I finally found a curry noodle shop that I enjoy in Singapore! Meet Nov.station. An Alor Setar inspired curry noodle franchise that just recently opened in Singapore last November. The owners of this Nov.station shop are the daughter and husband of the famous midnight curry noodles at Pekan Cina, Alor Setar.
When it comes to curry noodles, I get a little picky. I prefer curry noodles that are stronger in the curry taste and lesser of the coconut milk taste. Despite Singapore and Malaysia being neighbours, you’d expect that the curry noodles from each country to taste the same, but they are not. Other than they both feature wheat-based noodles in a curry-flavoured broth, they have notable differences.
Singapore curry noodles are typically sweeter and less spicy as compared to Malaysian curry noodles, and often contain a lot of coconut milk. Malaysian curry noodles are spicier and contain more herbs like lemongrass, tamarind, and galangal, which gives it a unique and complex flavour.
Nov.station
Getting to Nov.station is quite easy. It’s real convenient because it’s just about a 2-3 minute walk away from Tai Seng station (Circle Line). The nearest exit from the MRT station is Exit A. Once you’re at the exit, turn left and walk down the road, and you will see Novstation on your right.
The restaurant itself is small. I estimate that when the restaurant is at full-house capacity, the place could cater to up to 30+ pax.
The Food
Nov.station offers three types of curry noodles, with the protein being the differentiator – chicken, pork belly, and pork rib. The curry chicken noodle is their signature.
If you would like your curry noodles to be spicy or have the “Alor Setar original” taste, you can inform the cashier that you are from Alor Setar, and they can tweak the spiciness accordingly. This is because, by default, they have lowered the spiciness level to suit Singapore’s generally lower spicy tolerance. If it’s still not spicy enough, fret not, they also provide sambal for you to add more spice and flavour to the curry noodles.
Other than their noodle dishes, they also offer three kinds of rice dishes – curry chicken, pork belly and curry pork rib rice. They also sell some side dishes to complement the mains.
Curry Pork Belly Noodle – $6.80
The dish consists of yellow noodles, with pork belly, potato, half an egg, long beans and tofu.
The pork belly in the noodles are braised separately. It was really tender and soft. The taste really reminded me of home.
Curry Chicken Noodle – $6.80
This was their other variant of curry noodles. It contained similar items, just that the protein was chicken instead of pork.
Prawn Cracker – $4.80 & You Tiao Sotong – $4.80
Both of these were on their side dish menu. The owner recommended these two to go with our mains.
The prawn cracker or also known as cucur udang or jemput udang, is a popular street food or snack in Malaysia and Singapore.
The prawn cracker had a really light and crispy texture. It had a subtle prawn taste and a hint of saltiness.
The you tiao sotong (squid) paired well with the curry that came with the noodles. Back in my hometown, they would have plain you tiao to dip in the curry after you were finished with the noodles. But over here, they only have the squid you tiao version. It’s still nice, but I wished they had the plain you tiao on the menu as well.
Verdict
The trip to Nov.station was indeed a nostalgic one, bringing fond memories of all the late-night curry noodle outings with family and friends back in my hometown.
On a side note, I was talking to the owner, I’m sad to report that the original Alor Setar outlet will no longer be opening its doors to customers, given that it was hard and costly to find workers to help her parents out in the store.
But thankfully, she will be carrying out her mother’s recipe legacy in Singapore.
Check out also:
- Tonkatsu by Ma Maison @ Westgate, Jurong East, Singapore
- Ah Chew Desserts 阿秋甜品 @ Bugis, Singapore
- Taste Good 好味小厨 @ Sim Lim Square, Singapore
My Rating
80%: Ambiance
75%: Price (value for money)
85%: Taste
85%: Location
85%: Service
82%: Overall Rating
Opening Hours
Open from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Mon to Fri
Open from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Sat
Closed on Sundays
