You’ll find Ernie’s at the end of Dhoby Xchange near 7-11. They’re open at 8.00am. Great place for breakfast as it’s seldom crowded. But the food is good, especially for this lontong. The magic is of course in the gravy which is rich and tasty. However, it also comes with a piece of freshly fried tahu. Cabbages are well-cooked and flavourful. Together with a teh tarik, it’s only $4.50. Less than what you might pay at a foodcourt in the heartlands perhaps.
I actually grew up on Odeon beef noodles. After Odeon Cinema went down, they moved to the basement of a building opposite Prince Theatre. Those were their heydays, I think. At $25.50 a bowl, the queues went from one end of the stall to the other end of the building. Indisputably the busiest and most popular stall at that food centre. I used to patronise them every weekend.
They later moved to Funan IT Mall. The 3 sisters disappeared one by one. The taste of the noodles also changed. There a couple of franchises going around, but none of them tasted anything like the original Odeon beef noodles.
Quite recently, a Hock Lam beef noodle shop opened at Upper Serangoon near the famous Punggol Nasi Lemak. At $6 a bowl, it’s quite steep. However, in terms of taste, it comes quite close to the original. I highly recommend it.
Latest update. Hock Lam Beef Noodle standards have dropped. Prices have gone up. Not worth it anymore.