Bugis

It's such a great feeling when you randomly discover a stall that does a dish particularly well. For instance, just last evening, I came upon this Indian Rojak while looking to fuel up before hitting the Singapore Night Festival.
Tucked away in "Nan Tai Eating House" which is located on the ground floor of Blk. 261 Waterloo Street, "Sabeena Indian Food" seems like a pretty ordinary stall at first glance. When you look around the place however, its popularity is apparent because there're so many customers who're happily eating their Indian Rojak. I didn't hesitate to follow suit and was blown away by the scrumptiousness of their rendition. Love that the hawker gave all the fried items I picked a quick fry in hot oil before chopping them up for serving. The freshly crisped finish makes a big difference between "meh" and "mmmmmm". If you like cuttlefish, the one here is tasty, spicy and not too rubbery. Much better than most of the others I've had elsewhere. Their gravy looks kind of ordinary but it paired perfectly with everything on the plate.

I may be slow but this is my first time getting the box of mixed [$11], which includes flavours such as original, longan, peanut, grass jelly, red bean, ginkgo nut and egg white. It's definitely great for sharing and it's only a dollar more from a box of original ones.

I found just the perfect dish to perk up any dreary Monday like this. Every sip of the dark brown-coloured stock was a build up of flavours—deepened with fish sauce, fried garlic, lard (score!), and hints of cinnamon, and soaked up beautifully by the thin, chewy rice noodles. Lots to love about this bowl, because they certainly don't stinge on the beef—tender beef slices, tripe, beef balls fill it with plenty of bovine satisfaction.

If you find Vietnamese pho a little too light, then this incredibly intense Thai beef noodles will be right up your alley (or should I say soi? 😝).
Slippery strands of rice noodles swim in a most flavourful moat studded with beef slices, tender tripe strips, beef balls and kangkong. While it's still hot, toss in as much bean sprouts and Thai basil leaves as you like for some freshness and texture. I didn't feel the need to adjust the seasoning (though the fish sauce and sugar are on standby, if needed), but it's definitely best enjoyed flecked with a flurry with chilli flakes! 🔥

This is one of the best rice I've eaten. I stumbled upon this store who interestingly hung a row of chicken head and spines up for parade. Ordered the $3.50 large option and boy I was impressed. The rice was so fragrant and delicious, yet it remains fluffy and not dragged down the oil. I had to finish every grain of rice. Chicken was tender and had good amount of skin to it. Left very satisfied and will definitely come again.

With so many stalls selling this dish taking shortcuts nowadays, it is heartening there are still a few that continue to honour the traditional method of cooking each order from scratch. Because they use raw rice, a longer wait time is unavoidable. To manage customers' expectations, they even have a sign mounted in front, stating a 15-minute wait at least.
Although the famous Three Sisters Claypot Rice stall in Chinatown's Smith Street Food Complex remains my number one go-to spot for this dish, Fei Kee's is pretty tasty too. I like that their chicken pieces are large and free of bones, while the "lap cheong" and cabbage are plentiful. Interestingly, the element of saltiness comes more from the tiny crunchy small dried shrimps added on just before serving rather than the traditional way of incorporating bits of salted fish at the cooking stage.

Located beside Burgs by Project Warung is 怡宝兵如港猪肠粉, a stall that serves up Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun — the stall can be identified by "Chee Cheong Fun" on its signage (or just look for Burgs by Project Warung; there is only one stall beside them).

For $4, this does not come cheap but you get eight pieces of fresh prawns — every single morsel carries a piece so you will never feel like there isn't enough. The Cheong Fun here is made-to-order; slippery smooth with just enough flavour from the special soy sauce; not too salty, but it's definitely savoury enough. The prawns are quite plump and succulent, bouncy with a bite while the chili has a unique Otah-esque flavour and spiciness, though a little more savoury and leaning nearer towards a sambal savouriness with that flavour. This is actually one of the few Chee Cheong Fun out there served at a hawker centre/coffeeshop that I find almost on par or even better than those served up at Chinese restaurants — definitely will be back for this one again!

Look at those fried eggs! That's what we are here for. Me and my wife are huge fan of fish soups, but this stall has somehow missed our radar.
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We like that they uses spinach, fresh fish, and silver fish in its soup. The soup is naturally tasty, but we felt that it lacked deeper integration of the ingredients in the soup. There are three other fish soups that we like more than this stall here: Yi Jia at Maxwell for their clean and down to earth soup using flat fish with super fresh fish, Jin Hua at Maxwell and Xin Yuan Ji at Tan Quee Lan for their really tasty and flavourful soup.
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But if we have a craving for these fried eggs, this is where we'll come to. Our three favourite fish soup doesn't serve fried eggs, and the soup here may not be the best but it's good enough.

At the corner of Beach Road and Purvis Street lies this quaint bakery cum coffeeshop. YY Kafei Dian is not just a pro when it comes to fluffy buns, they also knows their way around classic Hainanese dishes like chicken rice and chicken chop. Start your day with a cup of Coffee ($1.30) and be sure to stick around to get your hands on the freshly baked buns ($1.20) that Burpple Tastemaker Fabian Poon describes as "soft pillowy kaya buns with a slight crisp on the exterior". The buns are held together by a generous slather of brown kaya and a slab of butter in the middle, and they are available all day, so you can pop by for a midday snack too. Come lunchtime, the space teems with office workers looking for a hearty meal. It's best to come with a group of colleagues so you can share more items, especially the value-for-money Claypot E-fu Noodles ($5.50). The portion is just right for one person, but we recommend sharing it and drizzling the lusciously rich sauce over the rice instead. Also worth ordering is their fragrant Coffee Flavored Pork Ribs (from $9).
Avg Price: $10 per person
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Fabian Poon

Old-school butter coffee (Kopi Gu You), a cup of tea, and traditional toasted bread slathered with hainanese kaya, complete with a slab of butter, all served by an uncle in a white singlet, in this coffee shop which retains its old style. Can't get any more better in 'local' flavour. 💫

Just $5.80 for 2 toasts, 2 cups of Kopi with butter and a cup of tea - ask for siew dai (less sugar). Great to take a tourist too

For me, the gravy is what separates a good Mee Rebus from a not-so-good one. And personally, I find Kampong Glam Cafe's very satisfying. To start with, it isn't too starchy and there're detectable dimensions of flavours in it. Within the potato-based gravy, sweet and savoury co-exist happily. After which, with a squeeze of fresh lime, sour joins in the party.
PS. My tastebuds concur that Mee Rebus without lime is like a face without a smile.