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Potatoes are a beloved staple for many, myself included. With their versatility, you can cook them in so many ways — boiled, mashed, fried — you name it, it probably yields delicious results. If your favourite potato dish is rosti, you’ll be happy to hear that Hippopotato has opened its first physical store in Punggol.
Previously a popular home-based business selling a large variety of rosti with 5.0 stars across 516 Google reviews (at the time of writing), the owners have decided to open up shop in Northshore Plaza I. Their original home-based outlet in Tampines will be closed until further notice, with plans to resume business there once the Punggol store can run independently.
The rosti store is helmed by 2 brothers, Gary Wong and James Wong. Born into a family of cooks and hawkers, the brothers said in an Instagram post, “Food has always been a big part of our DNA”. Hence, they started Hippopotato in 2025 with the goal of making yummy rosti accessible to all.
Fun fact: They used to run a cai fan stall at a Junior College. Plus, James used to be a Marche chef at, you guessed it… the rosti station. Without further ado, here’s what I tried at Hippopotato.
I started with their Golden Classic Rosti (S$5) and opted for sour cream. The usual price for this is S$8, but to celebrate their grand opening, the first 50 customers can get it for S$5. This promotion runs from 15 to 18 Oct 2026, while stocks last.
The rostis were made to order, thus having a perfectly crisp exterior with a nice char that added smokiness to every bite. The potatoes were soft and delicate on the interior, creating a nice medley of textures. When topped with the sour cream, it adds a piquancy to the mild dish. Personally, I prefer it with a heaping spoonful of the sour cream.
The next rosti I tried was the Okonomirosti (S$10.50). This dish is the lovechild of popular Japanese dish okonomiyaki and rosti, inheriting the positives of both parents. As you can see in the picture above, Hippopotato is extremely generous with the bonito flakes given.
Beneath the flakes are also generous drizzles of tangy okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. This was my favourite as each bite just brought such intense goodness to my taste buds. Bold and savoury from the bonito flakes and okonomiyaki sauce, slightly creamy from the mayonnaise — just wow.
Aside from rosti, Hippopotato also has a range of potato-based sides, such as tater tots and fries. I opted for the Mentaiko Mayo Tater Tots (S$5). I’m a huge mentaiko fan, but I find typical mentaiko sauces lack the same umami as the actual pollack roe.
Luckily for me, the sauce hits the spot. Slightly spicy with a rich, briny flavour, it complemented the crispy tater tots well. The only thing I wished for was more sauce; there’s an option for the sauce to be on the side for an additional S$0.30, which I will probably go for in the future.
Would I recommend Hippopotato? Definitely. With amazing rosti and sides, why not #supportlocal while enjoying good food?
