We hate it when good, cheap eats go commercial. So we set our taste buds on an expedition around Singapore to find hawkers who aren’t hot on the radar, just yet. But these places are too good to stay hidden much longer. So eat up, before they hit the guidebooks.
1. Ban Mian at L.32 Shou Gong Mian
Stall 32, Lorong 32 Geylang, 558 Geylang Rd.
The stall: The youngest of the lot, Benjamin Xia, 30, and Shirley Ng, 28, actually used to sell drinks before they took over the previous ban mian stall owner. They now make their own noodles daily.
The dish: These homemade noodles have just the right thickness and are soft and supple (plus they don’t stick to your teeth). The soup is light yet flavorful and complements the fresh and slightly sweet prawns and extremely crispy fried anchovies. But the best bit is the chili, a mixture of blended and chopped chilies, which is delightfully spicy.
The damage: $3-5.50
2. Black Carrot Cake at Le Yi Shi Fried Carrot Cake
#01-38, 93 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 Hawker Centre.
The stall: In the heart of residential Toa Payoh, Tan Choi Mui and her elder sister fry up both black and white carrot cake.
The dish: The carrot cake here is chopped thickly, so those who prefer chunky cuts will be pleased. Fried until slightly caramelized, it’s evenly coated with thick, dark soy sauce. It’s not cloyingly sweet and is balanced well with the somewhat fiery and sour chili.
The damage: $2-3
3. Briyani at Ali Nachia Briyani Dam
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, 30 Keppel Rd., 9389-2615.
Come May 31, the stall will move to #02-04, Blk. 5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza.
The stall: Owned by ex-butcher, ex-wedding caterer and ex-football manager Mohamed Ali Latif, who just so happens to be the father of Singaporean footballer Rafi Ali (who occasionally helps out) since 2003.
The dish: A combination of Northern and Southern Indian influences, the briyani here consists of raita, curry with eggplant and potato, mutton and achar. The rice is fragrant but not too oily, and is topped with a generous chunk of mutton that’s amazingly tender when bitten into. The raita is also different from the standard, watery types and is rich and satisfying.
The damage: $6
4. Char Kway Teow at Heng Huat Fried Kway Teow
#01-36 Pasir Panjang Food Centre, 121 Pasir Panjang Rd., 9735-5236.
The stall: Here since 1984, Peter Tan’s the third generation cooking up a storm with his family recipe.
The dish: It’s surprisingly vegetable-heavy, but in a good way. Tasty yet not scarily oily, the crunch from the vegetables (we reckon they’e about 60 percent cooked) mingles well with the softness of the kway teow.
The damage: $3
5. Chinese Rojak at Stall 11 Economic Bee Hoon – Nasi Lemak – Rojak
Stall 11 Sembawang Hill Food Centre, 590 Upper Thomson Rd.
The stall: This 7-year-old stall is hidden in a quiet residential area, but it’s worth the hunt.
The dish: Portions here are generous, so come prepared to eat. The fruits and veggies are chopped into large chunks and tossed with you tiao, tao pok and rojak sauce. The toasted you tiao is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a mildly-charred taste, while the tao pok is softer than the you tiao and absorbs the sauce nicely. We particularly liked the zestiness of the sauce, a great contrast to the flavor of the chopped peanuts and the sweetness of the pineapple chunks.
The damage: $3-4
6. Fish Ball Noodles at Da Zhong Meatball, Fishball, Kway Teow Mee
#02-196 Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre, 116 Upper Bukit Timah Rd., 9646-2094.
The stall: Owner Lim Hoo Kim has been selling yong tau fu since 1975, but stopped in 2009 because of his deteriorating health. He now specializes in meat balls and fish balls, making about 500 everyday.
The dish: The stars here are the springy and firm homemade fish balls, but fish cakes and steamed and deep fried meat balls are also in the mix (all full of flavor). The meat balls are just delish, with a tantalizing pork flavor and slightly chunky texture.
The damage: $2.80
7. Hainanese Chicken Rice at Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice
#01-15 Alexandra Village Food Centre, 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1.
The stall: Joseph Seah’s been around for 21 years doing what he does best, but it wasn’t always easy. He had to borrow money from others to start this stall. Well, it certainly paid off.
The dish: If you’re a lazy bugger, you’ll be thrilled with this find: Fluffy, fragrant rice with moist and juicy chicken flesh. Don’t forget to pile on the delicious, finelyground chili. The soup is also slurp-worthy and has a slight herbal taste (although only chicken stock is used).
The damage: $3
8. Herbal Mutton Soup at New World Mutton Soup
#01-55 Bedok Interchange Food Centre, 207 New Upper Changi Rd., 9181-8037.
The stall: This forth generation family business started out in Kitchener Road at New World, but moved to Bedok in 1998. Current man-in-charge Thomas Ng started helping his father out when he was just 12.
The dish: We know folks who won’t even go near mutton because of the smell. But they haven’t tried the mutton soup here. The broth is both hearty and comforting, while the meat’s not tough at all. The chili has a slight Thai-style sweet and spicy tang.
The damage: $4-10
9. Hor Fun at Shi Hui Yuan Hor Fun Specialty
#02-33 Mei Ling Food Centre, 159 Mei Chin Rd.
The stall: Open since 1969, Fong Pak Thim and his wife Tham Wai Yee started this back in their thirties to earn a living. They’re now in their late seventies. You do the math.
The dish: Chicken hor fun done just right. The gravy has just the right amount of salt to be flavorsome yet isn’t too thick, while chicken slices are tender. But what makes this a real winner are the mushrooms—large, sweet and juicy.
The damage: $3-5
10. Kway Chap at 138 Kway Chap & Porridge
#02-138 Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre, 116 Upper Bukit Timah Rd.
The stall: Veteran owner Lee Cheng Chua has been making kway chap for over 30 years.
The dish: This is a tribute to all things porcine, served with tender pork slices, pig skin and pork intestines. The mix of textures is great when eaten with the slippery noodles, salted vegetables and a braised hard-boiled egg all swimming in savory dark soy-based sauce.
The damage: $3
11. Laksa at Wei Yi Laksa & Prawn Noodle
Stall 20 Tanglin Halt Market & Food Centre, 48A Tanglin Halt Rd.
The stall: The food speaks for itself, as it’s the most popular dish among diners at this hawker center. Almost every table had Wei Yi Laksa & Prawn Noodle’s distinct red bowl.
The dish: The gravy is rich without being too thick, with just the right amount of fieriness. The serving of chicken strips, prawns and sliced fish cakes is generous too. If you’re all about the heat, just throw in more of their yummy sambal.
The damage: $3-3.50
12. Malay Chicken Rice at Lorong Limau Muslim Chicken Rice
Stall 1, 56 Kim Keat Rd., 8400-2206.
The stall: Tucked away at a quiet spot in Balestier, Mohamed Noh has been serving up fab grub for the last five years.
The dish: The serving of fried chicken is generous, the batter light but very crispy, and the rice fragrant and moist. With suitably spicy chunky chili paired with fresh cucumbers and lettuce to cool your mouth, we’re willing to forgive the mediocrity of the soup.
The damage: $3
13. Mee Rebus at Rahim Muslim Food
#01-02 Ah Seah Eating House, Kovan Centre, 9 Yio Chu Kang Rd., 9786-7362.
The stall: Here for the past 12 years, Rahim Haji Saian used to help out at his parents’ stall before taking it over. His winning recipe is a formula passed down from 50 years ago.
The dish: It’s the only hawker we know of that puts satay sauce on mee rebus. The thickness of the gravy is balanced with the nutty taste and slightly chunky texture of the satay sauce.
The damage: $2.80
14. Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle at Lai Heng Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle
#01-62 Ngee Huat Eating House, 51 Toa Payoh Lorong 6, 9620-2074.
The stall: A family business that’s been running for 29 years, they moved to their current location about 10 months ago.
The dish: The minced pork is not too soft and has a perfectly chewy texture, while the succulent mushroom slices introduce a rich, savory element into the dish. Top it all off with sinful, scrumptious pieces of pork lard, which melt beautifully in your mouth when bitten into.
The damage: $3-5
15. Nasi Ayam Penyet at Nur Indah Kitchen
Stall 007 Bedok Corner Food Centre, 1 Bedok Rd., 9389-4301.
The stall: Relative newbies, Hajjah Roziah and husband Sakuwan BJ have only been doing this since 2006 but now get through roughly 30 kilos of chili every two days.
The dish: The crunchy yet tender chicken is a winner, and it goes wonderfully with the rice cooked in chicken stock. The chili is both sweet and sour with a kick, but not overpowering.
The damage: $4.50
16. Nasi Lemak at Sheikh Najib Nasi Lemak
18 Rowell Rd., 6245-7134.
The stall: Blink and you just might miss this spot in a small shophouse in overcrowded Little India.
The dish: Start with fragrant and plentiful rice, topping that with some chunky and slightly sweet sambal. The chicken drumstick and wing served alongside are fried to crisp, golden perfection; there’s also fried egg omelet and ikan bilis, served atop a banana leaf-covered plate.
The damage: $3.50
17. Nasi Padang at Hajjah Mona Nasi Padang
#02-166 Geylang Serai Market & Food Centre, 1 Geylang Serai, 8282-6902.
The stall: Maimoonah Mamud has been cooking since 1985. Originally hailing from a stall in Orchard, Lee Kuan Yew personally handed her a place in the old Geylang Serai Market when her husband died.
The dish: It’s a mixture of textures and flavors, both fragrant and colorful. The ayam bakar was especially tender with a smoky flavor, and a perfect match with the power-packed chili padi paste. The urap—fresh, raw vegetables tossed with bean sprouts and grated coconut—is a favorite among customers, and we can certainly understand why. The crunchiness coupled with the coconut flavor is hugely addictive.
The damage: $5-6.50
18. Or Luak at Riverside Good Food
#01-21 Zion Riverside Food Centre, 86 Zion Rd.
The stall: While Zion Riverside Food Centre is better known for dishes like char kway teow, duck rice and fried carrot cake, don’t let the lack of an obscenely long line at this nondescript stall deter you.
The dish: Expect a scrumptious eat that’s notable for its excellent execution. We’re talking about an omelet that’s fried to perfection; its crisp, savory exterior is a lovely contrast to fresh, succulent oysters that burst with juicy goodness in your mouth, plus there’s pork lard. It almost doesn’t need the tangy chili sauce. Almost.
The damage: $4-8
19. Roti Prata at Riyadh Muslim Food
Stall 12 Soon Soon Lai Eating House, 32 Defu Lane 10, 6281-2664.
The stall: Located in a coffeeshop in an industrial part of Hougang, Abdul Azeez sells about 500 pratas each day.
The dish: Just slightly bigger than your palm, the prata’s not too thick or thin. With a golden brown coat that’s crisp and insides that are still soft and fluffy, we could easily wolf down two or more. Have it with their full-flavored chicken curry.
The damage: $0.70-1.30
20. Sup Tulang at Al Kader Restaurant
#01-534, 820 Tampines St. 81, 9004-7030.
The stall: Although most go to the outlet at Golden Mile Food Centre (visited by Anthony Bourdain), residents of the far east know that this one’s better—it’s quieter, less hectic, and the more generous portions here make it worth the trek.
The dish: Don’t let the deep red gravy put you off, this is a fab rendition with a strong tomato taste. The meat it comes with is tender and unlike other sup tulangs, there’s lots of marrow in the bone just waiting to be slurped up.
The damage: $6-12
