Popiahs, Tried & Tested

Housed in the same coffeeshop as Thai Fusion Wanton Mee, this stall sells rojak, popiah and popiah triangle (think a popiah foldover sans turnips - good news to all the crunch lovers!).

Good:
• Skin is chewy
• Turnips are cooked and seasoned really well
• Instead of sweet sauce, prawn paste is used for an elevated umaminess

Drawbacks:
• At $1.90 for a small roll, it's pretty expensive

Verdict: 4/5

Located in Sembawang Hills Food Centre, this stall serves popiah with lup cheong (but I omitted it cos I don't like it).

Good:
• Turnips are actually pretty tasty - sweet on its own and tender
• Properly wrapped

Drawbacks:
• Skin is a little dry and tough, but still chewy
• Can afford to have more crunch

Verdict: 4/5

More well-known for its ban mian, this coffee shop also houses a pretty good popiah stall that makes min jiang kueh too!

Good:
• Commercial-type skin but not tough at all; in fact, it's pleasantly chewy
• Crunchy and fragrant peanuts
• Tender and sweet turnips
• Generous amount of fillings

Drawbacks:
• Pricey for a coffee shop popiah

Verdict: 4.5/5

Block 269B at Queen Street alone houses 3 coffee shops side by side, providing tons of food options for the office workers nearby and the old folks who come to bugis for the temples. This popiah stall is right at the corner of the middle coffee shop, the one that also houses Donya Japanese Cuisine.

Good:
• Affordable at $1.60 each and $3 for 2
• Fillings were rather generous

Drawbacks:
• Skin was too soft/soggy
• Turnips were rather bland
• Peanuts were not crisp and fragrant

Verdict: 2/5

If you've eaten at Granny's Secret Restaurant at OG Albert Complex, then this popiah should be familiar to you because the restaurant is actually managed by yi kou wei - a food kiosk at the food basement of Takashimaya.

Good:
• Pretty generous with the turnips, hence slightly larger than normal
• Good crunch from the crispy bits

Drawbacks:
• Skin is soft but not chewy
• Too pricey at $3.40 per roll

Verdict: 3/5

Aside from popiah, this stall also sells rojak and cockles and people are already starting to queue before their opening at 12pm.

Good:
• The turnips were flavourful and piping hot (due to quick service)
• Big scoop of fragrant ground peanuts were given
• Beansprouts were fresh and crunchy
• Affordable at $1.50/roll and $2.80 for 2

Drawbacks:
• Wrapped a little too loosely
• The skin has a very interesting texture - it tastes more bread-y like a tortilla wrap instead of chewy, and I prefer the latter

Fortune Food started out as a small hawker stall selling just popiah, but they've expanded their selection of food over the years "to preserve our heritage and to ensure that Singaporeans’ favourite comfort food will never be a thing of the past."

Good:
• Soft and chewy skin, comparable to Qiji's
• Superb crunch and fragrance from the peanuts and crispy bits
• Wrapped nicely and tightly, hence a good mouthfeel with each piece
• They even do catering for their DIY popiah sets (kueh pie tee and muah chee too!)

Drawbacks:
• A little small for $1.70

Verdict: 4.5/5

Forgot to note down the stall's name but this is located at the end of a stretch and shares the space with a carrot cake stall.

Good:
• Skin is rather chewy and not dry
• Uncommon sight of tofu and shrimps

Drawbacks:
• Bland (turnips lacking flavour and insufficient fragrance from peanuts/crispy bits)
• Wrapped loosely
• $1.80 per roll for this standard? Pricey.

Verdict: 2/5

I won't usually describe popiah as sinful, but Ping Ji Bo Bia makes one of the most oily-indulgent popiahs I've tried.

Good:
• Extreme fragrance from the crispy bits - really crunchy and carry a umami taste
• Contains Chinese sausage (if anyone likes it!) - gives an added umami taste
• Overall mouthfeel is good
• Affordable at $1.50/roll

Drawbacks:
• Skin is very dry and hard
• Bottom of the popiah is oily, probably from the gravy of the turnips
• Turnips itself is a little bland (but they're fine with the crispy bits and Chinese sausage)
• Berseh Food Centre is highly inaccessible

Verdict: 4/5

Proclaimed to be the master of popiah, I had high expectations for this since it has a long history. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed.

Good:
• Crispy bits were extremely crunchy and fresh-tasting
• Affordable at $1.50/roll

Drawbacks:
• Skin is a little dry and hard
• Turnips were a little bland
• There were no peanuts, hence lacking that bit of fragrance

Verdict: 2.5/5 (may be biased as they were coriander and I dislike it)

Sushi popiah? Korean kimchi beef popiah? Ice cream popiah? Popiah burrito? Yes, all of that right at Mr. Popiah where popiah-inspired dishes are churned out. Personally tried their popiah burrito and popiah pizza at $5 each - interesting and decent but not filling for a meal.

For their traditional nonya popiah,
Good:
• Handmade, chewy skin
• Good crunch from the peanuts and crispy bits

Drawbacks:
• Turnips were bland
• Fillings were quite little
• Loosely wrapped
• At $2.20/roll, this is pricey for this quality

Verdict: 2/5

Thanks to my mum's recommendation, this stall has just been added to my popiah gem collection. And don't worry if you don't like popiah because this coffee shop has tons of delicious food for you to feast on (e.g. the charsiew from the roasted delights stall and the claypot chicken rice).

Good:
• Tightly wrapped in a sturdy skin that doesn't break apart upon slicing or eating
• Extremely fragrant peanuts and crispy bits
• Turnips were cooked till tender and sweet
• Fillings were generous
• Affordable ($1.50/pc)

Drawbacks:
• Skin is not as chewy as Qiji's

Verdict: 4.5/5