Recommended gastronomic hideouts in the east.
Curiosity has brought me to hunt for the best hawker stalls and uncover the dining hideouts and treasure sites in Bedok and Simei. Simply because this eastern district is extremely rich and diverse in the gastronomic scene.
Ranging from hawker stalls with a long history of establishment to dessert cafes that offer ingenious concoction of flavours, the Bedok and Simei district is an enclave with good eats aplenty. The following is a roll-out of my list of top 12 good eats in Bedok and Simei.
12. Hougang Lee Chen Cooked Food
I was delighted with my order of the sliced fish soup ($3.50/$4/$5/$6/$7) from this particular hawker stall. Making use of the batang fish, a local term for the Spanish Mackeral, the fish slices are thick and juicy.
The fish slices are really rich in meat and are exceedingly tender. They leave me salivating for more after consuming the entire bowl.
A very original taste of the Teochew sliced fish soup, I’ll be coming back for more.
Hougang Lee Chen Cooked Food: Blk 216 Bedok North St. 1, Market and Food Centre, #01-54, Singapore 460216 | Opening hours: wed-sat: 12nn-3pm
11. Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian 兴记肉挫面
A really interesting stall which only serves one dish, the minced meat noodle ($3.50/$5. I must mention that Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian does live up to the standard as described on its signboard — authentic.
The noodles served were thin yellow noodles. I was delighted by its texture. It was springy and delectable, not powdery at all. Unlike the common thick yellow noodles which I’ve tasted at most stalls, the ones here do not carry the unpleasant taste of lye.
On top of that, the meatballs are very fragrant and chewy.
Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian: Blk 85 Bedok North St. 4, Fengshan Market & Food Centre, Singapore 460085 | opening hours: tue-sun: 3pm-1am
10. Fengshan Satay Bee Hoon 食为大潮州粥夜市沙爹米粉
A blend of flavours which I consider exclusive to this particular stall, the satay bee hoon ($3/$4) is the only satay bee hoon stall at Fengshan that makes use of fragrant and buttery satay sauce that contains crunchy peanut bits.
The dish was made up of generous servings of pork liver pieces, taupok and kai lan vegetable. Going at a mere $3, it is indeed value for a hawker dish so rich in ingredients.
The essence flavour of this dish comes from the pork liver pieces, which were cooked to a good tender. Coupled with the satay sauce that isn’t too watery, the satay bee hoon here at Fengshan is a must-try.
Fengshan Satay Bee Hoon: Blk 85 Bedok North St. 4, Fengshan Market & Food Centre, Singapore 460085 | opening hours: mon-sun: 5pm-12am
9. Chai Chee Pork Porridge
Manned and spearheaded by a thirty-year-old second generation young chap, Chai Chee Pork Porridge has a pretty long history of establishment. The signature pork porridge ($3 + $0.50 for egg) continues to be the gem of the stall that generates long queues during the peak dinner period.
The sweet pork meat pieces have a hidden peppery taste. Interview with the stall owner explained the evidence of effort put into marination, i.e. a secret recipe passed down the generation.
I ordered the pork porridge with egg — a recommended choice, as the egg serves as an added fragrance to the dish. The entire dish is a good blend of flavours, contributed by the different flavours of various ingredients.
Chai Chee Pork Porridge: Blk 85 Bedok North St. 4, Fengshan Market & Food Centre, Singapore 460085 | opening hours: mon-sun: 5pm-2am
8. Snack Shop
For a really reasonable price the roasted chicken rice ($2.50) here at Snack Shop is a real deal. The dish exudes an eminent fragrance. Biting into the chicken, the meat is delicate and has a springy texture.
Considering the price that I paid, the meat is surprisingly juicy and flavourful. On top of that the roast chicken skin is a layer of delectable crisp. The rice itself is also very fragrant, and it isn’t greasy. Overall, a good recommendation.
Snack Shop: Blk 248 Simei Street 5, #01-136, Singapore 520248 | Tel: +65 67863901
7. Penang Kitchen 槟城小厨
Decided to go for something interesting and out of the norm, hence opted for the fried fish lor mee ($4) here at Penang Kitchen. Living up to the origins of the stall, the lor mee a.k.a. stir-fried noodles with gooey gravy and five spice aroma at this stall is served Penang style.
The gravy is a soup base that is spicy. It is both fresh and fragrant from the works of the vinegar and chilli sauce. I had thought that the dish only contained fried fish as its only pairing meat ingredient. The inclusion of pork belly slices and ngoh hiang made the entire dish really sumptuous.
The noodles are smooth and gooey with the gravy, very fragrant and delectable. The fried fish pieces are crispy on the outside and very fresh on the inside. It was a really refreshing dish with an awesome combination of flavours arising from the different ingredients.
Penang Kitchen: 207 New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Food Centre, #01-07, Singapore 460207 | Opening hours: mon-sun: 10am-10pm
6. Handmade Fishball Meat Ball Noodle 手工鱼圆肉丸面
Priding in their handmade fishballs and meatballs, the fishball minced meat noodle ($3/$4) at this stall is one that is well balanced, from the delicacy of the texture of noodles to the fresh taste of the fishballs and meatballs.
The mee pok noodles had a smooth texture to it. It was luscious with chilli, and the noodles isn’t powdery at all. It was overall, a very fresh taste.
Handmade Fishball Meat Ball Noodle: 207 New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Food Centre, #01-32, Singapore 460207
5. Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Curry Chicken Noodle 福海（芳林）咖喱鸡面
I’m sure most of us can relate to curry chicken as a popular household dish in Singapore. The curry chicken noodle ($4/$5/$6) available at Hock Hai’s Bedok branch, situated within Bedok Interchange Food Centre, is one worth noticing.
I have fallen in love with the curry chicken noodle here, at the moment I tasted the aromatic flavour of the curry gravy. It had a tinge of sour, making the noodles appetising and savoury. The chicken meat is very rich and tender, and exudes a delectable tender upon bite.
On the whole, the dish exudes a delightful, warm sensation. A genuine and pleasant local flavour which I highly recommend all to try.
Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Curry Chicken Noodle: 207 New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Food Centre, #01-58, Singapore 460207 | opening hours: mon-sun: 10am-11.30pm
4. Jimmy People’s Park
Claimed to have been relocated from People’s Park at Chinatown, Jimmy’s People’s Park serves good standard of fried local dishes that include char kway teow, fried carrot cake and oyster omelette. Decided to go for their fried carrot cake ($3/$4).
Prior to tucking in, the dish exudes an aroma. Upon bite, the carrot cake texture is jellyish. It was chewy, and has a savoury aftertaste. Smooth on the inside, crispy on the outside.
The entire dish was delectable. It was just nice, with slight portions of brown crisp but not charred. A stall that is worth trying for their fried local delights.
Jimmy People’s Park: 207 New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Food Centre, #01-47, Singapore 460207 | Opening hours: tue-sun: 10am-8pm
3. Syed Restaurant
Ask anyone living in the east where to satisfy a late-night supper craving and chances are, you will be directed to Syed Restaurant — the famous prata stall at Simpang Bedok. Had decided to go for something more unique, hence opted for the ice-cream roti prata ($5).
It was a real delight to taste cool, vanilla flavoured chocolate chip ice-cream together with crispy and chewy prata. The ice-cream didn’t just contribute as a topping for the prata, it also makes up the filling in between layers of the wrapped prata.
The dish was a delectable ooze of sweet and refreshing ice-cream in between chews. Though it is quite pricey, I will come back again for this fantastic delicacy treat. On top of that, the prata is done to a standard that is stellar. Ice-cream prata makes use of ordinary ice-cream, but the blend of texture and taste of the crispy prata and cool, refreshing ice-cream is just awesome.
Syed Cafe: 326 Bedok Rd, The Bedok Marketplace, Singapore 469496 | Tel: +65 62425412 | Opening hours: 24hr
2. Pin Xiang Chicken Rice 品香鸡饭
It is hard for one to miss this bustling chicken rice stall at Bedok Interchange hawker, which generates a long queue during lunch and dinner hours. Basing on the good impression I have of the stall, I decided to try out the classic, signature chicken rice ($3) at Ping Xiang.
The chicken is served on a separate plate, with soy sauce that forms its base. The sauce gives the chicken a tinge of saltiness that is very savoury. The chicken meat was very tender, and strips out in a really neat manner. Texture was really smooth and was well cooked, absence of any red raw spots.
Both the rice and the chicken were very fragrant. Entire dish was savoury, good to the last bite. Considered one of the best chicken rice stalls in Singapore.
Pin Xiang Chicken Rice: 207 New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Food Centre, #01-03, Singapore 460207 | opening hours: mon-sun: 9am-10pm
1. Xin Mei Congee 欣美粥品
Another stall here at Bedok Interchange Hawker that bustles with a long queue during prime dinnertime, Xin Mei Congee has a wide variety of congee in stall, with interesting concoctions of flavours. One of them is the meatball century egg congee ($3).
Digging into the bowl reveals the pieces of handmade meatballs cooked with the congee. These little pockets of minced meat carry a rich taste, which makes them a good pairing with the slightly sour century eggs. The contrast of taste brings out the flavours of each of the ingredients.
The meatballs were made from good effort put into marination, they were tasty, with the absence of any hard bits. On top of it, the you tiao is an added crisp to the entire dish. It provided a delectable ooze of oil to the warm and soothing bowl of congee.
Xin Mei Congee: 207 New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Interchange Food Centre, #01-22, Singapore 460207 | opening hours: 10am-11pm
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