Serving huge portions, be sure to share your food here at Gold Food. With most dishes priced below $10, this value-for-money Thai restaurant is great for some mango salad, green curry and tom yam. Located conveniently in Sunshine Plaza, it's a great hidden gem for cheap, tasty Thai food in town.

Serving huge portions, be sure to share your food here at Gold Food. With most dishes priced below $10, this value-for-money Thai restaurant is great for some mango salad, green curry and tom yam. Located conveniently in Sunshine Plaza, it's a great hidden gem for cheap, tasty Thai food in town.

Looking very nondescript in this rather old coffeeshop is the "Indo Pura Muslim Food" stall. But do not be distracted by appearance because their "ayam penyet" is a real gem.
Extreme crunch of skin plus supreme juiciness of meat is a must for any "ayam penyet" worth its salt, but making theirs extra Burpple-worthy is the chilli sambal. It's truly fragrant and lip-stingingly hot. Mix it into the fluffy white rice if you can take the spiciness. Ask the stall-owner uncle nicely and he might also throw in some extra terrible-for-you-but-terribly-delicious fried batter bits.

Although this isn't quite up to the standard of the "lontong" at "Sinar Pagi" in Geylang Serai Market, it still managed to hit the spot. The gravy here is lighter, slightly salty (but I don't mind that because personally, I find it's tasty) and has a medium level of spiciness. If you are in the area and crave a "lontong", you can find this at "Selera Rasa", #01-06 inside Jalan Batu Hawker Centre (also known as Kampong Arang Hawker Centre).

After overdosing on all the CNY dishes and snacks, I decided enough was enough, and went to grab some Muslim dishes for a late dinner. As the Simpang Bedok area seems to be the hot spot for several Halal eateries that serve a wide variety of cuisines, that was where we zoomed over to. Customers can enjoy Western style food like pastas and steak as well as Chinese "zi char" and even "dim sum", all from a single venue. Of course there's still the typical Indian-Muslim items available, like "prata", "roti john" and stir-fried staples such as the ones pictured above.
The long queue in front of Spize led us to venture next door to Enak Enak which was also packed but at least, there were a couple of recently-vacated seats. I was thankful for the prompt service given my growling stomach. After perusing the extensive menus (there's more than one), we stuck to ordering the classics despite having the option of my noodles fried "laksa" or "tom yam" style. Both the dishes tasted alright (nothing to really rave about) and my craving was satisfied. The dish we ordered to share, the "Rojak Bagus", was more memorable. I was too hungry when it arrived so didn't have the energy to whip out my phone for a pic. But let me tell you, the grilled "you tiao" and "tau pok" had such a gorgeous smokiness, while the rojak sauce packed a zesty punch thanks to a liberal amount of fresh lime juice.
Price-wise, do note everything here costs slightly more than what you'd pay at the traditional places.

Housed in the sprawling ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre, YRA serves some of the best tandoori chicken around, putting some high end restaurants to shame. This humble hawker establishment serves fresh chappatis and naans, and incredibly fragrant briyani rice. The rice is lightly spiced but well flavoured with chicken parts cooked with the rice. Next time you're at ABC, be sure to give this a try. Photo by Jayne Tan

Housed in the sprawling ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre, YRA serves some of the best tandoori chicken around, putting some high end restaurants to shame. This humble hawker establishment serves fresh chappatis and naans, and incredibly fragrant briyani rice. The rice is lightly spiced but well flavoured with chicken parts cooked with the rice. Next time you're at ABC, be sure to give this a try. Photo by Jayne Tan

With no distinct signboard and a snaking long queue under a HDB block, you know you've found something special. Having taken over from their father's stall, these brothers run a tight ship at Blk 17 Beach Rd, doling out packet after packet of briyani as people order takeaway in the dozens. If you've got the time, sit and enjoy your tender mutton and amazing gravy... this is a serious briyani. Photo by Jayne Tan

Open since 1921 and known as the best briyani restaurant for many years past, Islamic Restaurant has a long history. Having moved down the street, the restaurant retains its old world charm with photos of famous patrons over the years, and allows you to dine comfortably in air-con. Go for the mutton over the chicken briyani, tender meat with beautifully light, fragrant, high-quality basmati rice. The fish and prawn briyani are good too. While it is arguably no longer the best, it is an excellent briyani. Photo by Jayne Tan

While some feel the briyani here is overpriced ($8 for chicken, $10 for mutton), and the place is a little run down, it is definitely worth a visit. This dum briyani is cooked and served traditionally, without any curry, but every bit aromatic. It's also healthier with the omission of ghee, so you can feel a tiny bit less guilty. If you're there on a Sunday, Monday or Thursday, opt for the kid goat briyani, tender meat without gamey flavour, under a pile of fragrant rice and fried onions. Photo by Michel Lu

Tucked in the corner of a coffee shop along Thomson Road, Sin Ming Roti Prata has generated quite a following for their house-made dough and freshly made pratas. While this means you have to wait for your prata, it's well worth it considering you will be getting a hot, fluffy stack. Try their coin pratas for really crispy, fun bites at 6 pieces for $3.50! Photo by Wayne Tan

If you like well-spiced and extremely generous portions of rice and meat (ok who doesn't?), then Blue Diamond will hit the spot with its heady masala. They cook their chicken and mutton briyanis traditionally in a dum style, which flavours the rice immensely. Also try their Kottu Roti here, a Sri Lankan dish of chopped up prata fried with onions and meat, almost like a murtabak. Finish off with a nice cup of masala tea! Photo by Jeremy Tan