Hong Lim Market & Food Centre – Exercise Your Freedom to Eat (& Love) at These 19 Hawker Stalls!

When you think of ‘Hong Lim’, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the Speakers’ Corner at Hong Lim Park. Hong Lim Market and Food Centre may not be as popular as Maxwell, Chomp Chomp, and Old Airport Road but this two-storey food centre near Chinatown MRT actually serves a plethora of Singapore’s finest delicacies!

Here are just 19 stalls out of the hundred over that stood out to me! Some of which you may already know, such as Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee, Ma Bo Lor Mee, Teo Heng Porridge Stall, High Street Tai Wah Pork Noodles, and Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa. Nonetheless, I hope to have uncovered a few hidden gems in this listicle!

1. Hiong Kee Dumplings
2. Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist (基记面家)
3. Hainanese Curry Rice
4. Ma Bo Lor Mee
5. Kaya Kaya (咖爷咖爷)
6. Dong Sheng Beverage (东生咖啡)
7. Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee
8. Tai Wah Pork Noodle
9. Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
10. The Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Prawn Mee (老檔著名福建街虾面)
11. Hokkien Street Bak Kut Teh (福建街肉骨茶, 炖山瑞)
12. Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Ho Fun
13. Dong Fang Hong Sotong Ball Seafood Soup
14. Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon
15. Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa
16. Teo Heng Porridge Stall
17. Cantonese Delights
18. Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee
19. Ah Nian Braised Duck Rice Kway Chap Noodle

Hiong Kee Dumplings

Hiong Kee Dumplings has two stalls at Hong Lim Food Centre! The one on the ground floor is used purely for the production of their dumplings before they are brought upstairs to be cooked and sold! Their Zongzi (粽子) or Bak Zhang is one of the best!

This is their Pork Dumpling ($4.20) consisting of salted egg, mushrooms, chestnut, and chunks of pork belly! I remember feeling cheated after biting into dumplings that did not have enough meat I am glad to report that the dumplings from Hiong Kee Dumplings have chunks of lean pork meat which are huge, tender, and chunky!

You have to try their Nonya Dumpling ($3.50)! It’s sweeter than the normal dumplings as its lean pork fillings are cooked with diced winter melon strips!

Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist (基记面家)

There’s always a snaking line at Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist during lunch hour, but you’ll realise that the noodles are definitely worth the wait! There are more than 7 types of noodles to choose from. I ordered the Fresh Prawn Dumpling Noodles ($3/$4/$5/$6/$7/$8)!

For $4, you get a bowl of springy noodles tossed in a homemade sauce, and a separate bowl of soup comprising three homemade dumplings. Value-for-money? Yes! Sources have stated that the stall owners have arranged for the supplier to manufacture a special type of noodles for their stall, which might explain the noodles’ exceptional texture. This has to be one of those few wanton mees that I can down easily, even without any accompanying ingredients.

The star of the prawn dumpling noodles is definitely the prawn dumplings, which are gingerly prepared and wrapped by hand. Each plump dumpling is filled with a generous amount of pork and shrimp.

The Char Siew Wanton Noodles ($3/$4/$5/$6/$7/$8) comprises the same delicious noodles tossed in the extremely palatable sauce. You can top the noodles off with a dose of Ji Ji’s chilli, which lends a smoky and spicy punch to the dish. Like the prawn dumplings, the wantons are packed with a generous amount of pork filling too! I also noticed that they use larger-than-average slices of char siew and mushrooms!

Hainanese Curry Rice

This is one of the most severely-underrated stalls! Normal set meals cost $3.80 and come with rice, meat, a fried egg, and vegetables! The set meals available are the Fried Fish Set, Pork Chop Set, Braised Meat Set, and the Chicken Wing Set.

I purchased the same Pork Chop Set with an added portion of Braised Meat for $5.30 twice in the past week! The lady boss mentioned that these were her two most popular types of meat, and it’s not hard to see why.

The Pork Chop was crispy and tender while the Braised Meat was soft and juicy!  Overall, it may look like one huge sloppy mess but trust me, this simple dish soaked in delicious and flavourful curry was not too spicy, nor too salty or jelak. The lady boss was very generous with the tasty vegetables too!

Ma Bo Lor Mee

Opened in May 2013, this outlet of Ma Bo Lor Mee is just one out of six islandwide! Although they serve laksa too, the stall’s signage suggests that lor mee is their speciality so I ordered their Fried Fish Lor Mee ($3/$4)!

The stall has a no MSG policy. All their flavours come from natural ingredients. Made with seven herbs, the gravy is prepared the night before. Flat yellow noodles, thick gooey gravy, five pieces of deep-fried battered fish, and half an egg — what more could I ask for?!

The gravy was lovely. It wasn’t too starchy, or too thick. I loved how the fresh chilli and cilantro brought life to the dish. Don’t forget to spoon in some house-made chilli sauce and chopped garlic for more heat and flavour! The flesh of the fish, which was encased in a crisp golden brown jacket, was sweet and tender too!

I also tried the Laksa ($2.50/$3.50). I was surprised to see fried fish in my laksa, but I’m not complaining of course. The consistency of the broth was perfect, and I loved that the hae bi and coconut flavours were strong. I helped myself to more chilli as the heat was quite mild. The cockles were really fresh and slightly bigger than what I’m used to getting in my laksa.

All in all, Ma Bo Lor Mee whips up pretty great lor mee and laksa. You will most likely witness a long queue, but good food is always worth queuing for, right?

Kaya Kaya (咖爷咖爷)

This kaya toast breakfast stall on the first floor of Hong Lim Market & Food Centre was an unexpected find!

I ordered the Vanilla Butter Kaya Toast with Teh Ping for $3.20! The bread was toasted to a nice crisp and I loved the vanilla flavour. It’s something different from the ordinary kaya toast, and was delicious!

Kaya Kaya also serves Honey Vanilla Butter Toast($3)! Two halves of a mini loaf of bread are slathered with butter, drizzled with honey, and popped into the oven. Condensed milk is then drizzled over the toasted bread. I heard that even though the vanilla flavour isn’t as prominent, all the ingredients come together beautifully!

Dong Sheng Beverage (东生咖啡)

Dong Sheng Beverage (东生咖啡) is another breakfast stall at Hong Lim Food Centre that serves hot and cold drinks. They also sell affordable breakfast food such as toasts and half-boiled eggs!

I started my Tuesday morning with a cup of their aromatic coffee! The Nanyang Kopi from Dong Sheng Beverage stays true to its roots with an old-school taste that appeals to both the young and old.

The kaya toast was warm and crispy, but the soft-boiled eggs were a little overcooked this time. I’ll be sure to order a cuppa Nanyang Kopi from Dong Sheng Beverage the next time I’m at Hong Lim!

Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee

There are two famous stalls that sell curry chicken noodles at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre. One is Ah Heng Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee at level 2, while the other is Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee at level 1. The latter, I must say, is quite impressive.

Don’t judge the stall for its messy display of Hainanese-style poached chicken.

At $4, each bowl comes piping hot with large pieces of Hainanese-style poached chicken, potatoes and juicy curry-soaked tau pok. The greasy curry was so addictive that I almost emptied the entire bowl. It was aromatic, quite sweet, slightly savoury, and just mildly spicy!

Tai Wah Pork Noodle

High Street Tai Wah Pork Noodle is one of the proud recipients of the Michelin Bib Gourmand award 2018! Tai Wah Pork Noodle is helmed by Mr Tang, who also happens to be the younger brother of the boss of Hill Street Tai Wah Pork Noodle (the ever-popular 1-Michelin star minced pork noodle at Crawford). Although both stall owners inherited the same recipe from their father, they have each tweaked it differently.

While both stalls incorporate sole fish into their recipe, the preparation methods are slightly different. Our beloved boss astutely pointed out that the Hill Street stall tosses the noodles together with the ingredients but the High Street stall tosses the noodles before adding in the ingredients.

I decided to order the dry version which is more popular with the customers and is what the stall is famous for! It comes in two sizes, either $6 or $8!

Upon receiving my food, I dived straight into the perfectly cooked mee pok/ mee kia that’s been mixed well with an irresistible concoction of chilli, vinegar and lard oil. I especially liked the texture of the springy noodles, and the chilli really made it exceptionally delectable. Generous portions of meatballs, bak chor and wanton — a real steal for the price that we’re paying.

Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee

Located directly opposite Tai Hwa Pork Noodles, Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee is another awardee of the Michelin Bib Gourmand award 2018! Many consider this to be one of the best char kway teow in Singapore. And, it’s no surprise why. While many char kway teow stalls tend to pre-fry their noodles before re-frying it when you order, Outram Park Char Kway Teow does not. Despite the long queue, the uncle is actually very fast and cooks the char kway teow in batches. We ended up waiting for a shorter time than expected.

To me, a solid plate of char kway teow must be packed with wok hei. And you can definitely expect that from this stall’s char kway teow which is coated in a dark sauce and fiery chilli, and completed with bean sprouts, cockles and fried pork lard to complement the tasty egg.

Diners have the option of adding cockles for $2, or a beaten egg for 50 cents. I especially love the bits of moist beaten egg that’s stuck to the kway teow. Overall, the char kway teow offered an excellent balance of sweetness, umami, spiciness and smokiness. What a delicious meal for just $4!

The Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Prawn Mee (老檔著名福建街虾面)

Located on the second floor near the linkway to the multi-storey carpark is The Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Prawn Mee! A mouthful right? I know. The stall makes their own chilli powder, and does not use MSG in their food.

I ordered the Pork Ribs Noodle with Prawns($5). Although the prawns were not exceptionally big, they were generous with the noodles and the pork ribs were cooked to perfection! For me, when it comes to prawn mee, the broth is always the highlight of the meal.

The stall’s broth is what I believe to be old-school and traditional, in the sense that it does not have a very strong and intense prawn flavour. It was cloudy, thick, and rich, with a slightly alkaline aftertaste! It wasn’t really for me but the lunch crowd seems to think otherwise!

Hokkien Street Bak Kut Teh (福建街肉骨茶, 炖山瑞)

There are two Bak Kut Teh stalls on the first level of Hong Lim Market & Food Centre. In the corner, there is Morning Bak Kut Teh, and right in the centre of the hawker centre is Hokkien Street Bak Kut Teh (福建街肉骨茶, 炖山瑞)! I decided to try the latter because it had a longer queue!

Apart from Bak Kut Teh, the stall also offers a variety of side dishes! The lady boss suggested that I have the $5 portion of Pig Trotter to accompany my $4 portion of Bak Kut Teh!

The Bak Kut Teh is as the stall’s signage suggests, Hokkien style! This meant that they use a variety of herbs and soy sauce to create a more fragrant, textured, and darker soup. True enough, it had a rather strong and slightly bitter herbal taste.

The Pig Trotter’s meat was tender and juicy with the right amount of fat and lean meat! The gravy was not too salty either, and paired well with my rice.

Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Ho Fun

We seldom see crayfish in hawker centres except at some cze char stalls. I ordered the Crayfish Hor Fun($6.50)!

This stall really knows how to spoil its customers! The crayfish is cut into half and the prawns are deshelled. Not only were the crayfish and prawns easy to eat, they were really fresh!

The hor fun was very smooth. Unlike the usual thick hor fun which we see in cze char stalls, the Ipoh style hor fun is thinner.

If you don’t feel like having crayfish, you can go for other options such as hor fun with just prawns, or even chicken hor fun!

Dong Fang Hong Sotong Ball Seafood Soup

Besides sotong (squid) balls, the stall also has meatballs and fish balls up for grabs. If you are wondering what’s so special about the balls here, you’ll be glad to know that each and every ball is painstakingly handmade!

They have only one item on the menu, which is the Sotong Ball Seafood Soup. This comes in three different sizes ($4.50, $5.50, $6.50). You can add noodles, such as ee mian, mi tai mak, kway teow, mee sua or bee hoon for $0.50, or have it with a bowl of white rice($0.50).

The $4.50 bowl of seafood soup comes chock full of ingredients. There are about 5 balls in the bowl (a mixture of squid, fish and meatballs), herh kiao (fish dumplings), seaweed and fried garlic chips. The portion was extremely generous!

When I sank my teeth into the sotong ball, I finally understood what the hype was all about. The sotong ball was very springy, well-seasoned, and definitely addictive. The fish balls were slightly different from the usual factory made ones. It had little chunks of fish meat studded throughout the ball instead of being just smooth and springy. The meatballs were great as well.

The light fish stock broth was tasty too! Although not as heavily flavoured as the balls, its delicate and subtle savouriness complemented the sotong, fish and meatballs perfectly.

Do get here early, because the stall closes once they sell out! (And they usually sell out quite fast, so I’ve heard)!

Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon

Tang Kay Kee brings traditional and modern zi char together.

The Mixed ($5), which features hor fan stir-fried with garlic tender pork slices, fish slices, battered enoki mushrooms, and sous–vide egg, really won me over. I was hooked on the battered enoki, which was made using 4 different flours and salt. The result was a uniquely salty and crispy mushroom which was extremely addictive!

Next, I opted for the Cai Po as part of the fried rice menu, which comprised fried rice with eggs, chinese sausages, crab meats, spring onions, preserved radish as well as a sous–vide egg. Unlike the Mixed hor fun, the wok–hei in this dish was much milder. Like good zi char–style fried rice, the grains were sufficiently oily.

Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa

Being a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee is huge. Established in 1997, the Bib Gourmand is awarded to eateries that serve good and consistent food at moderate prices. Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa has won the Bib Gourmand award for three years in a row! I guess the word ‘famous’ in the stall’s name is there for a reason.

The Asia Delight Laksa ($4/$5) looks absolutely mouth-watering. My eyes were immediately drawn to the two sizeable halves of crayfish that sat atop the thick bee hoon. I haven’t had a laksa with crayfish in it, so this was definitely an interesting creation for me! The dish also featured a few pieces of prawns and cockles. As for the laksa broth, Mr Soo actually simmers it with dried scallops and dried oysters.

One whiff of the deeply aromatic laksa broth had me salivating. By using less coconut milk, the broth is less rich and sinful, allowing the flavours of the scallops and oysters to come through. The scallops and oysters added a tinge of sweetness and a strong hit of umami to the broth. However, the broth is really mild in terms of heat, so adding the spoonful of sambal chilli is a must if you prefer a spicy kick in your laksa.

I loved the freshness of the seafood. Even those who aren’t normally fans of cockles should give it a try at this stall. Each toothsome morsel added a burst of briny flavour. Although not mind-blowing, the crayfish had a decent amount of flesh and gave the laksa that ‘premium’ edge. This dish is well-worth the $4 price-point!

Teo Heng Porridge Stall

Teo Heng Porridge Stall is one of those places where you can find homey comfort food such as soups, stews, and porridge! Perfect for rainy days or when you’re feeling under the weather!

The star was none other than the fish. They serve three types of fish, but the aunty recommended the bai du yu (rabbitfish). It’s smaller than the other two fish, but the serving was perfect as I was alone. The fish was cooked in a huge pot of salted vegetable soup, then served with a generous sprinkling of salted vegetables. It might look plain to you, but it looked immensely appetizing to me.

The fish wasn’t seasoned before it was cooked, but just a mere five minutes of soaking in the salted vegetable soup allowed the flavours of the soup to penetrate the flesh of the fish. The fish was slightly sweet and very tender. Just this and plain porridge, and it’s a perfect meal for me. Moreover, the salted vegetables had just the right amount of sweetness and saltiness, which made the entire combination even tastier.

The squid at Teo Heng Porridge Stall deserved a notable mention too. One bite and you’ll know that it was skillfully executed. It was soft and easy to chew through.

The braised pork and duck meat were tasty, but a little dry. But just pair them with a spoonful of porridge and condiments, and all’s good. The fish cake was so delicately soft and bouncy — almost like tofu, but firmer. I dipped it in the chilli and boy, was it good!

Cantonese Delights

The stall’s famous Curry Chicken Cutlet Noodles ($4) is a must-order! You can choose between fried chicken cutlet or curry chicken drumstick. For those who do not appreciate spicy food, you are in for a treat. The fragrant and thick curry is slightly sweet, not very spicy, and rather “lemak”.

I also ordered their Chicken Feet Noodles ($3.50) which came with huge chicken feet! What makes this chicken feet different from what you get elsewhere is the generous amount of meat clinging onto the chicken claw! This is pretty rare — I haven’t seen chicken feet so meaty before! For just $3,50, the portion is pretty value for money!

Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee

If you are a fan of Teochew-style Bak Chor Mee, you need to try Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee! The stall has been around for more than 60 years. They started from Hill Street and moved to Hong Lim a few years back. It is now managed by 2nd generation brothers who have been trained by their dad, Ah Kow.

Ah Kow uses the best and freshest pork, wanton skin, mushrooms etc.

The al dente noodles are blanched well and tossed with special vinegar from China. Deep-fried pork lard, mushrooms, fresh pork slices, dumplings and fried flatfish are then added to the noodles. There is a good balance of savoury, sour, and spicy flavours. Each bowl of noodles costs $3.50.

Ah Nian Braised Duck Rice Kway Chap Noodle

Ah Nian Duck Rice serves up braised duck, and other braised items such as intestines and pork belly!

Ah Nian Duck Rice braises their own ducks, despite the process being extremely tedious and time-consuming. The extra effort pays off, indeed!

I got the Braised Duck Rice Set ($4.50), which came with a medley of braised items – duck, peanuts, half a boiled egg and beancurd. The braised duck meat carried the fragrance of the spices that it was braised with and I enjoyed it very much.

I also tried the Kway Chap ($4++). The thin square sheets of kway were not overcooked and had a little bite to them.

The assortment of ingredients that came with the kway chap includes the usual braised pork belly, pig intestines and tau pok. There was nothing particularly fantastic about the intestines, but a good thing was that it was washed very thoroughly. There wasn’t any funky odour or sandy texture.

Hong Lim Market & Food Centre is the perfect stop for a quick breakfast, a sumptuous lunch, family dinner, or even a fuss-free takeaway! Instead of heading to the more popular food centres in the area such as Chinatown Complex or Maxwell Food Centre, consider Hong Lim Market & Food Centre instead!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to the cafes/stalls listed above. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

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