Hawker Fares

Its not easy to cook Paella, believe me I've tried and wasn't quite successful. So when we stuffed our mouths with grains of flavorful rice, I realized, why bother when you can get the real deal right here? This wasn't the watered down version, mind you, it had fresh clams, prawns and good quality sausages, Definitely a steal at the price.

There's always magic in food, like how does a claypot manage to impart such wonderful earthy quality to the rice cooked inside. Each individual grain has just that right amount of hardness that makes it addictive with every bite. Not forgetting the staples of lup cheong and salted fish... but the star has to be the chicken. Wonderfully soft and tender, I only wish they had more. Special mention has to be made of the zesty chilli which cuts through the oiliness of the rice perfectly. Location: S(650150) Coffee & Tea Coffeeshop

I didn't have much expectations for a hawker located yakitori store. But senses of "being oh so wrong" started tingling after I spied wagyu steak and iberico pork. The highlight has to be the beef short ribs. That precious three cubes of beef has be one of my best beef experiences summed up in one stick.

You had me at hello. This was perhaps my most colorful and flavorful lunch ever. They were definitely not stingy with the ingredients. The vegetable chutney had chunks of veg inside to balance the meal. The fish, though fried, was moist and savory. Highlight of the dish has to be the basmati rice - airy, fluffy and flavorful. Bonus points for the friendly stall owner! Stall name: Dubai Express (First row of stalls facing the road)

How much value can $6.50 bowl a noodles get you? Apparently a lot. The bowl comes with a Japanese half boiled egg, a skewer of abalone and scallop, and some very nicely tossed noodles with minced pork. The noodles were a tad oily but you can always wash it down with the bowl of hearty soup provided. Definitely a bowl of noodles that you won't regret having.

Sometimes you come across a dish that makes perfect sense and makes you wonder why haven't anyone tried this before. This is one of those. The hokkien mee arrives in a steaming hot mess with the broth bubbling merrily away. As you tuck into the yummy noodles, you can taste the smoky wok hei mixed with the prawn broth that brings the hokkien mee to a whole new level. Over time, all broth will be sucked into the noodles making them even more flavorful! Slurp!

Laksa with beef noodles? Sacrilegious! But it all works out pretty well actually, spicy laksa taste with beef stock goes surprisingly well. The soup is not the typical milky nonya laksa but savory and topped with generous amount of beef. Nice!

Dim sum place just next to the famous soi 19 wanton mee! Pretty decent and value for money!

Yummy! But just a tad oily..

Usually Japanese fare in hawker centers tend to be watered down versions of the the authentic stuff. Not so for this stall. This stall has a good selection of original dishes that piques your interest and your appetite, usually a good sign of authenticity! The chicken roulade, a chicken roll in sweetish noodle broth was excellent and the tori nanban was freshly fried and wonderfully juicy and tender. Special mention had to be made of the presentation, looking as if it just stepped out of restaurant! Too bad rest of the items were sold out! Edit: Unfortunately, this stall has closed.

The char siew is out of this world. The dark caramel marinade is a miracle sauce that when paired with white rice, pasta or cardboard, will leave you finishing the entire plate. The meat is liberally coated with it and with the texture of burnt crunchy bits and portions of juicy fat, this is a char siew worth breaking your diet for.

My go-to place for ngoh hiang!