Stalls I Like @ 127 Toa Payoh West Lorong 1 Food Centre · Small Hawker Centre Rich in Nostalgia

Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre is a nostalgic place for me as I past here literally a thousand times during my secondary school days - my school, First Toa Payoh Secondary was just across the road. I still come here occasionally as there are a few nice old hawker stalls at the food centre on the upper floor.

Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre (Lorong 1)

Address: 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310127

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Braddell station

127 Toa Payoh West is a relatively small hawker centre. There are market stalls at the ground level and about 50 food stalls on the upper level. The food centre is calm and quiet in the morning. The space is bright and airy. 

Most of the clientele are folks who live around the market and food centre. Some live in old public housing built in the 1960s while others are young families in new private condos. 

These are the food stalls I usually patronise when I come here.

Chey Sua Carrot Cake stall #02-30 opens 6am - 1pm (now temporarily closed until further notice). Chey Sua is probably the most famous carrot cake stall in Singapore. They have represented Singapore hawkers in overseas events. They still make their own carrot cake from scratch with rice flour, carrot and radish. They serve only the white type of carrot cake which is like a thick omelette with cubes of carrot cake inside. The eggy omelette is crisp outside while the carrot cake inside is soft and tastes sweet savoury (from cai poh, fish sauce).

Hong Kong Lung Hwa Roasted Delights stall #02-18 opens 10:30am - 2:30am (now temporarily closed until further notice). This popular stall is run by a Hong Kong born roast chef with extensive international and Singapore experience. His roast pork belly, char siew and duck, all freshly made at the stall, are crisp outside while juicily tender inside. Seasoning and toasty smokey flavours are just right (not overpowering). Their plum sauce is so good, I can eat it on its own.

Tian Tian Lai Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee stall #02-27 opens 9:30am - 2pm (Mon & Tues off). Singapore don't have that many good Hokkien mee stalls and this old stall founded in 1968 is among the most popular. Yellow noodles and bee hoon are stir fried and stewed in a rich pork and seafood stock. The soft wet noodles are infused with deep layers of umami savouriness, lard, sweet, and toasty wok hei taste. Stall receives lots of takeaway orders and the queue is long. Come early to Come Daily to avoid disappointment.

Teochew Handmade Pau stall #02-02 opens 6am - 2pm (Mon off). One of the rare hawker centre stalls that still make their own dim sum and steamed buns. Stall has been here since 1993 i.e. for nearly 30 years, so it has the support of residents. The kong bak bao pork belly is robustly savoury salty, slightly stiff but works well with the sweet fluffy soft flat hinged bun. Their fan choy is tasty with generous amount of char siew but is greasy. Their lo mai gai is good too, though is likewise a tad oily. They are also known for their mini char siew bao and meat bao though some feel that they are a little pricey for the dainty size. Their lotus paste bao are popular as they are not overly sweet.

Traditional Hakka Lui Cha stall #02-39 opens 7am - 2pm (Mon & Weds off). Boiled rice topped with stir fried fresh vegetables (long bean, spinach, cabbage, leek), fried tofu, toasted peanut, and optional fried pork and Hakka pork filled yong tau foo pieces. Eaten with the bowl of rice and toppings flooded with green gruel (tea) of vegetables, herbs and aromatics. Slight minty taste. Cai poh (preserved turnip) adds crunch and savouriness. This friendly stall serves an affordable, delicious rendition of the classic Hakka dish. (Brown rice option available.) If you are looking for good thunder tea rice in Singapore, we got one here.

Surrounding Area

Hup Chong Hakka Yong Dou Foo @ Lek Chew Restaurant (coffee shop) in Block 124 opens 7am - 8pm. Founded in the 1950s in Kallang, the stall moved here in the 1980s. Hup Chong serves a wide range of yong tau foo pieces freshly made with fresh ingredients. Mix of deep fried (like meat rolls, meat balls, tofu skin, etc) and boiled pieces (like vegetables, pork skin, intestine, etc). The simple clear soup is made by boiling soy beans. The chili and sweet sauce are at the right intensity for me. A simple, enjoyable meal at an affordable (slightly premium) price. Pro-tip: Secure a table before picking your YTF pieces from the shelves. They will bring the food to your table. 

via GIPHY

Your favourite stall(s) not in this list? 😤

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Let me know your favourite(s) by dropping a comment 🙏

Some stalls I have tried but did not include in this list. I will risk my neck in the comments, if it is your favourite 😬

If I haven't tried it, I promise that I will visit your suggested stall as soon as possible. I may add the stall to this list. If not, at the very least, I will reply to your comment in detail after visiting your suggested stall.

Thank you for helping me make this list more useful 🙏

First Toa Payoh Secondary School was opened in 1969. I was a student there from 1973 to 1976.

Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore 

I was one of the students in this First Toa Payoh Secondary School contingent marching past Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at National Day Parade 1975 at Toa Payoh Stadium.

The FTPSS school buildings were demolished in 2019.

A major public housing project is now being built at the site.

       

Written by Tony Boey on 25 Aug 2022

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