Kiasu Singaporean Guide to the Best Hawker Stalls @ Amoy Street Food Centre

Amoy Street Food Centre is smack in Singapore's Central Business District, so it is sort of a canteen or cafeteria of bankers and financial industry workers. And, what a "canteen" - Amoy Street Food Centre has many famous stalls that draw foodies from across the island and tourists from around the world. Here, there's a good mix of traditional street hawker fare and New Age hawker dishes by new generation hawkerpreneurs.

Amoy Street Food Centre

Address: 7 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069111

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Tanjong Pagar station and 5 minutes walk from Telok Ayer station 

Top Most Popular Stalls

Han Kee Fish Soup stall #02-129 - if we judge by the queue, this humble traditional Teochew fish soup stall is the most popular in Amoy Street Food Centre. Their signature is thick slices of fresh Batang fish (mackerel) in a clean tasting clear fish soup which is eaten with a bowl of rice. Alternatively the fish soup is eaten with rice vermicelli inside or porridge inside (i.e. Teochew style).

Piao Ji Fish Porridge stall #02-100 is a close competitor of Han Kee serving the same dishes but with a slightly more robust, cloudier soup - I mean very slightly different. This stall has options of more premium ingredients like pomfret and large prawns. Piao Ji sports the second longest queue at Amoy Street Food Centre.

Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Mushroom Minced Meat Noodles stall #01-14 serve the Singapore staple noodle dish tossed in a robust savoury, spicy, lardy sauce. Served with a full flavoured bowl of pork soup chock-a-block with fish balls, fish cake slices, pork liver, pork slices, etc. Teochew fishball noodle stalls are ubiquitous in Singapore but Ah Ter stand out with their kick-ass sauce and flavour packed soup, not to mention the second generation stall holder whom state media described as "a handsome hunk". I don't know how is that relevant but oh well 🤷, the noodles are nice.

A Noodle Story stall #01-39 were the original poster boys of Singapore's new generation hawkerpreneurs. They serve a serious modern take on Singapore's old staple wanton mee with Japanese elements which traditional wanton mee fans and Japanese both approve 😄 It's springy skinny egg noodles wrapped in a savoury aromatic sauce topped with large traditional wanton, onsen egg, ramen style cha shu, crisp potato noodle wrapped prawn and finely sliced chili pepper (which look like red thread). Premium pricing but worth your money for the taste.

Other Popular Stalls

Amoy Street Fried Kway Teow stall #01-01 serve one of Singapore's popular renditions of the much loved dish. It doesn't have the high media profile of the most famous CKT names but Amoy Street Fried Kway Teow is no sloth in their fans' books. They serve a moist (not wet) sweet-savoury-lardy version overlaid with very slight toasty roasty wok hei taste and aroma. It's a little too sweet for my liking but their fans love this taste profile. They are the first stall you see when you enter the hawker centre - even if you didn't see them, the smell of caramelised sauces will grab your attention.

Koryori Hayashi stall #01-11 serve Japanese rice and noodle dishes (don, udon, ramen). They are especially popular for their rice bowls with various toppings such as pork shoga, chicken katsu, salmon teriyaki, etc. Their signature Nanban Don of deep fried crispy juicy chicken (karaage) with creamy rich umami loaded mentaiko sauce over rice is a good way to get acquainted with this stall (and risk getting hooked 🎣 😄 ).

J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff stall #01-21 hand make their popular traditional puffs right there at the stall. The crisp, crumbly golden brown layered shell is packed with flavourful curry chicken & potatoes or mashed sardine.

Good Day stall #01-25 serve traditional wok stir fried noodles and rice. Start with their signature stir fried hor fun (broad rice noodles) with beef slices, ginger and scallion in a savoury brown sauce. Try to be here when the crowd is not too thick so that the chef has more time to sear in the coveted wok hei into your fried noodles or rice.

Hong Kee Beef Noodle stall #01-42 serve both soup and "dry" versions. The "dry" version which is more popular comes with a bowl of thick rice vermicelli smothered in a gooey savoury beefy sauce and topped with beef slices, beef ball, tripe, preserved vegetables, cilantro, etc. The soup version is no sloth either as the beefy broth is made by boiling beef bones for over a day.

Sap Thai Food stall 01-58 has some twenty dishes on their menu and is most popular for their signature fiery spicy basil diced chicken with springy Thai MAMA instant noodles. If you need more mild carbs to moderate the heat, get the spicy basil chicken over white rice. They also have pad Thai which I need to try soon.

Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee stall #02-80 serve thick flat yellow noodles in a thick savoury sauce topped with too much a lot of spongy fried fritters, a small piece of ngoh hiang (fried meat roll), nibbles of white colour shredded boiled fish (no flavour), a few tiny pieces of stewed pork belly. Minced garlic, cut chili pepper, white pepper powder and black vinegar add layers to the mild savoury sauce. The mild sauce could do with more garlic in my opinion. A starchy dish with noodles, starchy sauce and lots of fried fritters.

Ah Seng (Hai Nam) Coffee stall #02-95 serve my favourite Nanyang kopi in Amoy Street Food Centre (though it can have more caffeine kick). They make their own mildly sweet, aromatic kaya (coconut jam) which they slather on bread toasted over charcoal fire. Get also their French toast which they fully coat with beaten eggs.

Mr Batang Fish @ 96 stall #02-96 is the third fish soup stall at Amoy Street Food Centre. Doesn't have the long queues of the two stalwarts, Han Kee and Piao Ji but its Batang fish soup is no sloth either. Mr Batang Fish serve the traditional Teochew Batang fish soup with fresh fish slices and the option of battered and deep fried version to appeal to contemporary taste buds. Mr Batang Fish is steadily building a growing clientele of its own. Perhaps, fish soup is the "chicken soup" of financial district workers - comforting and a healthy choice of many (can count me in though I don't work here).

Pepper Bowl stall #02-102 serve a choice of beef or pork slices stir fried in their signature gooey tantalising spicy black pepper, onion and scallion sauce over rice or hor fun (rice noodles). You can also opt for beef-pork combo or add onsen egg. The peppery savoury beefy sauce coated noodles sport a slight toasty wok hei.

Wah Kee Noodle stall #02-125 serve springy slender egg noodles in a mildly savoury aromatic sauce with small pieces of char siew, stewed big mushroom and old school wantons (I mean this is the suggested option with the best of everything). Ask for more chili sauce if you like more robust sauce with your noodles as their default savoury aromatic blend may be a little too delicate for some.

Your favourite stall(s) not mentioned? 😤 

Don't be mad at me 😅 

Give me a shout out in the comments. I assure you that I will go back to Amoy Street Food Centre pronto and visit your recommendation(s). I may include them in the list, if not, at the very least I will reply to you in the comments. 

Thank you for making this guide better 🙏

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Written by Tony Boey on 21 Jan 2021