Veronica Phua’s HAWKER List For Tourists

I have come to two conclusions regarding my favourite prawn noodle stall in Singapore.

1. It is best to visit it on Mondays.
This is possibly the quietest day for them so it’s easy to find a seat and the wait time for your food to arrive is brief. As you can imagine, weekends are usually a bit crazy with an endless stream of customers.

2. The $10 bowl is the one to order.
I graduated from the $5 bowl to the $8 eons ago but have realised in order to feel gleefully sated, nothing beats the large serving. My go-to these days is shown above - the soup version with a mix of yellow mee and beehoon, prawns, pork ribs and pig’s intestines. Sometimes, depending on my mood, I also add on liver.

As a few of you have pointed out, “Da Dong Prawn Noodles” is not cheap compared to other hawkers but I believe in paying for quality and what gives me joy. Plus that broth of theirs is seriously to-die-for.

With glowing reviews by @misstamchiak and @ieatishootipost pasted up at the stall and a queue out in front of it, you know this hawker’s food is a sure thing. I have my parents to thank though, for they are the ones who took me to “Yong Huat Delight”.

Located in the food centre connected to the Marine Terrace wet market, the stall owner is a tall, slim lady who moves like lightning. Every steamed rice roll or “chee cheong fun” is made to order by her and she juggles that with the order-taking by calling out to the customers lining up. I was so impressed watching her in action. And to be completely honest, I love her version of the most from amongst those I have tried.

Besides boasting an incredibly soft and silky smooth texture, you get to pick from a wide variety of fillings to be rolled within the ultra thin steamed rice sheet. So many that it is bound to give you pause (it did me) because you’ll be tempted to try everything (think braised turnip, corn, chives, mushrooms, prawns, “char siew” to name a few).

First stop was straight to some traditional foods of Pisang Keju Coklat and Martabak Manis before drowning it with a 1 litre Thai milk tea while having some roti john in the process. Next up, we shared a packet of nasi biryani ayam from a stall that I cannot even remember from and completing the rounds with some putu piring. And yes, this was the one that was featured recently in Netflix’s Street Food, Singapore episode, as well. Comes with 5 pieces for $2.50, these oval-shaped steamed rice cakes contains a googy gula melaka in it and it is recommended to eat it while its freshly out from the steamer.
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Traditional Haig Road Putu Piring
Address: 14, Haig Road, Haig Road Market & Food Centre, Unit 01-07, Singapore 430014
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Why do sense and sensibility get thrown out the door when hunger pangs strike in the middle of the night? I, for one, crave the most unhealthy things around that time. More often than not, don't ask me why, it's Nasi Lemak that I long for. And it has to be the Ponggol one along Tanjong Katong Road.
Greedy loves company so I never venture there alone. Whether it is with my significant other or a group of friends, it's a no-holds-barred, storm-the-front event once we arrive at the brightly lit corner coffeeshop. Why have one fried chicken wing when we can have two? Heck, let's throw in an extra portion of rice while we pile on the other trimmings like fried egg, otak, luncheon meat, crispy ikan bilis and stir-fried lady's fingers! Happiness would be written in glistening grease all over our faces as we chomp on our calorie-laden supper, washed down by mugs of hot "teh-o siu dai" (plain tea with less sugar). At these proceedings, conversation tends to take a backseat because clearly, our attention is devoted to the food.
When we're finally done, with our belts loosened and buttons released, we quietly roll away into the night... propelled by our happy burps.
#Hawkerpedia.

There are almost as many "orh luak" or fried oyster stalls at this food centre as there are oysters in the sea nearby. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration :) Nevertheless, it doesn't matter how many of them there are, because for me, it has to be Song Kee. Theirs is perfectly fried every single time with just the right balance of egg, starch and oysters. It goes without saying they also happen to have the perfect vinegary chilli sauce.

Tracked down the granddaddy of "tao kwa pau's" that used to be in the coffeeshop opposite Katong 112 when Katong 112 was but a ghost town-like shopping centre. It now occupies a spacious basement stall in this small double-storeyed hawker centre. You can't miss the bright yellow signboard on it when you're there. For me, the most important thing to note is that their food still tastes the same - yay!
If you haven't tried "tao kwa pau", it's actually a fried beancurd that's been slit open and stuffed with a mouthwatering mix of chopped fishball, fried yam, cucumber and hard-boiled egg. A thick "lu zhi" (the gravy from braising duck in dark sauce and other herbs) is poured over it, while coriander is used as garnishing. You also get a bowl of their homemade spicy chili sauce for dipping. This traditional dish isn't easily found these days, so it's best to enjoy the best version of it while you can. #hawkerpedia

Sloppy never tasted so amazing. Getting my fix of my favourite "char kway teow" in Singapore. I like it best with no sweet sauce and extra chilli but whether I get to have it that way depends on the hawker's mood. I guess luck is on my side today. Yay!

When it comes to a very satisfying one-dish meal, this is pretty hard to beat.
Occupying three units #02-197 to #02-199 at Smith Street Hawker Centre, "Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice" is a business that started back in 1979 and has been handed from father to daughter-in-law (who then roped in her sisters which explains the stall's nickname). The good thing is his traditional methods and use of quality ingredients have not been altered or compromised. Up till today, each order of claypot rice is cooked from scratch by first steaming for a few minutes before being transferred to old-fashioned charcoal stoves to cook for another 20mins. Which explains the extremely long waiting time. Double that for peak periods. These days however, there's the option to call and book in advance.
On cool and/or rainy evenings, this is one of the dishes my parents and I crave for. Our preferred order is the $15 portion (to share of course) because there's more "liaw" a.k.a. the star ingredients of chicken, "lup cheong" and duck liver sausages. When our claypot is finally served at the table and the lid is lifted, there is a collective sigh of pleasure as the wonderful aroma billows out. My mum does the honour of stirring our preferred amount of the black sauce and oil mixture (served separately in a bowl) into the steaming rice. We then fill our bowls with the incredible deliciousness of fluffy grains and tasty meats, and dig in enthusiastically. #hawkerpedia

I always thought Heng Kee Curry Chicken Noodles on level one of Hong Lim Food Centre was the best. Until today that is, when I finally tried Ah Heng's version thanks to a recommendation from someone whose taste I trust a lot. Located on the second floor, directly above Heng Kee, Ah Heng's has a permanently long queue of hungry customers as well but thank goodness, their queue moves along faster. But that of course isn't what makes them my new favourite. Ultimately, it's all about the food.
I found Ah Heng's curry smooth and irresistibly drinkable, with spice levels nicely balanced. The beehoon and mee in my $6 portion were blanched just right to soak up the curry. What bowled me over though was the excellent quality of their toppings. All the chicken pieces were tender and moist, and completely free of bones. I had the breast meat which as you're probably aware, can be hard and dry if not cooked properly but theirs was very good. The "tau pok" they use was the superior type. So instead of being dry, thin and hollow, theirs was puffed-up with a fine spongey filling. Not surprisingly, they did a great job of soaking up and holding in all that fabulous curry gravy. The few pieces of fishcake and yellow potato in there were just as yummy. And then there's that dried chilli sambal offered on the side. It had a slightly roasted aroma and sexy deep heat that makes it unforgettable. But tread carefully - it's potent.
So the moral of the story is we should never stop hunting for good food because there might be something better waiting to be discovered! :) #Hawkerpedia

Eons ago, on my first day of work at my second ad agency, I discovered I had colleagues who were as mad about food as I was. Now, do note that this was during the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and food-centric apps like Burpple didn't exist. So, meeting like-minded people was a godsend. It became the norm that whenever we did not have a deadline to rush for, we would pile into the car of the one guy who drove (thank you, Steven Chin!), and go hunting all over Singapore for a kick-ass lunch. Our united passion for great hawker food led me, through the most ardent of meat-lovers in the group, to the terrifically tender "ter kah" (pig trotters) at Han Jia Bak Kut Teh Pork Leg at the East Coast Lagoon Hawker Centre.

In those days, this venue was nothing like the stylishly designed, resort-inspired structure that you see today. Instead, we sat under flat zinc roofs in the midday heat, sweating profusely as we stuffed ourselves with the deliciousness of the wobbly fat, gelatinous tendon, and the token lean meat — the result of hours and hours of intense braising. In between coming up for air from all that porky perfection, I remember catching snatches of conversation about the hawker using pork legs imported from Germany, which explains their massive size. That said, I never had any trouble polishing off a whole leg by myself back then, and even now.

After a recent visit a couple of weeks ago, I can vouch that the "ter kah" here is still as phenomenally fall-apart tender as I remember it to be. Thus, reinforcing its top-of-the-list position for my choice of epic indulgences. Just be prepared to leave with your mouth a little gummy. 😝 #hawkerpedia

Bowled us over this did. Every part of the chicken was so smooth, juicy and tender; yes, even the breast meat. I usually avoid chicken skin but I caved because the one here was wonderfully soft, gelatinous and devoid of the usual layer of fat. Harbouring a zesty note and stingingly spicy, their chilli sauce was also my preferred sort. Will be back for more!

Although readily available in every food court and hawker centres these days, I tend to zero in on a regular handful of "ban mian" stalls. This is the "dry" version from the famous one in Whampoa which dresses its generous serving of al dente handmade noodles in tongue-tingling chilli and a thick, caramelly black sauce. Their bold use of the dark green, slightly bitter "gao kee chye" makes other stalls' bowls with ubiquitous "chye sim" pale in comparison.

In addition, I also feel the service here is really good because the hawker makes an effort to manage customers' expectations by telling them the estimated wait time when they place their orders.