Soon Heng Rojak (Gourmet Paradise)

The mix came piled with fritters, cucumber, jicama and pineapple, all coated in a thick, rich prawn paste sauce. Bean sprouts added freshness, tau pok soaked up the dressing and the freshly toasted youtiao stayed crisp under it all. A generous crushed peanut topping gave every bite crunch and fragrance, tying the flavours together with tangy, sweet and savoury notes. Portions were hearty and affordable, though the queue stretched close to 20 minutes and that wait makes me reconsider if I’ll return as often 》$4.50

Damn good traditional rojak. Look at the amount of ground peanut they heap over the mountain of dough fritters, jicama, cucumbers, jelly fish and fried bean puffs.you can choose to add cuttlefish fish or century eggs which I did not. This plate of rojak cost $7. Value for money if you compare with other stalls.

Good plate of rojak. No fancy schmancy stuff. Just a very good ol’ plate of rojak.

Soon Heng Rojak ($4)
a lot of people queue for order and collect food based on the queue no that the counter issued once you order and buy already. we waited at least 15 to 30 mins for collection. good thing that their standard didn't dropped down.

You will probably get a myriad of answers for what is Singapore's national dish. It is probably a question which will spark verbal jousting over the dining table.

My answer is a little more left field but it is kinda representative of our multi-ethnic character of Singapore. Yes, I am talking about rojak.

Singaporean rojak typically contains youtiao (fried dough fritters), taupok (deep fried beancurd puffs, bean sprouts, cucumber, pineapple and jicama. It is then tossed with a dressing made of haeko (prawn paste), tamarind, sliced torch ginger bud, sugar, lime and crushed peanuts.

Soon Heng is a Toa Payoh institution. It is also my personal favourite as it has been around since my childhood days. I used to have it nearly every other day (I blame the mother for my chubby fats) to the point that the uncle knows our order by heart (no cucumber, jicama and pineapple).

We love that the Soon Heng uncle toasts his dough fritters fresh so that they are extra crispy. They can also be slightly on the sweet side (yes, I only have it once in a blue moon these days). He is also the only hawker I know who adds in fresh cuttlefish with his rojak to give it some extra bite and these are usually the bits which were the first to go!

If you are lucky, there’s probably only a few people in the queue, but if you are there during their peak hours, be prepared to wait in line as each plate is made-to-order. A myriad of ingredients go into making this plate from the youtiao, cucumber, white radish and pineapple to the sauce mixture that includes prawn paste, peanut, sugar and torched ginger flower that coats everything evenly. There’s even cuttlefish added into it for the texture before the finishing touch of the staff generously scooping up spoonfuls of peanut to cover the rojak. An absolute divine of a dish and representation of our culture.
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✨ Soon Heng Rojak
📍 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, HDB Hub Gourmet Paradise, Unit B1-01, Singapore 310480
🍴 [Self Funded]