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Happiness can come in the form of scoring a bowl of fish soup from Maxwell without having to queue!

To have this bowl of fish soup during normal work hours is no easy task. While doing my internship along Neil Road, I remember having to take the special effort to leave for early lunch and (still!) queue for a good 30 minutes before being rewarded with a bowl. Had I left office later, the wait could be as long as an hour.

My ex-colleagues once asked me for the reason for braving the long queues to have this steaming hot bowl of soup, in the middle of a ill-ventilated hawker centre. And the answer is a no brainer. Silky thick bee hoon immersed in a sweet milky fish broth, topped with a generous portion of thick fish slices. The fish slices here are so fresh, you can feel it in the texture of the meat. Also, fish soup is one of my favourite comfort food and this one from Maxwell is always a 'must have' for me, whenever I pop by. #hawkerpedia

I used to live near Yong's and my family would head over for breakfast every other weekend. The queue during weekday mornings can get pretty torturous. Most customers in front of us were getting boxes and boxes of kuehs- it was no surprise to see customers walking away with 2 big bags (at least 8 boxes of 6 kuehs each) at a time and there were times we would wait for almost half an hour before it was finally our turn. I remember watching these customers happily walk away with their orders while I nervously waited for my turn, wondering if this cabbage kueh would run out. Sometimes I would be disappointed, but there were also times where I was rewarded with steaming hot and fresh cabbage kueh- wholesomely filled with veggies, mushroom and haebee. Easily one of my favourite kuehs in the world. #hawkerpedia

This afternoon's lunch was a beautiful mess...... Of vegetarian delight! I used to visit this food centre every Sunday morning with my parents before heading off to teach tuition and I will always remember my dad ordering an insane amount of dishes because the vegetarian food here is so affordable and tasty. My mum will then chide him, but still continued to steal bits of mock meat from our plates. At only $3.30 for easily 1.5x the portion of any other economical beehoon out there, it's no wonder the queue here is never ending...... #hawkerpedia

The first ever Teochew Kueh I tasted was made from scratch by my grandma. It was always the highlight of my afternoon tea, and I remember always going for the Peng Kueh (rice kueh) because it was pink (don't judge me!). As we grew up, my grandma got too old for the laborious kneading and wrapping, so we started buying kueh from stores. Yong's Teochew Kueh became my absolute favourite. It hits all the right spots — from the outer skin to the inner fillings. Unlike other kueh shops, Yong's kueh skin is soft, thin, and not too floury. Its filling is generous, accompanied with lots and lots of hae bee (slurps!). Aside from the delicious kueh, I also love the unpretentious, rustic environment. Expect to see throngs of aunties frantically kneading dough, wrapping the kueh skins, and bringing out the steamed kueh. Somehow, watching these aunties reminds me of my own grandmother when she used to make kueh for the entire family. Be sure to come by earlier in the day as the kuehs sell out quickly! #hawkerpedia

If there is one aspect of our culture that does not discriminate, it would definitely be in our food. Despite its authentic Chinese origins, Ri Ri Hong attracts throngs of locals everyday, eager to get their hands on a bowl of fiery, numbing goodness. And even if you had stereotypes of the Chinese, speak to the store owners here and the myths will be dispelled. The store owners are Ri Ri Hong are among the most genuine hawkers I've met. Sincere, friendly and extremely helpful, they have always given me good recommendations of which ingredients to take or even offered to serve me during their lull period. I've been here countless times and the service hasn't changed! The people aside, the Mala hot pot here is among the most tasty and affordable I've had. Order 小辣 if your tolerance for spiciness is among the Singaporean average and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good the food really is. Come taste the fragrance of the Mala spices in Ri Ri Hong's Mala hot pot for yourself! #hawkerpedia

Mini-celebrations with the family are always held at this 'hawker restaurant'- Jin Wei Tze Char store. Touted by my parents as 'cheap and good', it really serves a wide variety of dishes at pretty affordable prices. And many family moments were forged here- the 'celebration' we had when we first shifted in 14 years back, our 'family outing' to soak in the rowdy atmosphere during election period and even 'celebrating' my welcome-home party when I first came back from my exchange programme 3 years back. What was first an ordinary kopitiam with a fantastic Tze char shop have slowly evolved over the years to a place where the drinks store auntie knows our orders by heart and the Tze char aunties knows exactly which delish new creations to recommend that suit our palette. The homely atmosphere here definitely transforms this space to a really special place in my heart. #hawkerpedia

Over the years, the management has changed but a few of the store owners remains the same. Buying economical beehoon from this store was always my guilty pleasure when I was a kid. Those days, my pocket money was only $1.20/ day and I remember having to scrimp and save for a week before being able to afford a plate of beehoon with bean sprout and egg for $1.90. And I always remember my mum 'scolding' me for buying the cheapest ingredients from the store because she claims that I could make the same thing from home at under $0.60! Haha!!! #hawkerpedia

Before hipster brunches became all the rage, my idea of a luxurious brunch came in the form of Ng Ah Sio BKT. This place has a long history in my family. My grandpa used to bring the family here and in turn, my dad brought our family here as we grew up. It was over here at Ng Ah Sio where I learnt a lot about my grandpa, who suffered a serious stroke many years back and as a result, none of us grandchildren really knew much about him. Grandpa is a really traditional person, who placed strong emphasis on conserving traditions. One of which would be the serving of the Chinese tea. My dad would always demonstrate the elaborate procedure, from cleaning the pots in hot water to rinsing of the tea leaves and finally serving the tea from the most to least senior, as he narrated how grandpa used to do it for the family. Aside from the little nuggets of family history my dad shared at the table, the one reason I keep coming back is definitely for the quality of the food. I absolutely loved the delicious pork rib soup- all peppery and flavourful as well as the preserved vegetables, which was not too salty. Pig intestines and taupok& taugua taste pretty normal, but I'd always add those to my meal out of pure habit. After being taken over by the Jumbo Group, Ng Ah Sio now had a few outlets all over Singapore. But I'd always come back to this main branch at Rangoon Road, for the food, for the nostalgic feel and for all the family memories shared here. #hawkerpedia