Hong Lim Market & Food Centre: 10 best hawker stalls at

Regulars swear by this clean tasting bowl of fish soup that comes packed with thinly sliced bitter gourd, plump slices of batang fish and a fish broth that is robust, sweet and aromatic. To this, you can add slices of ginger and fried garlic to further boost the flavour.

In spite of the generous helping of bitter gourd, the bowl is well balanced with the thin slices providing a slight crunch and a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. Priced at $5 onwards, add rice or mee sua for an additional $0.50.

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There are two popular Curry Chicken Bee Hoon stalls at this food centre, but we prefer Ah Heng’s as they have always been generous with the slices of steamed chicken – even for the smaller $4 serving.

A bowl of their rich, spicy, curry gravy drenches your choice of noodles and also comes with fried taupok, sliced fish cake, boiled potato and chicken. There is an accompanying sambal chilli that when stirred in, brings all the flavours together well and adds some punchy heat.

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There are a few Michelin-recommended hawker stalls at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, and Ji Ji Noodle House is one of them. They serve wanton noodles, and the draw here is the generously portioned ingredients in each bowl.

The al dente-cooked mee kia noodles are topped with a heap of sticky-sweet char siew, three freshly fried wantons, stewed mushrooms, blanched vegetables, pickled green chilli and bits of crispy lard. For $4.50, this is a very good value bowl with lots going on in terms of flavour and texture.

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The most popular, and Instagram-worthy dish at this stall is the $10 Crayfish Horfun where a generously-sized whole crayfish is split in half and served along-side the noddles drenched in their glistening-starchy gravy. However, even $6 will get you a worthy meal. We tried the Chicken and Prawn Horfun which came with five blanched prawns, shredded chicken and blanched green veg.

The gravy coating the silken strands of hor fun is hearty and silky, when further doused with their accompanying chilli, it is a very satisfying meal.

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The main reason to visit this stall is the wonderful texture of their fishballs and meatballs that are made by hand. Springy, soft and bouncy, the rustically shaped balls are a testament to the fact that these are still made the old-school way. Served either in a soup-version in a simple, clear broth or with a side of chilli-laced mee pok for a more filling meal. Prices begin at $4.

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At $1.70 onwards for each handmade, freshly-fried curry puff, this is one of the most affordable and satisfying things you can eat at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre. As the queues begin to form you will be treated to the sight of the Curry Puff pastry being hand-rolled and stuffed with the fillings of curry chicken and egg, potato and egg and sardine otah.

They sell out nearly as fast as they can roll, stuff and fry them, so you can be assured of a fresh, piping hot puff. The fillings are perfectly spiced encased in a crisp and light pastry.

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A zi char stall by night, Tang Kay Kee serves lunch bowls by day that incorporates standard zi char fare with modern touches. Run by next-generation hawkers Debbie and Kamen who have learnt the tricks of the trade from their grand aunt (who is the stall owner).

The lunch crowds can be seen tucking into their filling, wholesome bowls. True the zi char fare, they have the requisite wok hei aroma and much-loved flavours with creative non-traditional ingredients. Their Fried Rice is topped with crab meat, Chinese sausage and an onsen egg for added oomph, the Mui Fan comes with pork and fish slices, tempura-like fried enoki and an onsen egg. Great value for $5 a bowl if you are looking for something different from the standard-issue hawker meal.

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Easily the most popular stall at this food centre, the Fried Kway Teow Mee has been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand and numerous other awards and recognitions.

Each plate is fried upon order and as you inch closer in queue, watching the hawker uncle’s deft wok skills is part of the thrill. It is no wonder that each bite is packed with wok hei and a perfect marriage between sweet sauce, smoky charred bits and and enjoyable medley of noodles, eggs, bean sprouts, cockles and pork lard. Prices begin at $4 for a plate, and you can request extra ingredients such as egg, cockles and lard, for a fee.

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Yet another Bib Gourmand awarded eatery, their most popular dish is their Asia Delight Laksa with prawns, cockles and a halved sliced crayfish ($9). A delicious, light laksa broth and perfectly cooked noodles that soak up the aromatic gravy are what make it a winner. However, they also serve a unique dish called the Fruit Juice Mee Siam, where the sweet-sour noodle dish has been laced with a ‘secret’ variety of fruit juice and packed with ingredients like prawns, tau pok, bean sprouts and a hard-boiled egg. Again, a lighter broth that has both sweet and tart flavours is what has the crowds coming back for more.

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Belly Lucky Noodle is another one of the eateries offering slightly differentiated offerings and has gained much appeal with younger diners at Hong Lim Food Centre. Their speciality is a Sarawak Kolo Mee to which they put their own twist.

The main draw is that all of the ingredients are prepared in-house themselves, and each element is nicely done. Al dente cooked curly noodles are topped with prawn dumplings, braised minced meat, slices of char siew and a lava egg. The dumplings are handmade and plump with a delicious minced prawn filling–easily the best part of the $5 meal. Their char siew is fattier than most and has a delightful smokiness that is very addictive.

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This article was first published on Singapore Women’s Weekly.