Hong Yi Vegetarian (Seah Im Food Centre)

Admittedly, I turned a blind eye to vegetarian food growing up but now I’m really starting to savour its greatness, after discovering the wonders of vegetarian cuisine.

For a healthy and delicious lunch fix near HarbourFront MRT, try Hong Yi Vegetarian, identified by its vibrant display of Cai Png dishes for sale.

Brown rice, fried Kway Teow and noodles are some of your carb options. I’d personally recommend ordering the Bee Hoon to fully soak up all the goodness from the different sauces and chilli too.

Apart from the mandatory veggies, the mock chicken and char siew are delightful accompaniments.

Star of the show is really the crispy beancurd skin, adding that extra crunch to your already satiating meal.

My default cheap meal at Seah Im! Also seems healthy-ish because it’s vegetarian and has brown rice, but that might be negated by the curry sauce they love to very very generously spam my plate with. Despite the long queue, it moves along fairly quickly, and the hawker uncle and aunty still remain friendly throughout the rush.

If you are seeking for an affordable and good vegetarian fare, Hong Yi Vegetarian is the store to go to. Ordered four dishes with kway teo and it only cost me $3.50!

Loved the vegetable curry sauce, it's light, sweet and filled with hints of coconut flavours.

Matched up against many meaty competitors, Hong Yi holds its own with a solid variety of quality Chinese vegetarian. Their fried beehoon may be the more popular pick, but Tastemaker Jason Wong advises going for a base of rice to better soak up the mildly spicy curry sauce that comes with their coconut-fragrant curry vegetables. A plate of rice or noodles with two to three dishes will come up to a $3 estimate, and choices run from your usual greens to fluffy tofu puffs and a myriad of mock meats — even mock ikan bilis that will do great for extra crunch. Be sure to also take Tastemaker Miss Ha’s tip and scour the spread for crispy mock goose meat (deep-fried beancurd skin)!
Avg Price: $5 per person
Photo by Burpple Tastemaker Jason Wong

Hong Yi Vegetarian Bee hoon ($3) at Seah Im Food Center is both affordable and delicious. The beehoon is fragrant and not greasy, while the toppings are generous. A highlight is definitely the crispy beancurd skin. Gloriously deep fried but not overtly greasy, it shatters easily and adds great texture. You can an option for the mushroom gravy or curry, i went with the former and no regrets. It was light yet added an extra layer of flavour without overpowering the rest of the dish.
•
Come early as the lines are Hong Yi are insane during lunch and many items get sold out pretty quickly #burppleseahimfoodcentre

Queues already start forming here around 11:30am for cheap and tasty Chinese vegetarian food, just before the noon time office lunch crowd invasion of Seah Im Food Centre.

The “beehoon” or rice vermicelli seems to be the carbohydrate of choice here, but I opt for rice instead to better soak up the mildly spicy, coconut-y curry vegetables I order. Fluffy tofu puffs, mock meat covered in sweet glaze, toasty mock ikan bilis and a mock breaded fish fillet are piled high on my plate for a very reasonable $4.50 that keeps me full for the rest of the day. #BurppleSeahImFoodCentre

Hong Yi Vegetarian
01-25
Seah Im Food Centre
2 Seah Road, Singapore

Taste: 3/5