Local Fare

A nondescript stall with the most unassuming yellow signboard, they make among the best homey dumplings I’ve ever had in a hawker centre. Neatly sealed in those yellow wanton wrappers our mamas use at home, their dumplings (and wantons but dumplings especially) are stuffed with lean minced meat and prawns, no-fillers, and super well-seasoned. Dip those beauts in some of their punchy homemade chilli sauce — WEEEEEW. Stunning. They also make some bombass fuzhou fishballs that are mega qq and juicy. Now I’m not gonna call these the best craziest yummiest ones out there, but it’s very comforting and homey to me and I’ve never once dined at Maxwell without ordering from them. Besides, the old couple manning the store are super adorable 🥰

I think everyone knows me as the sort to travel hours just for food (I once walked 3 hours to a café in Melbourne mind you), but when the company you keep wants convenience I end up just settling — and it’s amazing how you find surprisingly decent chows even like that. Can’t say I’m a good judge of scissor cut curry rice cause I’ve honestly only ever tried two places, but this made my tummy happy (and my wallet too) at just $3.50. I liked that the braised dark sauce wasn’t too thick or sweet cause I’m not too big a fan of the sweeter renditions, and that the fried chicken cutlet, though having sat out for a bit, wasn’t dry at all and was actually pretty sizable. That they generously poured 3 full ladles of the glorious curry over the mountain of rice made me a very happy girl too ☺️

Can’t say I’ve tried many soupy bak chor mees aside from the popular ones in Fengshan 85 market, so I was super stoked to try Famous Eunos Bak Chor Mee’s rendition — even more so after hearing they’re among the participating hawkers in this year’s Tiger Street Food Festival! What I especially liked was how massive their dumplings are compared to those we’re familiar with at 85. Very generous and meaty which, when enjoyed with the copious amounts of fairly lean minced meat in the soup, made for a pretty lip-smacking meal. Check them out this coming Friday at the festival that’s happening in the open field at Tan Quee Lan street! With whichever bcm store your allegiance lies, you’re bound to be spoilt rotten by all the other fantastic hawker offerings 😉

Glad to say it was definitely the right choice, and everyone (I mean everyone, even the pickiest most skeptical eaters) was impressed. Of their 4 kuehs, my heart went out to the Smoked Pork Belly one which coincidentally is a new flavour they launched for barely a week! It’s hard to imagine how the smokiness can actually come through as strongly as it did without overpowering the sweet stewed turnips, but maaaaan they did it. The beetroot’s a close second for its unique yet very surprisingly lovely flavours. Time to haul ass there if you haven’t already.

I kid you not. No wonder the queue at Garden Street Kway Chap's always insane. So my mum was telling me they've got really really good food at mighty low prices too, and we all went down to give it a try today. And damn, really not too bad at all. The big intestines were really clean, soft and tasty, absorbed all the flavours of the braising liquid after staying in the pot for hours. The silky-smooth skin was just right: not too thick so it's unpleasant, and not too thin that it tears easily. The best though, I thought, was the lean slices of pork. Tender, moist, juicy, yet so so lean.

Made with 100% pure Mao Shan Wang durian (no fillers or artificial sweeteners mind you), then lovingly encased in bamboo charcoal snowskin and finished with gold dust, you know you're getting nothing short of the best (and real) stuff. What I really like about their mooncakes is how they don't skimp on quality, allowing the durian to take the centre stage through and through. Creamy and smooth, it's really just pure durian goodness — perfect for all you fiends out there. Only thing is do try to eat them between 10-15 min of thawing though, cause if you let them sit out too long the ice cream-like filling will turn a tad mushy.

Pre-order special price of $66.60's (25% discount holy moley!) running till the end of August, so visit their Instagram or website to lock your box down now! Don't say bojio 😘

Took a couple of friends visiting from down under 🇦🇺 here a couple of days back, and was once again surprised at how such simple local fare pleases almost everyone! I've been to Tong Ah a few times and always love their half-boiled eggs. They're perfectly done (by my standards), with little bits of hardened but still silky-smooth yolk, holding it's shape and not swirling into a yellow mess when the egg's cracked; and the whites completely runny but not at all translucent — so many requirements, I'm odd that way ☺️ The toast here has always been secondary to me. Maybe crispy thin, as the Aunty suggests, doesn't really work for me cause it feels too biscuity and not toast-y at all; or maybe it's cause the kaya is less sweet and generous than some spots.

I have no issues with paying $10 for a slab of good braised pork, but sometimes the humblest $1.80 lu rou fan works the best magic. Fatty melt-in-your-mouth tasty-as-hell pork belly, above a bed of steaming hot rice, drenched in ladles of rich braising liquid. Couple that with some peppery pig organs soup and you've got a happy, satisfied belly. #Burpproved

Possibly among the last to hop on the bandwagon, but now that I have I'm never turning back. Being the first scissor-cut curry rice I've tried I can't say if this is the best out there, only that I reeeally enjoyed it. I'm not the biggest fan of the starchy braised sauce, cause it kinda just coats the rice and stops that yummy curry from really seeping in; flavour-wise though it was 👌🏻 Fried chicken chop was, as pictured, legit with a thin, crisp batter and meaty; braised cabbage was addictive; and seriously that humble dish of bean sprouts is worth a mention.

Classic, timeless, and always satisfying. Those who like a more savoury sauce will find this slightly different, doused in a sweeter soy sauce mix and topped with lotsa fried garlic. The chicken itself is pretty fab: lovely roasted skin that's not at all fatty, hiding juicy and perfectly cooked meat. I won't call it the best chicken rice ever, but there's just something really comforting and nostalgic about the store, hidden from sight in the old Katong Shopping Centre. That, and everyone knows I can't resist them free soup and achar 😉

I've long gave up on the prospect of having cheap and good Western fare like those we grew up chomping on, since we've got better (albeit more expensive) options now where most hawker Western stalls of late are all pretty much ubiquitous and a letdown. So: biggest surprise and joy of the week was to find this epic amazing hawker Western stall. Huge huge huuuuuge chicken chop — the skin-on kind I loved back when this was every kid's fave — boasting a great char, tangy and sweet purple slaw, and soooo much smooth, creamy mash. All of this for (guess what) just 6 bucks. Don't expect luscious Robuchon buttery mash or some badass pan gravy: this is the hawker-style Western fare we grew up with, and I dare say it's no lesser than their more renowned counterparts.

Prolly a wee abnormal to write about elements of their signature Big Prawn Noodles separately, but I think each component more than deserves its own review! First off, look at that generous serving of lard. If that hasn't won them a whooping thumbs up then something's clearly not too right with you. Next, pay close attention to that blanket of sauce generously ladled over the noodles. Can't put my finger on what went into it, but there's definitely hae bee hiam in that fantastically seasoned chili paste. But the problem with having such a good sauce, is there just isn't enough of it. I downed it all halfway into my bowl, which left the remaining noodles rather dry and sad. My portion of mee kia was overcooked and soggy as well, thus finishing the sauceless portion was pretty much out of the question. Honestly though, imperfect cook on the noodles be damned; have the sauce and lard on free flow, and I'll gladly have this every day.