Holland Drive Market & Food Centre is popular and very busy during the lunch peak as it is near to several office blocks within walking distance. It is the canteen or cafeteria of sorts for office workers attracted by the convenience and a few famous stalls here.
This was my favourite lunch place when I attended courses at the Civil Service College in my previous life. I still come here regularly for lunch when I have medical appointments at nearby NUH (National University Hospital).
Try to be early to avoid the lunch peak unless you like to soak in the atmosphere of a busy hawker centre.
Top Popular Stalls
Leong Wee Roasted Delight stall #02-36 is my personal favourite here. My usual lunch is succulent roast duck, char siew and crackly skin siew yok (roast pork belly) with rice and a small pot of double boiled watercress soup. Tasty, homely, comforting and affordable - can always be relied upon for my idea of a happy meal 😄
Other Popular Stalls
Yap Kee Wanton Mee stall #02-04 serves wanton mee supplied by the owner's brother in Johor Bahru who is a leading noodle maker there. The noodles are angel hair thin but have a nice crunch to the bite. It is served in an aromatic savoury lardy sauce, the type known in JB as 原味 or "original flavour". Up in Johor Bahru, the well established wanton mee brands make their own noodles. Wanton mee enthusiasts usually order "original flavour" and judge the brands according to the texture and taste of the noodles. Hence, the brands put in a lot of effort on these two aspects. Give Yap Kee "original flavour" a try and see if you like JB style wanton mee.
Cheng Heng Kway Chap & Braised Duck Rice stall #02-05 is popular for its Teochew stewed pork, offal and duck. Offals like intestine and skin are well cleaned and braised to soft-tenderness. The braising stock is mildly savoury with a slight herbal undertone - nothing too assertive, so it is widely appealing. The braised duck too is tender and juicy, and infused with mild savouriness with subtle herbalness. The rice sheets (kway) are soft, smooth and pick up the braising stock well. Sports a longer queue than its competitor @ stall #02-02 thanks to Michelin guide Bib Gourmand recommendation.
Shima's Kitchen stall #02-12 is a very popular HALAL food stall. They serve the usual suspects nasi lemak, lontong, mee rebus, mee siam, mee soto, and during lunch the crowd come for their Nasi Padang (similar to "economic rice"). Rice with some 20 side dish options of spiced or curried chicken, fish, beef, rendang and vegetables. Affordable price and full of homely flavours that reminds of mama's cooking.
Aini Muslim Food stall #02-14 serve Indonesian staples like nasi ayam penyet, gado gado, tauhu goreng, nasi groeng seafood (spicy fried rice), etc. They are famous for their ayam penyet which comes with a large succulent piece of fried chicken thigh, boiled rice and punchy savoury spicy hot sambal chili.
Hakka Noodle stall #02-15 serves crunchy noodles in greasy house made savoury spicy sauce topped with sautéed minced pork and eaten with yong tau foo sides. There are fried (e.g. bean curd skin) and boiled (e.g. bitter gourd) types of yong tau foo filled with a blend of minced pork and fish paste. The noodle set comes with a soup with pork balls. They make their soup by boiling chicken and anchovies. This stall also serve a popular laksa which I need to try soon.
New Lucky Claypot Rice stall #02-19 cook their claypot chicken rice from scratch and over small charcoal stoves. The queue is long and it is best to book your orders over the phone ☎ +65 6778 7808. The rice is flavoured with a savoury sauce and there's lup cheong (pork sausage), liver sausage, salted fish and chunks of well marinated tender juicy chicken meat inside. Condiments such as aromatic oil and dark sauce are at hand, if you like more kick in your claypot. The rice have a well browned chewy crisp crust at the base. The secret of a good claypot rice is to mix this slightly charred crust with the softer fluffy rice - at least, that's how oldies like it lah 😂
Fifty Yong Tau Foo 五十年 stall #02-37 serves Hakka style flat mee kia noodles in a mild tasting sauce with freshly made yong tau foo pieces - some fried and some boiled items including minced pork balls. The stuffings in the vegetables are a blend of minced pork and fish paste. There are three yong tau foo stalls in Holland Drive food centre, and from my observation, this is probably the most popular.
Teck Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice stall #02-39 serve poached and fried chicken, char siew and siew yok (roast pork belly). The chicken is succulent, tender and juicy while the rice is aromatic. The char siew slices though lean cuts are tender and moist. The siew yok skin is crackling crisp while the meat and fat are tender juicy and not too salty. Ask for their signature char siew sauce made with fermented soy bean and fermented tofu.
Lao Chen Ji 老陈记 stall #02-43 is one of three stalls serving noodles with optional yong tau foo sides (all three stalls are popular). At Lao Chen Ji they serve Sarawak kolo mee with the yong tau pieces. The noodles are done chewy (a little too stiff for my liking) with a greasy savoury spicy sauce. The char siew slices are lean and chewy like a jerky. The yong tau foo pieces are filled with a minced pork and fish paste blend and are deep fried.
Holland Drive Market & Food Centre is just 5 - 8 minutes walk from Buona Vista MRT station.
I missed your favourite stall(s)? 😮
Don't be mad at me 😤
Give me a shout out in the comments. I promise I will drop by your recommendation at the next visit. I may include it in this list. If not, at the very least, I will share my views in reply to your comment.
Thank you for helping to make this list better 🙏
Written by Tony Boey on 29 Jan 2021
Mark Weins' list is quite different from mine 😄
There is a Sin Kee chicken rice in this hawker centre too, near to New Lucky Claypot Rice, and I think the quality is decent. It has been there for a long time too. Just wondering how it could be connected to the other Sin Kees!
ReplyDeleteYes Yes this Sin Kee outlet is run by Benson, one of the sons of the founder of Sin Kee. You can read about the history of Sin Kee Chicken Rice here https://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2018/07/sin-kee-chicken-rice-story-from-street.html
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