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Block 75, Toa Payoh Lorong 5
Block 75 in Toa Payoh Lorong 5 has some of the best hawker food
under one roof - with colourful characters to boot
By Teo Pau Lin, 21 November 2004
The Sunday Times
It has only 36 stalls and is tucked deep in the sleepy heartland
but Block 75 in Toa Payoh Lorong 5 has become quite a dream hawker
destination.
Renovated three years ago, it is clean, breezy, has lots of parking
space and boasts some of the best hawker food gathered under one
roof.
Visit on weekends and you will find long queues at the stalls
selling fishball noodles, claypot chicken rice and Hokkien prawn
mee.
Unless you don't mind waiting for up to an hour for a meal, the
better option is to visit on weekday evenings, since only about
half the stalls are open for weekday lunch.
Built in the 1960s to house pushcart hawkers making a living in the
nearby areas, the revamped hawker centre is home to a few colourful
characters.
There is the white-haired fishball noodles cook, Mr Neo Joo Yong,
54, who whips up bowl after bowl before a huge stove like a
charismatic star.
There are the two char kway teow hawkers who, despite having
side-by-side stalls, insist there is no animosity between
them.
And there is Mr Nelson Lee, 39, the claypot chicken rice
stallowner, who boasts one of the clearest, rosiest complexions
around, from toiling over his sauna-like charcoal stoves day in,
day out.
LifeStyle recommends that you try the eight dishes on this
page.
EIGHT DISHES YOU MUST TRY
Barbecue stingray
$8 to $12
The grilled stingray comes in a sizzling hotplate so expect some
sparks to fly when you tuck in. The meat is tender while the sambal
sauce is of the drier type with a robust belacan taste. As much as
60kg of stingray is served each day.
Toa Payoh Hot Plate BBQ Fish, #01-342M
Opens: 4.45pm to midnight daily
Char kway teow
$2, $3
There are two stalls here, located side by side. But owners Tham
Buk Beng, 44, of Soon Lee Cooked Food and Goh Poh Kwe, 54, of Fried
Cockles Kway Teow Stall insist they are not competitive and are on
friendly terms. Each has his fare share of customers. We found the
former's food tastier and the latter's less grimy.
Soon Lee Cooked Food, #01-338N
Opens: 3pm to midnight, closed on Sundays
Fried Cockles Kway Teow Stall, #01-336N
Opens: 5pm to midnight, closed on Mondays
Claypot chicken rice
$5, $8, $12, $15
Be ready to wait for at least 20 minutes because each claypot is
cooked individually over a charcoal flame upon order. Found in the
rice are chunks of salted fish, Chinese sausage and liver sausage,
and you mix a good dose of thick soya sauce and lard into it. The
chicken pieces are amazingly tender.
Sha Guo Ji Fan, #01-330M
Opens: 5.30 to 11pm, closed on alternate Wednesdays
Fishball noodles
$2.50, $3
There is always a queue at this corner stall. What sells are the
huge, bouncy fishballs, juicy pork balls and noodles that are firm
and slightly chewy. The cook throws health-consciousness to the
wind as he adds loads of lard bits. But the taste is so good it's
worth the occasional risk.
Song Kee Fishball Noodles, #01-354M
Opens: 10am to midnight, closed on alternate Wednesdays
Hokkien prawn noodles
$3, $5, $8, $10
In business for close to 40 years, this stall miraculously whips up
Hokkien mee that is neither too oily nor mushy. Owner Yap Sow Tee,
61, says there is nothing special about his recipe. But his
customers, who wait for as long as an hour on weekends, would
disagree.
Huat Heng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, #01-336M
Opens: 5pm to midnight, closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Minced pork noodles
$3
The secret is all in the sauce. When you order the dry noodles,
they come covered with a yummy dark soya sauce gravy which was
stewed over charcoal flame for at least two hours. If you order the
soup noodles, the soup is a rich, cloudy concoction made from
boiling pork bones, garlic and ginger. Truly delicious.
Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Minced Meat Noodles, #01-328M
Opens: 11.30am to 12.30am daily
Rojak
$3, $5
Fresh taupok (fried beancurd) and youtiao (dough fritters) are
grilled on order so expect a nice crispiness in every bite. Slivers
of chewy jellyfish are thrown in too. What is unusual is that the
stall also offers vegetarian rojak, using a vegetarian sauce
instead of prawn paste.
Mei Ji Rojak, #01-328N
Opens: Noon to 12.30am, closed on Mondays
Oyster omelette
$3, $5, $8
The stall also sells carrot cake and fried oysters but its oyster
omelette is the winner. It is not oily, has big, juicy oysters, and
the egg is fried till slightly crispy. Neatly presented without any
charred bits, it also comes with a tangy chilli sauce.
Xing Xing, #01-326N
Opens: 3pm to 2am
