I used to live and work near this private hawker centre at Beauty World Centre. I also come here after my weekly Bukit Timah Hill trek (last time 😜 ). The fourth level hawker centre hasn't changed much physically in the last 20 years. Some old favourites are still here and there are quite a few excellent newcomers. Prices here are comparable with public hawker centres.
Truth be told, Beauty World Centre and its food centre felt a little weathered. But, it exudes an air of nostalgia and its food stalls serve old school hawker dishes with a few stalls in the top band at the national level. Beauty World has a signature airy and bright courtyard where we like to hangout around.
Let's take a walk around.
Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodles Rice stall #04-48 opens 12 noon - 7pm (Weds off) is top of my mind when I think of Beauty World Food Centre. I'll stick out my neck to say they are the Singapore national champion in soya sauce chicken, beef brisket & tendon noodle, and prawn dumpling (sui kow) 😬 Their soya sauce chicken is tender, juicy, well infused with savoury sweet flavours and has the subtle taste and fragrance of Chinese rose wine. Their prawn dumpling is the largest I've seen and jammed full of fresh prawn, minced pork and crunchy black fungus. Their beef tendon and brisket (which is available only on weekends) are soft, thick and served with crunchy noodles in a thick rich savoury beefy sauce. Call ahead 📞 9060 1138 📞 9455 8797 to avoid the long queue and disappointment (as they sold out early).
Zheng Xing Desserts stall #04-58 opens 11am - 5pm (Tues & Weds off). Zheng Xing Desserts' claim to fame is their tau suan (mung bean). Their main outlet is in Albert Centre hawker centre and as far as I can discern, they taste more or less the same. The mung beans are soft but still have a bit of subtle bite, the starch has just the right thickness, and the whole dessert is not overly sweet. The savoury you char kway topping is crisp and soft chewy. Worth your calories 😬
Top 1 Home Made Noodle stall #04-44 opens 10:30am - 8:30pm (Weds off). One of the most popular stalls here with a long queue all the time. Touted as the best in Singapore and JB by a viral listicle website - I don't agree (my favourite in Singapore is L32 Geylang and in JB is Yew Swee). I've tried Top 1's dry and soup mee hoon kueh and ban mian. For the dry, their dark watery sauce is sweet savoury and spicy (if you opt for chili). For the soup version, the soup is sweet savoury with anchovy taste. They don't use sayur manis (mani cai) which to me is a definitive ingredient of mee hoon kueh.
Hong Wen Mutton Soup stall #04-20 opens 11am - 3pm. This mutton soup stall has been here since more than 20 years ago. I was a big fan. Recently, I bumped into my ex-colleague here - he's back for his mutton soup fix. In the old days, you know when you are in Hong Wen's zone - the boss blast Yu Tien ballads from loudspeakers and the atmosphere was filled with the pungent smell of mutton and herbs. Now, these are all gone. Today, the mutton soup tastes sweet from goji berries and the soft-tender mutton no longer have the gamey taste and smell. Hong Wen has changed with the times with a new generation of fans who don't appreciate strong mutton and herb taste and smell.
Jin Li Satay Bee Hoon stall #04-40 opens 11am - 8pm (Weds off). This is one of my favourite satay bee hoon in Singapore as its sauce isn't too much like peanutty satay sauce (yeah, it sounds ironic I know 🤔 ). Instead, it is rich with umami savouriness from dried shrimp with sweetness and aromatics from shallot, lemongrass and spices. There's peanut but only in a complementary role and not dominating the dish. The ingredients are a bit sparse for the small serving e.g. sans pork liver and blood cockles 🙄 But, their sauce conquers all. (Update: This stall has closed as owner has retired 😔 )
Feng Xiang Authentic Klang Bak Kut Teh stall #04-65 opens 11am - 3pm & 5pm - 8pm. I haven't tried their bak kut teh as I have this silly notion that only Klang (Selangor, Malaysia) has authentic Klang BKT (old people have their stubborn quirks 🤷 ). But, I have tried their fried intestines and stewed intestines, and they were both delicious. The winner here for me is their fried porridge. The thick porridge done to Hainanese texture (i.e. the rice is 80% dissolved) is richly infused with savoury sauce, lard, and umami flavours from slivers of dried cuttlefish. There's sweetness from the fresh pork and also the rice. There's also the coveted toasty taste of wok hei. If you have tried their bak kut teh, please share with us how it tastes.
Ye Tang Chendol stall #04-26 opens 11am - 8pm (Mon & Tues off). Ye Tang is a standalone stall, not a chain stall. It's chendol isn't as pretty as the chain ones but it tastes a little different (better). The shaved ice is a bit grainier, the gula Melaka has more depth of flavour, the fat green "worms" are nice too - gently sweet and can taste the subtle pandan flavour.
GC Cafe stall #22 opens 10am - 10pm. This is a new kopi (coffee) stall and has a following of unkers and aunties hanging out over their traditional Nanyang coffee, kaya & butter toasts and soft boiled eggs. The young man making the coffee the old way (with sock) looked earnest and serious about his craft. I only tried his coffee (kopi C kosong) so far. The brew was frothy, had nice round, thick body, quite bitter but its sharp edges smoothed out by evaporated milk. So, the concoction is bitter sweet - in other words, quite shiok
28 Economical Rice stall #04-66 opens 11am - 7pm is busiest during lunch but the queue clears quite fast (as everything is pre-cooked). It's the only economic rice stall here and prices are competitive which partly accounts for the long queue. In the old days, when I don't want to think about what to eat for lunch, I just point "che ke, na ke" this 👉, that 👉 . 28 Economical Rice serves deep fried, stir fried, boiled, sautéed, steamed, stewed and braised pork, chicken, fish, egg and vegetable dishes to go with rice or porridge. I like their soy sauce braised dishes especially the pig skin. Nothing here will blow your mind but its for folks who appreciate a quick, affordable, filling work day lunch.
Your favourite stall(s) not in this list? 😤
Don't be mad at me 😱
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 🙏
Written by Tony Boey on 15 Aug 2022
I would dabao the Hapiha dips (love all 3 of them) and their pita bread - it’s nice and warm with a good crust and yet soft and chewy inside. I love their personal sized pizzas too! Love the thin crust and the toppings are of good quality too :)
ReplyDelete