10 best stalls at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre you must try

It felt like it wasn’t too long ago that Woodleigh was known to me as the “MRT station that the train skipped”. (It was completed in 2006 but only opened in 2011.) The Bidadari area has come a long way since then, especially in terms of food – first with Woodleigh Mall in May 2023, then Tam Chiak Kopitiam in Aug 2024, and now Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre in Sep 2024.

The hawker centre comprises 39 different stalls with a seating capacity of about 600 spread out over 3,255 sqm. Walking into it for the first time, one is floored by the sheer size of the place, and how open and spacious it is. To make things easier, here are 10 stalls we think you should try.

1. Pura Vida Cocina (#01-25)

Mexican food? At a hawker centre? We really do have everything. The stall is run by husband-wife duo Kok Pin and Wong Min. Why Mexican food? They wanted to do something different. And so Pura Vida Cocina emerged.

The menu includes Mexican-style rice with varieties like Chicken Tinga (S$6.50) and Roasted Vegetable (S$6.50). There’s Curry Chicken Nachos (S$8.50), Carne Asada XL Tacos (S$10), and DIY Burrito Bowls. Try the Carne Asada Nachos (S$12), which comes piled high with beef chunks, tomatoes, onions and corn. They also make their own salsa verde and curry mayo sauces in house!

Order Delivery: Deliveroo 

Mon, Wed to Fri: 12pm – 3pm & 5pm – 8.30pm
Sat & Sun: 12pm – 8.30pm
Closed on Tue
Instagram

2. Ji Hui Lai Nasi Kerabu (#01-07)

Nasi kerabu is a rice dish from Malaysia, and is especially popular in areas such as Kelantan and Terengganu. 34-year-old Nicholas Wong, one of the co-owners of Ji Hui Lai Nasi Kerabu, has made it his task to introduce this dish to the Singaporean palate.

Diners can choose from 2 varieties of rice and several types of protein. The Nasi Kerabu Blue Pea Rice with Fried Chicken (S$7.80) is a solid choice if you aren’t totally sure what to try. The lovely blue rice is topped with a medley of crunchy vegetables and chopped rojak flower. Mix it up with the provided coconut topping and homemade sambal for a flavour explosion. 

Order Delivery: Deliveroo 

+65 8089 0017
Tue to Sun: 11.30am – 8pm
Closed on Mon
Instagram

3. Liu Kou Shui (#01-32)

Liu Kou Shui is the brainchild of young entrepreneur Xiao Xuan, who started the stall with her mother in Dec 2022 at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre. The name is a cute play on the Chinese words for “drooling”, replacing the first character with her surname. The Woodleigh outlet focuses on rice bowl offerings with some sides as add-ons.

The Caramelized Char Siew Don (S$7) features a bed of short grained rice topped with an onsen egg, slices of glistening pork belly and some greens. The char siew is closer to thick slices of candied bacon, sticky and chewy and full of charred goodness. A hearty bowl for lunch!

Daily: 11am – 9pm
Instagram

4. Origanics (#01-13)

Origanics is the only stall in the hawker centre that focuses on vegan or vegetarian dishes, and is run by Darryl Tong. At first glance, the menu doesn’t look anything like your typical vegetarian stall – fried fish bee hoon, kway chap, kolo mee? Far more interesting than your typical mock char siew.

The Braised Duck Kway Teow (S$4) smells and looks just like the real deal. The sauce is quite legit, with a strong herbal kick. The mock duck is made of mushrooms that have been braised for at least a few hours, giving it a rich and deep flavour. The texture is also very similar to the real thing, but more tender and slightly chewier. If you think vegetarian food is boring, Origanics might just change your mind.

+65 9746 4671
Daily: 8am – 8pm
Facebook | Instagram

5. Style Palate (#01-30)

Run by ITE culinary graduates Darryl and Shi Long, Style Palate’s schtick is that they want to offer affordable European-inspired dishes. Although not exactly hawker-tier pricing, the food is very reasonably priced for what it is.

Some of their most popular offerings include Cold Umami Angel Hair Pasta (S$6), which is angel hair pasta mixed with truffle salsa – great for truffle lovers. If you like seafood, try the Vongole Pasta (S$8) which is generously filled with fresh clams. If you want something more hearty, Style Palate’s best-selling Duck Confit (S$12) features a perfectly cooked, fork-tender duck leg atop a large mound of fluffy mashed potatoes and a moat of rich homemade sauce.

Daily:  11.30am – 9pm
Instagram

Revamped Serangoon kopitiam returns with 13 stalls offering KL hotplate curry noodle & nasi lemak

6. M+ Fried Rice Paradise (#01-11)

Halal-certified M+ Fried Rice Paradise is one of the 2 stalls within the hawker centre specialising in fried grains. They have several different flavours of fried rice: your regular egg fried rice, sambal fried rice, curry fried rice, and hae bee hiam fried rice. And, curiously, pao fan as well.

The rice is cooked using a machine that automatically fries up the rice to perfection. The Curry Chicken Fried Rice (S$5.80) comes with a large fried chicken cutlet that’s crispy and juicy. The rice itself is nicely fried, and leans towards being quite spicy. 2 types of housemade chilli is served with each order – a sweet sambal, and a more savoury hae bee hiam variant. 

+65 8931 0829
Sun to Wed: 9am – 10:30pm
Thu to Sat: 9am – 2:30pm
Instagram

7. Guan Kee Kway Chap (#01-19)

Kway chap aficionados need no introduction to Guan Kee Kway Chap. The original stall in Toa Payoh has been around since the 1980s, and the Woodleigh outlet is run by the daughter of the owners. 

Prices start from S$5 for a 1 pax serving, with the option to add on various ingredients as you like from S$2 onwards. Each serving gets you a bowl of their silky kway in rich herbal broth, pork belly, tau kwa, braised egg, and braised offal, among other ingredients.

Daily: 11am – 7:30pm
Facebook

8. Whampoa Nan Xiang Chicken Rice (#01-28)

No hawker centre is complete without a chicken rice stall. Whampoa Nan Xiang Chicken Rice has quite the following at its original location, and the Woodleigh outlet is helmed by the son of the owner, Shaun.

Diners can look forward to silky, tender chicken and fragrant rice. Both steamed and roasted chicken is available and portions start from S$4.50. There’s also kampung chicken and chicken cutlet for those looking for something a little different than the usual chicken rice.

+65 9176 7751
Wed to Fri: 10am – 8:30pm
Closed on Thu
Facebook | Instagram

9. Kallang Wantan Mee (#01-33)

The owners of Kallang Wantan Mee, Sze En and Shen Ping have a goal – to bring traditional Malaysian wantan mee to Singaporeans. The dark sauce version isn’t common in Singapore, and every component of their dish, from noodles to the chilli, is made from scratch for maximum authenticity. 

Aside from the Signature Wanton Noodle (S$6.20), the stall also has Fried Dumplings (S$5), Fried Ngoh Hiang Balls (S$5.50), Chicken Cutlet (S$6.50) and  Fried Golden Prawns (S$5.50) to go along with your noodles. 

Sun to Fri: 8am – 2.30pm & 5pm – 8pm
Sat: 8am – 2.30pm

10. Penang Man (#01-04)

One might notice that the signboard at Penang Man bears a resemblance to another stall called Hokkien Man Hokkien Mee, and despite both selling Hokkien mee, the version at Penang Man is very different. It’s noodles served in a spicy red prawn broth. Started by Penang-born Loh Boon Pin, Penang Man serves up specialties from the founder’s hometown.

There is Penang Prawn Mee (S$5 for soup, S$5.50 for dry), as well as Penang Assam Laksa (S$6). Diners can request add-ons like braised eggs, chicken feet and even crackers. Other menu items also include Penang Char Kway Teow (S$6) and Penang Style Chee Cheong Fun (S$2.20). 

Wed to Mon: 11am – 7.30pm
Closed on Tue
Facebook | Instagram

12 best eating spots you should definitely check out at the Woodleigh Mall