Singapore's 2009 Top 10 Listings
Bak Chor Mee
Ah
Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee
Blk 531A Upper Cross St #02-43 Hong Lim Mkt & Food Ctr
9.00am – 7.00pm
We don’t now how long more this old Teochew food master will go on for. Their operation is near perfect with neatly arranged ingredients beside as the cook flings and tosses the noodle. They were popular since the ‘60s when they had a pushcart stall at the old iconic Wayang Street. The noodle is well tossed and just on the soft side of al dente. The noodles look wet but when tossed, it becomes damp and flavourful with toppings like wantons (with hints of flat fish dust inside), lean meat, stewed mushrooms, minced meat, meatballs with bits of tee po (dried flat fish). Although the soup version is the traditional one, folks also like their dry vinegared version.
Fish Ball Noodle
Chai
Keng Kway Teow Mee
Blk 453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-11 Chong Boon Mkt & Food
Ctr
6.30am – 2.00pm Closed on Mon & Ah hoc Fri
The basic order gives you a prawn, mushroom and pork slices with fishballs served with smooth kway teow. The dry noodles are tossed in superb chilli with a nice hint of vinegar. If you want to splurge, you can have pomfret noodles for either $5 or $7, which means having slices of pomfret served in soup with your dry noodles. Very popular stall that sees a long queue each day
Fried Hokkien Mee
Nam
Sing Hokkien Friend Prawn Mee (Hougang)
Blk 51 Old Airport Rd #01-32 Old Airport Rd Food Ctr
11.00am – 6.00pm (Till Sold Out)
They fry it with vegetable oil instead of the peer preferred lard as "it is all about the stock, not the oil.", says the boss who been at it for 40 years. In 2005, Makansutra, in collaboration with the National Environment Agency and the Singapore Tourism Board declared them a "Singapore Hawker Legend" at the Singapore Food Festival. It does not have a heavy oily noodle sensation and is easy to eat. The owner fries it wearing a pair of goggles because years of slaving over the wok have caused him eye problems. His doctor said "give up or wear goggles when cooking!".
Grilled Stingray/Skate/Seafood
Banana
Leaf BBQ Seafood
Blk 450 Clementi Ave 3 #01-271 Kopitiam
12.00pm – 12.00am
Very fresh sambal chilli is added only after the fresh stingray or fish is grilled, hence the chilli is not burnt and the fish is grilled for the right texture and taste - very juicy and inviting. But the real heat is in the chilli.
Kaya/Kaya Roti
Tong
Ah Coffeeshop
36 Keong Saik Rd
6.30am – 10.00pm Closed on Alt Wed
Their original business was selling coffee powders. They let their coffee powders sit for a few weeks to mature the fragrance before brewing and it comes smooth and rich. They own-make a very robust, rich, rough yet smooth kaya. Although they use white instead of brown bread, they slice it thinly and toast it superbly. Try it with the soft steamed bread version. Their half boiled eggs come perfect…squiggly and runny. It is located in a very charming triangular corner of an old pre-war Chinatown building.
Mee Goreng
Yusof
A
Blk 14 Haig Rd #01-20 Haig Rd Food Ctr
10.00am – 12.00am
This stall has quietly escaped our radar all these while. But not now. They fry their noodles very well till the factory texture and taste of the noodle is overwhelmed by their spicy sambal. They toss in a fairly generous sprinkling of mutton, eggs, potatoes and bits of cabbages for texture (all insignificant as the noodle is very well fried). Let the noodle breath a while to release some moisture before you eat. They also fry a mean nasi goring putih (white style fried rice).
Nasi Lemak
Haji
Maksah Barkat Chahya Food Stall
Blk 221B Boon Lay Pl #01-106 Boon Lay Pl Food Village
9.00am – 3.00am (Mon), 6.00am – 3.00pm,
9.00pm – 3.00am (Tue – Sun)
These folks have consistent queue of about twenty five thick the minute they open. Their well lit and cheerful stall offers up to 16 traditional and funky stuff like hash browns (we wonder why, but it’s popular), spring rolls, sausages and fish fillets. Their theory is to provide “fresh, hot and cheap”. $3 gives you 3-4 toppings with a thick, sweet yet spicy sambal. Their use fragrant jasmine grains and it is not too coconutty. Service here is fast and slick, and they clear one customer at 25 seconds on average- sometimes with a smile.
Prawn Mee
River
South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles
31 Tai Thong Cres
6.30am – 4.30pm, 5.30pm – 4.30am Closed on Alt
Mon
Business here has intensified since the food centre nearby closed for good and they sell out even earlier on most days. This pair of sisters and their brother (who runs the night shift) has been at it for 20 years, since inheriting it from their folks. In true Hokkien style, they add pork ribs and bones to the prawn stock to give the soup that brown hue and a totally rich and intensely full-bodied taste. Their ingredients are fresh and they use top-grade prawns. We indulge at times by ordering an extra bowl of ribs and pig tails soaked in a bowl of their rich dark brown and piping hot stock, as a side dish. Their chilli powder(they call it gunpowder) is a killer, so go easy.
Roti John
Shukor
Stall Makanan Istimewa
49A Serangoon Gdn Way Stall 30 Serangoon Mkt & Food Ctr
10.00am – 9.00pm Closed on Thur
Siti is the daughter of the man most noted for popularising
the roti john in Singapore. She now runs this stall after
the Taman Serasi Botanical Garden hawkers were relocated due
to re-development. Their version of this meatloaf is gorgeous…onions
with beaten eggs and spices are spread onto a halved French
loaf and pan fried. It is served with a ketchup or chilli
sauce. They were christened “Hawker Legends” by
Makansutra, The Singapore Tourism and the National Environment
Agency in 2005 ‘s annual Singapore Food Festival. They
also have minced mutton versions.
Yong Tau Foo
Lao
Huang Hakka Yong Tau Fu
861 North Bridge Rd #01-108 North Bridge Rd Mkt & Food
Ctr
7.00am – 3.00pm Closed on Mon & Thu
They hand make a limited amount each day and the stuffing is 90% pork mince with fats and cartilage and “ we need a bit of fish paste to help stick to the tofu”. They will separately fry and serve the fried yong tau foo items. We detect hints of dried flat fish dust in the filling and it is very endearing. The stuffing goes right through the heart of the items, not just some surface cosmetics, just look at the stuffed bitter gourd, very satisfying. They have a stinging chilli sauce and they do not rely on a good soup to jazz it up the yum quotient.
