Hawker List

Everyone knows char kway teow is a sinfully delicious dish, and good ones are hard to find. The char kway teow here is coated in a sweet, special mixture of sauces and with noticeably more egg than elsewhere. Plump cockles, beansprouts and good ol' crunchy pork lard make this even better. Freshly fried, greasy char kway teow laden with wok hei? It doesn't get better than this.

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
#02-17, Hong Lim Food Centre
Mon - Sat: 0600 - 1630
Closed on Sun

When it comes to Heng Kee's curry mee, don't bother hesitating. Just throw that diet out the window and get in line for a bowl of their mouth-watering curry mee. Located on the first floor of Hong Lim Food Centre, Heng Kee delivers satisfyingly thick curry gravy that carries their signature taste from a priceless age-old recipe. Served with generous portions of tau pok, chicken, fish cake and potato, this bowl of goodness will leave you slurping up every last drop.

Heng Kee Curry Mee
#01-58, Hong Lim Food Centre
Mon - Sat: 1030 - 1430
Closed on Sun

Trademarks of good chwee kueh are the kueh, chye poh (preserved radish) and chilli. This simple dish can be hard to perfect but Jian Bo serves one of the best you can find. The kueh is smooth but still has a good bite to it, the chye poh is not overly salty, and the chilli is so very satisfying. It can get quite oily, but this dish is truly worth the calories once in a while, if the craving hits.

Jian Bo Chwee Kueh
#02-62, Tiong Bahru Market
Mon - Sun: 0600 - 2230

Known for ridiculously flavourful and tender char siew because they use the armpit of the pig, this stall will leave you wanting second helpings. Nicely marbled and well marinated, the char siew sells out fast, and the best parts are obviously the charred bits. The noodles are thin, springy and tossed in slightly sweet and salty sauce. There are two types of char siew: Grade A & Grade B, but you gotta go early if you want the premium cut!

Zhong Yu Yuan Wei Wonton Noodle
#02-30, Tiong Bahru Market
Sat - Thu: 0830 - 1400
(Sells out by around 1300)
Closed on Fri

There are two kinds of people in life: those who like their hokkien mee wet, and those who prefer it dry. But Nam Sing may just please both crowds. Each spoonful brims with the aromatic, umami-rich prawn seafood stock that has been patiently fried with the noodles. Served simply with cut red chili, soy sauce, squeeze the lime all over to brighten up this dish, and slurp up this perfectly moist plate of noodles. Give them a ring before you go down, or count on your luck for them to be open, as they close the stall as they wish.

Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee
#01-32, Old Airport Road Food Centre
Mon - Sun: 1100 - 1900 (or when sold out)

Good things come to those who wait. Especially when it comes to Old Airport Road's Toa Payoh Rojak. With more than 40 years of experience, they've mastered the art of making excellent rojak. The uncle attentively grills the yu char kueh to a crisp over charcoal, ensuring that you don't get soft, soggy pieces in your rojak. The combination of condiments is almost perfect, and the prawn paste they use is the star. Rojak is one of those dishes that you don't get bored of eating, because of the contrasting textures and flavours you get (sweet, sour, spicy, salty) with each bite.

Toa Payoh Rojak
#01-108, Old Airport Road Food Centre
Mon - Sat: 1200 - 2000
Closed on Sun

Tian Tian needs no introduction. Serving arguably the best chicken rice in Singapore, you'll never not see a queue at this stall. From the rice to the chilli, everything is worth raving about. The chicken, delightfully tender and juicy, sits atop a bed of perfectly cooked, fragrant rice. Have it with the ginger and chilli, with the latter getting its brightness from calimansi juice and not vinegar. Tian Tian truly captures what hawker food should be: cheap and so, darn, good. Even Gordon Ramsay can't beat it.

Tian TIan Hainanese Chicken Rice
#01-10/11 Maxwell Food Centre
Tue - Sun: 1030 - 2000
Closed on Mon

The aunty here is really like the grandmother who makes sure you're well-fed. Exceedingly generous with ingredients, this stall keeps people coming back with their value-for-money noodles. The char siew noodles are loaded with boiled wontons, fried wontons, char siew, and veg. But the mushroom pork rib noodles are the star. Instead of char siew, you get a good amount of super flavourful, super tender fall-off-the-bone pork ribs atop a good serving of noodles. How awesome is that?

Tai Seng Noodle House
#02-123, Amoy Street Food Centre
Mon - Sat: 0930 - 1430
Closed on Sun

Wrapped in pandan leaves and stuffed with a generous amount of ingredients, Hoo Kee sure makes one of the best rice dumplings. They're huge because they're packed with whole chestnuts and lean pork. If you're feeling extravagant, go for the one with the salted egg. If not, try the one with mushrooms! The glutinous rice is fragrant, moreish, and perfectly cooked. This is one kickass ba zhang. And no, it doesn't have to be dragon boat festival for you to enjoy these.
Photo by Hoo Kee Bak Chang

Hoo Kee Rice Dumplings
#01-18, Amoy Street Food Centre
Mon - Sat: 0900 - 1500
Closed on Sun