We were looking out for cheap food options in the Novena area and we chanced upon Balestier Market! To start our meal, we ordered two popiahs from Miao Sin Popiah, which cost around $2 each. One highlight for us would be the generous serving of peanut crumbs, which makes the filling really crunchy! While the skin was a little thicker-than-usual, we felt that it was useful because the turnip from Miao Sin was a little wet. Thankfully, the Popiah skin didn't break easily but it would have been nice if the turnip were a little drier. The spicy level at Miao Sin Popiah (if you indicate that you want spicy Popiah) is pretty mild, so if you really want your popiah spicy, you should indicate that you want more chilli.

Surprisingly, Miao Sin Popiah also sells other fried items such as carrot cake, and we will be sure to try that in future as we saw good reviews about those too!

Balestier Market was pretty empty on a Saturday afternoon, and given that there are air coolers in this hawker centre, it actually makes for a decent environment to have a conversation with friends! The only downside is that it is not really near any MRT station, and you probably need to take a bus to get there.