Hawkerhopping & Coffeeshopping

4 munchies: Did you know that no milk was added to this bowl of fish soup? The boiling of fried fish bones, dried anchovies, ginger, and other ingredients for several hours was the result of the rich, umami, and almost creamy soup stock. The $4.50 bowl might come with a decent portion of fresh sliced fish, but I’d highly recommend the $5 top-up for its premium fish belly for an extra treat! #Burpproved #BurppleChinatown

4 munchies: Simmered and steeped until tender and succulent, the chicken is then coated with a layer of honey to give the bouncy skin some shine and sweetness. Having absorbed all that aromatic soy sauce dressing with a hit of herbal fragrance, every part of the chicken – breasts included – was so juicy and packed full of savoury flavour!

What really amazed us was the excellent braised beancurd featured in the background. Braised using the same sauce for the chicken, the texture of the tofu was ultra smooth yet firm! #Burpproved #BurppleBestofChinatown

Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-189

4 munchies: Having been patronising this stall for the past 6 years or so (though they've been around since 1965), the standard of the wanton mee has not dropped once. The $5 bowl featured here comes loaded with char siew, braised mushroom, 3 fried and 4 steamed wantons, and leafy chye sim. The egg noodles were cooked to the right springiness and did not reek of alkali. Being a sucker for Malaysian-style wanton noodles, the standout for me was the dark soy sauce used to toss the ingredients. Not only was it savoury with a tinge of sweetness, fried shallot and shallot oil were also added to make the sauce extra fragrant! The only letdown was the thick skin used to wrap the steamed wanton; meat filling was also not well-marinated and lacked flavour.

The soy sauce chicken wing noodle is another dish of theirs that I go back for! #Burpproved #BurppleBestofChinatown

Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist, #02-48

3 munchies: For just $3.50 per plate, you get one fried chicken thigh, fragrant basmati rice, curry dipping sauce, and homemade archar. It was a real shame that the tender chicken had been pre-fried, which resulted in the crumbs being stale (think lao hong). I honestly wouldn't mind waiting slightly longer for fried-to-order chicken that is crisp and juicy!

Sikkander's Briyani, #02-100

4 munchies: I usually find the western food dishes that we get from the kopitiam downstairs are either too salty or greasy, but not this plate of chicken chop with added on pork chop for just $8.50. Not only the meats were nicely marinated, they were also grilled to moist perfection with that gorgeous brown exterior. The tender chicken was superior compared to the pork, though I’d still eat the latter anytime!

All grilled dishes come with toast, fries, and baked beans. #Burpproved #BurppleBestofTampines

4 munchies: This is what I call a beautiful plate of mess. Besides the usual suspects – crispy pork chop, braised cabbage, and fried egg – that I'd never fail to include whenever I order a plate of Hainanese curry rice, the star ingredient at this famed supper spot was the juicy ngoh hiang (five-spice meat roll). Filled generously with well-marinated minced pork and crunchy water chestnut, the crispy beancurd skin was deep-fried to golden brown perfection. Slather all that curry and concoction of braised and char siew sauces and you're set for a local, mouthwatering experience! #Burpproved #BurppleSGLateNight

3.5 munchies: For just $3, you get the best of both worlds – fried black and white carrot cake. It even comes with PRAWNS! What's unique about the handmade carrot cake here is that curry powder is added for that hint of tumeric and cumin fragrance. Besides having the right 'wetness', it also contains lots of eggs and chye poh! #Burpproved #BurppleBestofTampines

Tampines Round Market & Food Centre, #01-07

4 munchies: There's a reason why a long queue is always spotted at this stall – the gu chai kueh (Chinese chives), soon kueh (turnip), and png kueh (glutinous rice) are handmade fresh daily and stuffed with generous fillings. While the steamed kuehs taste just as great, I'd highly recommend you to get the ones that are pan-fried to order for a crisp exterior and chewy interior. Be sure to grab a few boxes home early because they sell out by 2-3pm each day! #BurppleBestofJurong #Burpproved

This might not be one of the more popular hawker centres in the residential precinct of Jurong, but you could still get pretty good food here at Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre. My picks are the Soy Sauce Chicken & Roast Pork Noodle from Hong Kong Soy Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle (#02-85), Feng Zhen Lor Mee (#03-146), and bak chor mee from 58 Minced Meat Noodle (#03-150).

Tom's Kitchen (#03-130) is another stall that is worth checking out (not featured here). It sells reasonably-priced western food – including my favourite Pork Cutlet Baked Rice with Tomato Sauce! So glad that in March 2014, they moved out of Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre to this place closer to home. #BurppleBestofJurong

3.5 munchies: Served in a sizzling claypot with a gas burner, wheat beer is poured over the chicken for added fruitiness and crisp-edged flavours. The meat is marinated in Chongqing spices, in which ginger slices, garlic cloves, and oyster mushrooms can be found in the savoury-spicy sauce. Oh, the regular level of spice was hot enough to numb our tongues!

After we were done with the chicken, soup stock was poured into the claypot with the residual sauce. Regular steamboat ingredients are available for diners to enjoy round 2 of the hotpot!

雞煲 is open only for dinner from 5pm onwards; reservations for more than 6 people are highly recommended.

4 munchies: Who'd have expected to find a great fish head curry dish at this industrial canteen in Lower Delta? Brought still bubbling away in a large clay pot, the spicy curry gravy had a dominant coconut flavour, which explains its richness and creamy texture. The flesh of the red snapper cheek was soft and meaty; served with assorted vegetables including okra and eggplant, and crispy tau kee topping. It is best eaten with steamed white rice to soak up the fragrant curry! #Burpproved

Many thanks to the Burpple team for taking us to this hidden gem and the awesome treat!

Open till 5am daily, this place is great for getting your midnight Teochew muay fix as well as party-goers before they decide to call it a night. My picks are the garlicky lala (clams), braised duck, and braised tau pok. But how could they have messed up my favourite chye poh omelette? It was sugary, and the sweetness certainly did not come from the preserved radish.

Do ask for a bowl of braised sauce to go with your plain porridge! #BurppleSGLateNight