Hawker centres, every Singaporean’s greatest lunch and dinner
buddy. Also arguably the best places to find affordable,
mouthwatering meals to fill that growling belly. It’s time to put a
stopper to your café hopping days as we wrangle up some of the most
noteworthy and undeniably delish hawker fares that Singapore has to
offer. Maybe it’s time to schedule a hawker hopping trip next,
eh?
Image credit: Hai Yan BBQ Seafood | Facebook
One of the best seafood haunts is located at the renowned (and
tourist favourite) Newton Food Centre. Having been around since the
1980s, Hai Yan BBQ Seafood serves a wide array of familiar Chinese
cuisine from crispy, golden brown mantous (a Chinese bun made from milled wheat flour
and then deep fried) to the more decadent and succulent Tiger
Prawns. Plus, their food is cooked in vegetable oil, which is a
bonus in our books.
Image credit: Poh Cheu | Facebook
For the uninitiated, an Ang Ku Kueh is
a snack with soft sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a
sweet filling (usually peanut or sesame). But what makes a
good Ang Ku Kueh? For us, it’s always been
the filling-to-skin ratio.
What makes Poh Cheu’s traditional treats a favourite amongst
Singaporeans is its subtly sweet filling that is complemented with
just the right amount of sticky rice flour skin. Honestly, it comes
as no surprise as they’ve been around for more than 30 years! The
vibrant colours of their kuehs provide
such a visual spectacle too, who says hawker fare isn’t
IG-worthy?
Image credit: House of Dessert | Facebook
Oldies are always goldies. The House of Dessert has been around for
a solid 29 years and the owners have pretty much perfected their
craft. Give their famous watermelon ice a go if you ever find
yourself in the East. The dessert features juicy watermelon (duh!),
coconut milk, crushed ice and corn – a perfect blend of sweet
and salty with just enough chill from the ice and milk to combat
the Singapore heat. The other must-try desserts include
their Lian Chee Suan, or more commonly known
as the Lotus Seed Paste and traditional Tau
Suan (mung beans which comes with crispy but airy
Youtiao or Chinese cruller).
Image credit: HarriAnn’s Delight | Facebook
HarriAnn’s flourishing family-owned business started from humble
beginnings. They owe their success to their hardworking ancestor,
Mdm Chia Nga Eng, who peddled her Nonya
Kuehs around the Tiong Bahru vicinity on a pushcart back
in the 1940s. Within a few years, she was fronting a market stall
at the Seng Poh Road Market (now known as the Tiong Bahru
Market).
Upon retiring, she handed down her recipes to her son, who then
handed it down to his son, Alan. Their mouth-watering traditional
Peranakan delicacies have been crafted painstakingly by hand. We
highly recommend checking out their original Ondeh and fragrant Kueh
Salat.
Image credit: Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh | Facebook
With roots dating back to the 1970s, Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh is more
than 40 years old. Despite its humble roots, the store evolved to
become a behemoth franchise chain that serves up dozens of bowls
of Bak Kut Teh per day. The store opens
till late, attracting many people over for supper. Their broth is
robust in flavour with a slight hint of pepper to give it a kick.
We recommend the ever-popular Spare Ribs Soup, Braised Pig
Trotters and Oyster Sauce Veg.
Image credit: Lao Wang Bean Sprout Chicken Rice | Facebook
Every list is incomplete without the nation’s staple food – chicken
rice. Singapore has plenty of great chicken rice
stalls in Singapore, but Lao Wang Chicken Rice’s signature
chicken rice is definitely one that can’t be missed! Tender chicken
served with fragrant rice (that’s not clumpy or mushy in the
slightest) and fiery chilli sauce make for a totally mind-blowing
fare. Don’t forget to try out their new Laska
Chicken Bee Hoon and Mee whilst you’re there too!
Image credit: Tong Xin Ju Special Shanghai Tim Sum | Facebook
Established back in 1972, this dimsum store’s recipes have been
passed down from generation to generation. Their craft is pretty
much perfected at this point. Not to be missed are their steamed
dumplings – handmade daily with generous amounts of minced pork and
ham, fresh prawns, chives all wrapped in a thin, soft and smooth
layer of dumpling skin. Other noteworthy dishes include their
crispy fried dumplings, bouncy Beijing noodles and Shanghai rice
cakes.
Image credit: Raymond Tan | Facebook
Time to chow down! He Zhong offers Carrot
Cake that is handmade and then personally steamed
(the amount of dedication is really reflected in taste and
texture). The radish cakes are held together with liberal amounts
of egg and served with heaps of Chye
Poh. Before digging in, we highly recommend dipping the
cake into the complementary sambal if you enjoy a bit of a
kick.
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