Hawker Food To Try Before You Die

Truly the king of fried rice, considering it's half the price of every other popular fried rice around — and arguably better too. No I do not bow to pretenders like DTF, which tbh has not impressed me.
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This time I had the 𝗫𝗢 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗲 ($6.80) which was luxuriously fragrant and dressed in a robe of egginess and elegantly-enunciated smokiness. Every grain of rice was clearly seperated and sported the perfect moistness, whilst shying away from greasiness. The addition of XO and hae bee gave it a delectable brininess that blended in well, though slightly covering over the egginess.
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The dish truly attained its majesty when adorned with that handsome crown of a pork chop. The crisp on the skin was immaculate, accentuating the tender and bouncy meat which was overflowing with flavour.
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📍𝟲𝟬𝟬𝟭 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱, # 𝗕𝟭-𝟱𝟲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿, 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟱𝟴𝟵
⏱️ (Mon-Fri)11.30am-8.30pm, (Sat) 1pm- 8.30pm; closed on Sundays

Like yin and yang, carrot cake is a complex duality comprised of two contrastedly different but familiar sides. Never been a fan of black and I'd describe the average plate of black carrot cake as "boring" — drenched in sweet sauce and laboriously monotonous in flavour.
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But I tried 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 ($4) at Ghim Moh Carrot Cake and the black stole my heart; never knew black carrot cake could be this good.
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They found the sweet spot of imbuing enough of the sauce's robust sweet-savouriness, while not overpowering the carrot cake's natural flavour and delectable egginess. The chili added a punching heat that tied everything together. I was smitten by that impeccable texture, which was drier with a springiness and a tad of chewiness, and a good mix of crunchiness.
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The white was also good, with a beautiful outer crisp that hides a moist but not mushy interior, and the chili blended in nicely.
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📍 𝗚𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 & 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝟮𝟬 𝗚𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝗵 𝗥𝗱, # 𝟬𝟭-𝟭𝟲, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟮𝟳𝟬𝟬𝟮𝟬
⏱️ (Tues-Sun) 6.30am-1pm, closed on Monday

Whilst some unsavoury characters go to Geylang for other purposes, the stimulation from this plate of 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 ($18 for 2) is more than enough for me.
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This duck is a beauty — delicately tender but still sporting a sexy firm bite. The liver is perfectly soft and fresh, leaving no trace of offal funk
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Its true allure though, lies in the puddle of sticky braise gravy it's slathered in — intoxicatingly flavourful with a sensual slither of sweetness. The decadent liquid adds a certain spark to all that it touches, especially the fragrant and fluffy yam rice. Beautiful plate of duck everyone should try.
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📍 659-661Lor, Lor 35 Geylang, Singapore 389589
⏱️ (Sun-Fri) 11.30am-6pm; closed on Saturday

Yes, it's home to renowned claypot rice and soy sauce chicken stalls. BUT. This 𝘀𝗮 𝗸𝗲𝗶 𝗺𝗮𝗵 (沙琪玛) though, is one of the last of its kind in SG.
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And what a snack it is. Unlike its packaged cousins which populate supermarket shelves, the freshness gave it an impeccable crisp, whilst also sporting the right amount of sticky-chewiness from the honey.
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It hit with a fragrance which carried a tinge of sesame, then provided a bright dose of sweetness that refrained from going overboard. I beeline for the store everytime I am in the compound; try it while you can, even their business hours are shortening...
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📍Chinatown Complex Food Centre, 335 Smith St, #02-78, Singapore 050335
⏱️ (Fri-Wed) 10am-3pm, closed on Thursday

We have an abundance of great wanton mee, but many of them face the same problem — terrible char siew. Foong Kee however, had both great noodles and char siew.
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With bouncy noodles and a piquant sauce, the noodles were a delight albeit with slight traces of the alkaline funk. Atop that, the 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘄 carried a good amount of rich fattiness, while sporting a nice char.
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The 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗸 was the better of the two, as the lean and fat were immaculately balanced, while the skin was gratuitously crispy and crackles like an avalanche.
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📍 6 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089114
⏱️ (Mon-Fri) 11am-8pm, (Sat) 11am-5.30pm, closed on Sundays

Even if deathly allergic to seafood, this is one prawn mee that you have to try before you die (or die trying). Even @decipherkieffer, not a huge prawn mee fan, remarked that it's one of the best he's had.
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The highlight of this 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 ($8 for regular in photo, and $10/15) was the almost tonkotsu-ramen-like broth — gloriously viscuous while bursting with umami, and also beautifully tinged with a delectable custacean sweetness with herbal notes sneaking into the finish.
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The accompanying ingredients were also delightful — the prawns were fresh and crunchy, whilst the pork ribs were tender and flavourful. The price tag might be steep, but the luxurious broth is doubtlessly worthy of that valuation.
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📍 354 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427600
⏱️ (Wed- Mon) 7.30am-2pm

Briyani from @globalmatsoulkitchen requires painstaking effort to acquire — get into his IG account, then wait for his fun black-metal-inspired posts and pray you're fast enough (usually gone within minutes).
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It's worth the trouble — this unholy creation could make even angels weep with masochistic pleasure as their tongues burned with flames of sacrament. Each mouthful exploded with aroma, whilst a complex storm of spice-forward flavours ravaged thy tongue, leaving it lightly but sensually torched from a mild heat, but also simultaneously aroused from a hedonistic indulgence of flavours.
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The mutton was fork-tender and delicious, with a controlled dose of enjoyable gaminess that would intoxicate Satan himself. Above all, the basmati rice was fluffy and moist, but not soggy from the gravy.
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📍Follow @globalmatsoulrep cos only Satan knows when/where

Their egg fried rice ($5.50) was fried to a nice texture and moistness, with robust whiffs of smoke mixed in. The fried pork chop boasts an immaculate crisp which wraps around tender and juicy meat. The tobiko (+$1) is just icing on the cake.

The unbelievably springy noodles were bathed in a perfect medley of vinegar and chilli. Accompanying components were cooked to perfection, including an exceptionally tender liver.

The result was a bowl of robust umami flavours, complemented by an addictive acidity.

Still, the batter remained remarkably crispy and super addictive, with a nice whiff of har cheong which wasn't too overpowering. Served with a fragrant chicken rice, this was a great rendition of a classic dish.

Located in the same compound, skip the michelin-starred Hawker Chan's absurd queue for this super value $7 half chicken. The tender meat with silky skin well glazed in the aromatic and flavoursome sauce makes it as good as any chicken.

The rich stock is also perfectly absorbed by the noodles into a salivating texture - moist whilst still retaining bite. Slightly less intense stock than some places, but combined with their standout sambal belacchan and a squeeze of limes, it is a plate of balanced savouriness that never gets jelak.
But the monstrous queue though...