Fuelled by the pandemic, many chefs from prestigious hotels and restaurants have chosen to strike out on their own. Here are some of the stalls where you can enjoy restaurant-quality food at a fraction of the price!
TOP 1 Chef Wang Fried Rice
Chef Wang Fried Rice was opened by Wang Jingjun, a former chef of Shangri-La’s Shang Palace and Din Tai Fung. The menu of Chef Wang reflects the combination of skills he acquired in both establishments, with Din Tai Fung’s signature fried rice and Shang Palace’s sambal fried rice. You can choose the toppings you want for the fried rice and whether to have it with sambal. The toppings include prawns, pork chop and abalone.
TOP 2 Qing Feng Yuan
Qing Feng Yuan is a new kid on the block that serves up comforting bowls of Teochew-style fish soup. Despite only opening their doors in June 2021, the stall has seen long queues of diners eager to try the tantalising bowls of fish soup concocted by the ex-head chef of Naked Finn and an ex-chef from Perch. The soup is cooked from fish, pork and chicken bones to extract the natural umami taste of the ingredients. Besides the signature batang fish soup, seafood soup, New Zealand Blue Cod soup, ngoh hiang (five spice meat roll) and deep fried pomfret with HK soy sauce are also available.
Address: Tiong Bahru Food Centre #02-49, 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898
Opening hours: 8.30am – 6.30pm daily
TOP 3 Cheong Fun Paradise
Tucked away in Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 is Cheong Fun Paradise, a new stall opened by Kerene Cheng who once headed dim sum kitchens in fine dining establishments such as Lei Garden Restaurant, Peach Blossoms and Shangri-La’s Shang Palace. Kerene does all the cooking by herself. With her decades of experience, you can be sure that the food does not disappoint. The menu includes Cantonese-style chee cheong fun (steamed rice rolls) with ingredients such as prawns, char siew (barbecued meat) and cai pu (preserved radish), Jing Chuan dumplings and breakfast items such as century egg porridge, fried carrot cake and Chinese sausage glutinous rice.
Address: Blk 5023 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, #01-87 Chop Hong Lik Restaurant, S569526
Opening hours: 7am – 4pm daily (closed on Mon)
TOP 4 Yokozuna Stall
Located in a small coffee shop in Toa Payoh, Yokozuna Stall packs many surprises for those who have not visited before. Opened by Chef Francis who was a teppanyaki chef at M Hotel, the items on the menu come with impeccable taste and presentation. The Tataki salmon roll (pictured above) is one of the most popular items on the menu, with the crab meat, cucumber, seaweed and torched salmon with mayonnaise and sesame seeds giving an awesome combination of flavours. Other must tries include the Beef Curry Bento, Butter Yaki Seabass Bento and Yoko Yoko, a specialty dish created by the chef which cannot be found elsewhere. Nothing costs more than $10 on the menu. For such quality food, you really get a bang for your buck!
Address: 211 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, #01-01, Singapore 310211
Opening hours: Mon to Fri: 12pm – 2.30pm, 5pm – 8.30pm, Sat and Sun: 12pm – 8.30pm
TOP 5 Shi Xiang Ge
Shi Xiang Ge is a stall specialising in Shanxi cuisine which was opened by Liu Yi Jun, a former La Mian Director of Crystal Jade with almost three decades of noodle-making experience. Signature items include Beef La Mian, Zha Jiang Mian (minced meat noodles), Hot and Spicy Intestine Dao Xiao Mian (knife-shaved noodles) and Szechuan dumpling in spicy sauce. All of the noodles are handmade and have excellent mouthfeel. Its accessible location right above the Bishan bus interchange also contributes to its snaking queues, particularly during meal times.
Address: Blk 514 Bishan Street 13, Bishan Bus Interchange Level 2, Singapore 570514
Opening hours: 11am – 9pm daily (closed on Tuesdays)
TOP 6 Little Bowl
Little Bowl Singapore is the brainchild of three former chefs from French Restaurant Saveur. It is widely popular among patrons for its quality and affordable bowls of Western and Japanese fusion food that boast restaurant standards but cost only a fraction of the price. The nicely-presented bowls of mentaiko salmon rice, prawn aglio olio and shio pasta with a thick creamy sauce, onsen egg and chicken cutlet had customers coming back for more. The best part is none of these costs more than $10!
Address: 5 Straits View, Marina One The Heart, B2-34, Singapore 018935
Opening hours: Mon to Fri: 10am – 7pm, Sat: 10am – 3pm (Closed on Sundays)
TOP 7 King of Pao Fan
Address: #01-237 Cheng Yan Court, Stall 4, 269B Queen St, S180269
Opening hours: 11am – 8pm daily
TOP 8 Meet 4 Meat
Meet 4 Meat was founded by Chef Jimmy who has decades of experience working in steakhouses such as Wooloomooloo Steakhouse in Swissôtel, and his friend Gerald. The aim is to make gourmet food more affordable for the younger generation and available in a more casual dining location. The steaks are flame-grilled to give them an irresistible smoky flavour. The homemade pasta dishes are also a must-order, along with the signature Beef Wellington.
Address: 228 East Coast Road, Singapore 428925
Opening hours: 12pm – 2.30pm, 3.30pm – 9.30pm daily
TOP 9 Supreme Ramen Xiao Long Bao
If you walk past Supreme Ramen Xiao Long Bao, you would not have known that this humble stall is helmed by Chinese chef Li Huaizhi who has over two decades of experience as a chef in established restaurants such as Crystal Jade and Tung Lok Group. Chef Li is so committed to his stall that he did not hire a helper and endeavors to make every single dumpling on his own so that they are up to standard. As such, you can expect top-notch la mian and xiao long bao, and it is no wonder business is always brisk here.
Address: Blk 46 Holland Drive, #01-359, S270046
Opening hours: 9am – 1.30pm, 4.30pm – 8.30pm daily
TOP 10 A Noodle Story
A Noodle Story was set up by chefs Gwern Khoo and Ben Tham who have previously worked at renowned restaurants such as Iggy’s, Waku Ghin, St Pierre and Jaan par Andre. It has only one item on its menu, which is its signature noodle bowl with an assortment of ingredients such as Cantonese-style prawn dumplings, braised runny eggs, braised pork belly and fried potato-wrapped prawns. Each bowl of noodles comes with a bowl of clear-tasting soup. This unique combination and the perfect execution of each of the items in the bowl has earned them perpetual long queues along with a Michelin Bib Gourmand listing.
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road, #01-39, Singapore 069111
Opening hours: 11.15am – 2.30pm (Mon – Fri), 10.30am – 1.30pm (Sat), Closed on Sundays
Photo credits: TODAYonline, 8 DAYS, eatbook, Miss Tam Chiak, Little Bowl, sethlui, A Noodle Story
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