Popiahs, Tried & Tested

In certain shopping malls of Singapore, there will be this 'chapalang' food kiosk that sells your childhood favourite of tutu kueh, muahchee, corn kernels in a cup, and steamed rice cake on top of their supposed speciality of rice dumplings. Eastern Rice Dumpling is one of them (Daun Pandan Rice Dumpling is the other) and they have popiahs too!

Good:
• The skin is actually not bad, has a bit of chew to it

Drawbacks:
• Sadly, it became a bad popiah real quick as the skin and crispy bits got soaked through quite fast, resulting in a limp roll.
• Insufficient peanuts to save the soft popiah, and lacking peanut fragrance too
• Slightly too much pepper in the turnips
• Terribly cut (in fact, I think the auntie used a scissors)
• Overpriced ($2.20/roll) for such quality

Verdict: 1/5

This is not a popiah stall on its own but part of a main stall that sells roasted delights, and yet there's only one stall owner manning both so it's a little weird HAHA but the auntie was very chirpy so I just went ahead anyway. It's just 2 stalls to the left of 合兴板面之家.

Good:
• Very flavourful turnips (not the sweet but savoury kind)
• Sufficient crunch from the crispy bits
• Super cheap, $1.30 for 1 and $2.50 for 2! But it's a little smaller than average

Drawbacks:
• Typical dry and hard skin
• No peanuts / lacking peanut fragrance
• Very loosely wrapped
• Ordered one with chilli but couldn't taste any

Verdict: 3.5/5

How does a larger-than-average popiah sound? Definitely instant excitement for me 😍 This stall in Tanjong Pagar Centre has a concept similar to The Soup Spoon where they offer soups and stews with salads, sandwiches and fusion wraps made out of popiah skin! Savoury wraps such as sesame chicken ($3.90) are on the menu, but the popiah lover in me definitely picked the traditional popiah ($2.50).

Good:
• Handmade, chewy skin which was large enough to give the popiah a sturdy armour upon rolling, hence it didn't get soaked through despite leaving out for 3 hours
• Rolled till tight and compact and served uncut, so it didn't leave a huge mess upon consumption
• The amount of filling is GENEROUS and everyone of them is excellent - sweet turnips, crunchy bits and fragrant peanuts

Drawbacks:
• Pricier than average @ $2.50 per piece
• Only 2 outlets nationwide

Verdict: 4.5/5 (If only Qiji does something like this 😍)

There are 2 popiah stalls in this hawker centre and I decided to just get one from each since both had queues and priced their popiahs at $1.50 per roll. However, Hock Le Xiang popiah (bottom) fared better in terms of skin texture and taste of filling - soft skin with juicy turnips (just look at the juices that wetted the skin, but you gotta eat it quick or else they'll get soggy!). Low Ah Hee popiah from Xiang Ji (top) is quite the opposite, with a tougher and drier skin and tasteless turnips but better crunch from the crispy bits (which Hock Le Xiang didn't quite have).

Verdict: 3/5 for HLX and 2/5 for LAH (perhaps just request for more crispy bits/grated peanuts from HLX next time)

Good:
• Generous with the turnips
• Crunchy, fresh beansprouts used
• Wrapped well

Drawbacks:
• Skin is dry and tough af
• Lacks flavour, and I always find crabstick pretty redundant - it's either prawns or nothing

Verdict: 2/5 (Really just your average, run-of-the-mill popiah)

Who knew that a dessert speciality shop actually sells popiah that tastes surprisingly good?

Good:
• Soft and chewy skin, comparable to Qiji's
• Fragrant peanuts lands a delightful crunch
• Turnips were juicy
• Available nationwide (yayyyy)

Drawbacks:
• Loosely wrapped
• Requested for less sweet sauce but the popiah is still too sweet for me because the turnips were on the sweeter side
• Slightly pricier at $2.30 per roll

Verdict: 4/5

[Kueh Appreciation Day 2017]
Bought these from a pop-up stall instead of the original one at Joo Chiat. Apart from their handmade skin, this popiah stands out from the rest in terms of its presentation and taste. First, it's served uncut in a plastic bag so you've to eat it like a burrito; and second, it has a more savoury, crustacean taste than others which often has just one-dimensional flavour. Also, it has bits of beancurds and fried fish skin (I think), making it really unique!

Good:
• Soft and chewy skin made on the spot
• Distinct umami taste from the turnips
• Very good crunch from the beansprouts, cucumbers, and fried fish bits
• Generously stuffed
• Skills have been passed down to the third generation! #supportyounghawkers

Drawbacks:
• Turnips are a little dry
• Would love to have more crunch and fragrance from the peanuts
• Can get a little messy eating from a bag
• People who prefer sweeter popiahs may not enjoy this

Verdict: 4/5 (Just because I'm not used to the unique umami taste and I'm not eating from the original stall)

Some say this is the best popiah in Clementi, or even Singapore, but is it really the case? I queued for almost 45min the first time I was here so when I saw that there were only 2 people queueing earlier, I just had to jump in, but I still had to wait for 10mins or so :/

Good:
• Chewy skin, in fact it's comparable to Qiji's
• Very juicy turnips which were sweet on their own
• Loved the mild spicy kick from the garlic

Drawbacks:
• There weren't enough crunch, the whole popiah was pretty soft
• Loosely wrapped, and hence the fillings dropped out when I picked the slices up or tried to bite them
• Very, very slow service

Verdict: 3.5/5 (just felt that they weren't really worth the queue)

This popiah came by as a surprise because how many buffets actually have popiahs as one of their selections???

Good:
• Pay one buffet price and get UNLIMITED AMOUNTS of it
• Thin, chewy skin
• Tender, flavourful turnips in generous amounts
• Good crunch from the crispy bits
• Sweet sauce was only drizzled over the toppings at the end instead of smearing over the skin at the start, hence the skin wasn't soaked through nor turn soggy
• Tightly wrapped so nothing falls out 👍

Drawbacks:
• Can only sink your teeth into this if you pay for their porridge buffet

Verdict: 4.5/5

Ann Chin Popiah has 7 outlets around Singapore and I was at the Chinatown branch. They also accept bulk orders for their handmade popiah rolls, DIY popiah party sets and kueh pie tee so do keep them in mind if you ever want a different tea party!

Good:
• Fresh and soft skin
• Turnips were well-flavoured
• Popiahs were wrapped and sliced well

Drawbacks:
• Skin was unfortunately not chewy as I hoped to be
• Peanuts and crispy bits were used but I somehow felt that there still wasn't sufficient crunch
• Can be heavier on the garlic

Verdict: 4/5 (I feel that the AMK outlet does it better)

This stall will not be a difficult find if you know where the famous 928 Yishun laksa and Lit Lit Sin Desserts stall are. This humble booth at the corner proves to be yet another fierce competitor in the group of 'kopitiam popiah'.

Good:
• Chewy skin with the right thickness
• Good flavour from the sweet sauce and minced garlic (I didn't get spicy ones but the chilli seemed really potent)
• Great textures from the fresh beansprouts, peanuts, and crispy bits (which the auntie gave a mountain of it per popiah)
• Turnips were tender and well-cooked
• I got the takeaway and the auntie gave an extra handful of crispy bits wow
• An affordable price of $1.50 per piece

Drawbacks:
• Popiah was badly sliced (the fillings were being pushed out) as the auntie's knife wasn't sharp enough

Verdict: 4.5/5

This is hands down the top and yummiest popiah in my opinion. The best thing? It's available all around Singapore 😁

Good:
• Found in all Qiji outlets, in all parts of Singapore
• Super chewy skin which doesn't turn dry nor get soaked through even after long periods of time
• Gooey sweet sauce that coats the inner side of the skin well
• Excellent crunch from the small crispy bits
• Sweet and flavourful turnips accompanied by fragrance from the crumbled eggs
• This is just perfect guys I've no complains and I always buy 2 of it + a drink for my lunch 😋

Verdict: 5/5