own. It is very savoury and hardly any sweetness was detected unlike the Muslim version above. You can nickname this the “Chinese” style, but I’ll simply call this a delectable one.