Fun fact: did you know that the Circuit Road hawker centre used to be a bus interchange, hence lining a long stretch of this one-way and almost oval road? ("Orhhhhhh".) This place has been in the limelight recently for the ieatishootipost muah chee (sold out but had a nice chat with the uncle, story for another day).

Living just 5 min walking distance away, I often get asked, "What's good to eat here?" Two problems surface: one, I spend much less time around home now as compared to Tg Pagar where I work. Two, I've lived in this area all my life, so my food preference for this hawker centre is kinda skewed.

My usual answer is that it's known for vegetarian food and "orh luak", or fried oyster - the kind fried with starch. Two stalls are in close proximity - Teo Kee, the more famous and popular one, and this from Ghim Guan which is nearer to the bus stop.

$4 is a 'healthy' portion for one person, and it could be that I was the last customer, but there were many plump and fresh jumbo oysters - don't you just love it when they pop in your mouth and the pungent juice lubricates the tongue? The signs of a good orh luak are also the crispy fried bits and the starchy morsels. However the egg portion was a little bland - this is where Teo Kee overtakes the competition.

Do order the spicy version. I told the uncle that I enjoyed the chilli flavour (in the dish, not the dipping sauce). He said the recipe originated from his grandfather and it's never been changed. When I pointed out the hae bi hiam flavour, he smiled and gleefully admitted adding that in but not too much. (Yes, score!)

We all have soft spots for the older hawkers that have kept their recipes true to themselves despite the thirst for diverse flavours and new trends. They may not be the absolute best around - then again, we don't need to have the best all the time. Simple, unchanged tastes that gives us small bouts of happiness sometimes matter more. #BurppleAfterDark