History of Chinese Migration & Roots of Hawker Food Culture in Singapore

Singapore hawker centres are well known for their delicious melting pot of Malay, Indian, Chinese and other cuisines. In this article, we take a closer look at Chinese migration to Singapore, and the different flavours it brought to our communal dining spaces.

Yuan Lang Chicken Master @ Stall #02-027 Chinatown Complex Food Centre 元朗鸡博士

✍ 23 Jun 2025. Stalking Chinatown Complex this rainy Monday morning, I stumbled upon this beautiful sight (bevy of cooked chicken attracts me somehow 🤭 ).

Most stalls, shutters down, were taking a break this morning or not open yet at this hour (8am).

Angel Horse Teochew Fish Soup @ Albert Market & Food Centre 仙马潮州鱼汤

We were around Albert Food Centre for an errand and so decided to have brunch here. We had Angel Horse Teochew Fish Soup 仙马潮州鱼汤 and enjoyed it. The fish was fresh, flavours were mild and well balanced. It was a tasty, comforting, good value meal which explains the stall's popularity.

Famous Lao Wu Mutton Soup @ Blk 532 Ang Mo Kio 老吴記羊肉

Ah Huat jio (invited) me to join him at Lao Wu Mutton Soup @ 532 Ang Mo Kio which is a stall in Sunday F & B kopitiam. 老吴記's mutton soup is nice - its flavours are mild with neither pungent mutton gaminess nor strong herbal and ginger taste. Hence, it is extremely popular.

Knife Cut Shaved Noodle Shi Xiang Ge @ Bishan Bus Interchange 食香阁.刀削面

Stopped over at Bishan MRT Station while running errands today. Went to the food centre above the bus interchange to look for lunch. It is a small hawker centre with just 10 food stalls. The two stalls with queues were the la mian / shaved noodle stall and the Cantonese roasts stall. This time we opted for Shi Xiang Ge La Mian / Shaved Noodle stall because shaved noodles are rarely found in Singapore hawker centres.

Stall name: Shi Xiang Ge La Mian Shaved Noodles 食香阁

Address: Bishan Street 13, Bishan Bus Interchange, Bishan Cafeteria, Singapore 570514

Nearest MRT station: Bishan

Tel: +65 9151 3586

Hours: 10:30am - 9:30pm (Tues off)

History & Memories of Clifford Pier Singapore

Known to locals in Cantonese as "Hong Tang Mah Tow 紅燈碼頭" or Hokkien as "Ang Teng Beh Tau" which means Red Lantern Harbour, Clifford Pier held many memories for me.

Best Char Siew & Roast Pork in Marsiling Mall & Woodlands by Fu Shi Traditional Roasted. Wanton Mee

Ah Huat owner-chef of Fu Shi Traditional Roasted. Wanton Mee stall at Marsiling Mall food centre is constantly improving his char siew, roast pork belly, roast duck and noodles. They were already very good when I first had them years ago - today, Ah Huat has taken his craft to new heights.

Singapore in the 1850s as seen from Mount Wallich by Percy Carpenter

This painting of Singapore at Sunrise from Mount Wallich was an oil on canvas painted by Percy Carpenter in 1856. The panorama from the peak of Mount Wallich is a wonderful historical artefact in that it provides a glimpse and valuable insights of Singapore in 1856 (164 years ago). 

Singapore had thrived and boomed in less than 40 years after Raffles first stepped foot on Singapore River in 1819. In this short 30 odd years, the population of Singapore exploded grew from around 200 in 1819 to some 81,000 by 1860.

58 Minced Meat Mee 利發肉脞面 PK. Which is the Best Bak Chor Mee at Marketplace @ 58 Upper Changi?

Judging by the queue at The Marketplace @ 58 near Tanah Merah MRT station, most people here are fans of 58 Minced Meat Mee stall. There is another soup bak chor mee stall 利發肉脞面 in the same hawker centre. I tried both this morning, one after another. Which is the best?

Sin Huat Eating House Crab Bee Hoon @ Geylang Lor 35 • Enigmatic Seafood Shop Draws Dignitaries & Celebrities to Singapore's Red Light District ☏ +65 6744 9755

Sin Huat Eating House 新发海鲜馆 | 659 Lorong 35, Geylang Road, S389589 ☏ +65 6744 9755 ⏰  6:30pm - 1:00am

Sin Huat Eating House and its eccentric owner-chef Danny is a legend and enigma in Singapore's culinary world. Five of us gathered here for a dinner which we knew will be memorable and will add to our own foodie stories.