Epic Hawkers 🇸🇬

A unique noodle dish that features a delicious medley of prawns, pork ribs, sliced of hard-boiled egg and egg noodles doused in a flavorful yet tongue-burning chili sauce concoction, this chili mee is one that you should definitely try if you’re around Beach Road and looking for a satisfying meal.

It’s hard to describe the overall taste because there’s just so much going on with every single item executed very well, but all I can say is that you won’t regret it.

As far as prawn noodles go here in Singapore, very few come close to how full-bodied and flavorful their soup is but what a shame they now charge for additional soup top-ups.

Brimming with wok hei, underscored by a savory-sweetness courtesy of the sweet dark sauce added to give it its signature flavour and color, this char kway teow ranks high among one of my top favorites here in Singapore.

A long queue is to be expected regardless of whichever time you choose to go, but I promise you it’s well worth it!

Hailing from their old stall previously located at South Buona Vista Road, this legendary boneless duck rice stall—now run by the original founder’s brother-in-law—impresses with its super tasty and immensely tender duck.

The ‘lor’, or thick gravy, is sticky-sweet and packed full of flavour. The duck is cut thinly allowing for maximum sauce coverage and goes very well with either porridge or rice (I usually get both).

While many might disagree, I love their unique version as they nail the texture of the chicken as well as the flavorful soy and sesame-based sauce perfectly.

What makes their chicken unique is that it is poached rather than steamed. Poached in a mixture of aromatics, the chicken is removed at just the right time and dunked into an ice bath soon afterwards. The post-treatment in ice does two things—it stops the cooking process, preventing the meat from over cooking and it also shocks and tightens the skin and the meat, allowing the juices to stay intact. The result? Quite possibly one of the best plates of chicken rice around.

There was some news recently about their cook, Benson, leaving, but it has been confirmed that while he may be operating in another stall moving forward, the stall will still take up residence within the same coffee shop. So yay for that!

This corner stall located along Syed Alwi Road is famous for 3 things, their Hakka Beef Ball Bee Hoon Soup, Hakka Yong Tau Foo and Hakka Beef Kway Teow.

Although I’ve never tried the latter, I must admit both their Yong tau foo and homemade beef balls are seriously good. Their beef balls are dense with a nice chew to it. The flavour is legit and tastes miles better from what you typically get from factory-made ones. For one, you can actually taste the beef in the ball. They’re also really massive which is a major plus too!

Braised to tender, flavorsome perfection, the duck here is worth braving the queue and the heat for.

Masterfully prepared, the layer of fat in between the skin and the meat is mostly rendered out so what you’re left with is succulent meat with just a teeny weeny layer of buttery fat to give it that ‘shiok’ appeal.

While then braised duck alone is great, I usually get the full kit that includes a braised hard boiled egg, tau pok and tau gua. The braising liquid or sauce, while thinner than many others, goes very well with the rice which is sometimes a problem because I often find myself opting for an extra plate of rice. If you have the stomach for it, definitely go for their pig’s stomach soup, which boasts a peppery flavour somewhat similar to bak kut teh but not quite.

This humble chee cheong fun stalls commands a consistently long queue and for good reason. Their steamed rice rolls are fresh, silky smooth and dressed with a savory-sweet soy sauce. There are only 4 options on their menu—plain, char siew, prawn and scallop.

I loved everything about this from the textures to the clean yet comforting flavors. The prawns were crunchy and fresh, and the char siew was nicely caramelized with prominent charred flavour. I did, however, prefer the version with prawn as the char siew was too finely minced up. If you’re asked whether you’d like sambal to be added, don’t decline. You’ll be sorry if you did.

It took me quite a long while before I finally learned how to enjoy their version of one of Singapore’s most iconic breakfast items.

What sets them apart from most is that their uniquely prepared cai po is more savory than sweet, to the extent that it tends to feel too salty. Still, it’s mad addictive on its own although I usually pair it with a sweet cup of kopi to offset the saltiness.

Fresh and expertly prepared ingredients from their assorted braised delights to their wonderful soup, this is one stall I always find myself returning to—especially on mornings when I’m severely hungover and in need of proper, nourishing comfort.

The body of their soup is robust and full-flavored with a strong pork flavour underscored beautifully with aromatics such as fried garlic, tomatoes and preserved vegetables.

Finally got around to trying the insanely popular and consistently crowded, The Hakka Yong Tau Fu Stall [01-25], located at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. I had to wait close to 45 minutes but I’d say it was well worth it.

For fear of overindulging so early in the day, I selected a range of vegetable items such as fish paste-stuffed eggplant (aubergines), bitter gourd, green chili, crispy bean curd skin and green capsicum but on display, you can also find items such as deep-fried pig intestines, squid and a myriad of bean curd-based yummies.

I chose to have mine dry with bee hoon (rice vermicelli) as opposed to white rice because I felt it would soak up their chili sauce a little bit better. Their homemade chili sauce really made it for me. It was spicy, surprisingly tangy with a heady note of garlic. Coupled with a spoonful of their sweet hoisin-ish sauce, it was a medley of lip-smacking flavors that went exceptionally well with each and every component of the dish.