Michelin Guide Singapore – Which Hawkers have Bib Gourmand missed out on?

Yesterday, Michelin Guide Singapore has released their Bib Gourmand selection. 17 hawkers made it to the list. While we haven’t tried them all, some of my makan kakis are already questioning about the selection process and quality of some of the hawker stalls. For the team of MissTamChiak.com, it’s more baffling why are some of the good hawker dishes not included in the list. After all, our hawker culture is what makes Singapore stand out from the rest of the world and we think the list on Bib Gourmand is not enough to represent the vibrant hawker scene we have in Singapore. 

Nevertheless, we present you with the list of 17 hawker stalls from Bib Gourmand before sharing our thoughts on which other hawker stalls should be included in the list. 

Bib Gourmand Hawkers

1. Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa
Address: Blk 119, Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-75, Alexandra Village, Singapore 150119

This hawker originated from Depot Road’s Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa. The present owners did a little tweaking to the recipe from the original owners but loyal customers would still continue supporting. The gravy is spicy, lemak and very tasty. It’s hard to resist not slurping till the last drop.

2. A Noodle Story
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-397, 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111

A Noodle Story is a contemporary take on traditional wanton noodle as the bowl served here has some influence from Japanese Ramen. Consisting of thin and springy Hong Kong style wanton noodle, Japanese charshu, Japanese-style braised egg and potato-wrapped prawn fritter, the flavours are enhanced by lemongrass scented oil, konbu and dried shrimps.

3. Famous Crispy Curry Puff
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-21, 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111

Curry puffs here are handmade and always served hot. There are only two options available – sardine and the usual potato filling. The unique crust has many layers in a circular pattern and comes generously filled. This is the perfect tea-break snack so do go before 3pm or you’ll run the risk of leaving empty-handed.

4. Hong Kee Beef Noodle
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-42, 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111

This hawker has been selling beef noodles for almost sixty years, since his father’s time. There are soupy and dry versions but many prefer the latter for its flavoursome gravy. Beef served here is succulent so look forward to a satisfying bowl of dry Beef Kway Teow when your craving kicks in.

5. Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, #01-18, 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111″ phone=”6221 1155

Bak Chang can be overly-oily and taste “gelat” at times but Hoo Kee’s bak chang is well-prepared and doesn’t contain fatty meat. Chunks of lean meat are used, complemented by chestnuts and mushrooms that are of good quality. The pork is tender and savoury while the chestnut gives the overall taste a tinge of sweetness and crumbly texture.

6. The Fishball Story

Using only pure yellow tail fish with no flour, the result is a firm texture with a natural sweetness of the fish. Coupled with sambal, shallots and pork lard, this bowl of fishball noddle is so delicious. Hawker for the first time, we’re glad that up till this day, Douglas still has the right formula towards making a simple dish extraordinarily yummy. Read more about it here.

7. Wedang
Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Road, #B1-28, Singapore 199583

Serving Indonesian food and satay that tantalize your tastebuds is what this hawker does best. It’s hard to find tasty and authentic Indonesian food in Singapore so we’re lucky to have this hawker whipping up good and simple Indonesian fare to satisfy our cravings.

8. Famous Sungei Road Trishaw
Address: Blk 531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Market, #02-67, Singapore 051531

This slurp-worthy bowl of Fruit Juice Crayfish Mee Siam comes with a very light gravy and we simply love indulging in a light, spicy, sweet and sour gravy. One mouthful is so full of flavour that it gets addictive and you probably can’t resist another bowl. We haven’t got the chance to try it, perhaps we have to do it now before the queue starts forming!

9. Na Na Curry
Address: 115 Bukit Merah View Market & Food Centre, #01-48, Singapore 151115

As its name suggests, this hawker is famous for their fish head curry and pork rib curry. The gravy is done till the right consistency. It is spicy but not tongue numbingly so. Made with fresh spices and fresh coconut milk, no wonder its strong fragrance lingers in the air. The chilli which packs a good punch too.

10. Chey Sua Carrot Cake
Address: #02-30, Toa Payoh West Market and Food Court, 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310127

Using the traditional cooking method passed down from the previous generation, Chey Sua only does white carrot cake. They will pan fry one side till crispy while leaving the other side lightly fried. Chilli sauce is pan-fried together with the crispy surface, which makes your dining experience so much more enjoyable. Read more about it here.

11. Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
Address: Stall No. 10 & 11, Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore 069184

With smooth and tender chicken cuts and warm, fluffy, fragrant rice that is good enough to just eat with the chilli sauce, this hawker is prolly one of the most prominent chicken rice stall in Singapore. Tourists all over the world flock to Maxwell Food Centre just have a plate of this goodness.

12. Shi Hui Yuan Hor Fun
Address: Mei Ling Food Centre, Blk 159, Mei Chin Road, #02-33, Singapore 140159

At the mention of Hor Fun, this hawker will always pop to mind! The Hor Fun was excellent and you should go for the pork ribs, mushroom and chicken feet hor fun.

13. Alliance Seafood
Address: #01-27, Newton Circus Food Centre, 500 Clemenceau Avenue North, Singapore 229495

Newton Circus, in recent years, has been blacklisted for being a food centre that touts tourists. Well, there are still hawkers like Alliance Seafood that maintains the quality of their food for customer’s gratification. It’s a good stall to patronize for dinner with a big group of friends and family due to their wide array of food items offered.

14. Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice
Address: Tiong Bahru Market, #02-82, 83 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898

Usually, boneless chicken flesh is flattened with a cleaver after deboning the chicken so it’s hard to expect sinking your teeth into a juicy chunk of meat. That aside, many were impressed by both white and roasted chicken as they were prepared so well, with tender and tasty flesh. The sauce was savoury, with a hint of sweetness and the chilli gives a really good kick. Read more about it here.

15. Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee
Address: Tiong Bahru Market, #02-01, 83 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898

Hardcore fans of fried noodles will enjoy this dish but others might find it a tad too dry and lacking in flavour. The sotong was chewy and fresh though. This hawker has done a great job in removing the pungent seafood smell from their sotong and prawns. 

16. Balestier Road Hoover Rojak
Address: Blk 90, Whampoa Drive, Whampoa Food Centre, #01-06, Singapore 320090

Fear Factor aside, we’re pretty sure only locals can appreciate what goes into this dish. We can’t imagine tourists taking a bite of century egg without wincing or squirming in their seats. Hoover Rojak is fantastic as they still add jellyfish in the mix and use Torch Ginger Flower to give it the typical rojak fragrance. Yummy!

17. Liang Zhao Ji
Address: Blk 90, Whampoa Drive, Whampoa Food Centre, #01-07, Singapore 320090

This hawker selling braised duck always has a snaking queue, whether on weekdays or weekends. Braised duck is quintessentially a Teochew dish and the “lor” here is thick enough, with a balance between sweet and savoury flavours. The subtlety of 5-spice aromatics managed to permeate through the rice and gave the overall dish a thumbs up!

Which Hawkers have Bib Gourmand missed out on?

Besides the list of hawkers in Bib Gourmand list, we feel that there are some other excellent hawkers whom we thought should be in the list but didn’t make it. How can our char kway teow, roti prata and bak chor mee not appear in the list? That’s our unique dishes too! Perhaps, it is time for the Michelin inspectors to explore our country a little more. Here’s some of our favourite hawkers which we felt should be included.

Sungei Road Laksa
Address: Blk 27, Jalan Berseh, #01-100, Jin Shui Kopitiam, Singapore 200027

This is one of the last few existing hawker which still uses a charcoal burner to prepare their super delicious broth. You can smell the spices in the gravy – sweet yet mild spicy and infused with coconut flavours and hae-bi in it! The crunchy bean sprouts added texture to this already perfect bowl of Laksa. Read more about it here.

Hong Chang Eating House
Address: 2 Braddell Road, Singapore 359895

This is a hidden gem that is a MUST TRY! Their sambal stingray is BBQ-ed till crisp on the outside, yet retaining a moist flesh within. The sambal is the killer but it’s so shiok! The porridge with kong pao frog leg was impressive as well. The umami dark sauce has a nice smokiness and you get the ultimate enjoyment with piping hot porridge. Read more about it here.

Tai Hwa Bak Chor Mee
Address: Blk 466 Crawford Lane, #01-12, Singapore 190466

Behold the ultimate bak chor mee – mee kia done al dante, springy and don’t have the alkaline taste which is present in many noodles. The sauce, packed with chilli and vinegar, is a robust mix of savoury, spicy and sour. Lastly, the fresh ingredients used were well-marinated and cooked to perfection. There is also fried ti poh which is very rare nowadays! Simply irresistible! Seriously, how can this not appear in the list? Read more about it here.

Sixth Avenue Nasi Briyani Specialist
Address: 12 Sixth Avenue, Singapore 276475

Famous for their Mutton Briyani and Chicken Briyani, this hawker is very crowded during lunch time so go earlier as their mutton, especially, is usually sold out after lunch. Both meats are flavourful and tender. We liked that the spices used for the rice were evenly distributed and almost each grain was close to uniform in colour. They serve different flavours of prata too! Read more about it here.

Haig Road Putu Piring
Address: Blk 14, Haig Road Hawker Centre, #01-08, Singapore 430014

Putu Piring is the Malay version of our Kueh Tutu. The hawker uses gula Melaka for the filling and serves with grated coconut. Having taken your first bite, you’ll notice gula Melaka oozing out of the kueh, especially when it is piping hot. We always devour it on the spot after purchasing cause we just can’t wait till we get home before tucking in.

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow
Address: 51 Old Airport Road #01-138 Old Airport Road Food Centre Singapore 390051

The queue here is always horrendous! Be patient as the hawker cooks every plate individually, to ensure that it’s served up fresh and warm. A plate of char kway teow consists of cockles, bean sprouts and fried pork lard to complement the tasty egg. You can detect the distinct wok hei and this hawker is definitely worth the wait. Read about it here.

Keng Eng Kee Seafood
Address: Blk 124 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-136, Singapore 150124

One of our best zichar in Singapore, THIS SHOULD BE IN THE LIST. The wok hei in their Moonlight Hor Fun is excellent. You get a smoky flavour from the flat noodles that was stir fried with lard, chinese sausages, prawns, squid and dark sauce. Add the egg yolks in the middle, mix it up with the noodles and you get an excellent plate smooth and delicious hor fun. Read more about it here.

Mr and Mrs Morghan Prata
Address: 7 Crane Road, Poh Ho Eatery, Singapore 429356

It’s hard to find artisanal prata nowadays but this hawker is admirable! He makes his own dough, cooks the curry and flips the prata all by himself. So much work with just a pair of hands! They have 3 types of curry – mutton, fish and dhal so let them know in advance upon your order. Read about it here.

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Singapore has an abundance of hawker food and our list is non-exhaustive. We might be small in land size but there are many parts of Singapore we have yet to discover. Through food, we experience and learn things about another culture so let’s take this opportunity to embrace the Michelin Singapore Guide and celebrate our hawker culture!