Located about halfway down Smith Street (a large collection of Chinatown street food), Lan Zhou La Mian lies quietly hidden behind other stalls and tables. There are no street hawkers accosting passers-by with menus or pictures of food. You can’t even see the sign for the restaurant from some angles. But if you take two seconds to look, you can see the sign that matters most to Singaporeans (one we’ve quickly learned)– the “this shop is full/has a line outside the restaurant” sign. Unless it’s a dead day (public holiday, early Sunday, etc), if you walk by a hawker stall, food court, whatever and don’t see a line… chances are it’s not worth eating.
