If you’re in Singapore longer than 24 hours and you haven’t eaten from a hawker, have you really eaten at all? Singapore is a country particularly known for food that fits all palates and budgets, available day and night. Yet some of the best things to eat sometimes costs only a few dollars, as long as you have the will to brave the heat.
Hong Lim Food Centre, located within walking distance of Clarke Quay and Raffles Place MRT stations, is one of many hawker centres within the tiny island of Singapore. Like your typical food centre, Hong Lim offers a wide variety of local treats starting as little as only a couple of dollars. Though opening times and days vary, you can be guaranteed to find food at almost any time of day.
Most of the stalls are located one floor above ground level. The selection can be overwhelming, and there’s really no method for choosing; go by your craving or by what looks good, because you really can’t go wrong. You can also take advantage of the free WiFi available to search up the best eats in the area, or go with a much simpler approach by joining the end of the longest queue.
We went with a combination of both: a quick online search yielded the names of two stalls with great reputations, which resulted in us waiting in two very long lines. At the head of these long lines were Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee and Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Hor Fun, both famous for their rice noodles cooked in very different styles.
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Cha kuey tiao (or char kway teow) is a flat, wide rice noodle stir fried with beansprouts, an array of meat and egg, soy sauce, and other seasonings. What makes this one special is the addition of fresh cockles to produce pockets of umami that tastes strongly of the sea, making for a dish that is rich but not heavy. The noodles are not too salty, with a good fragrance and char from the seasoned wok.
If you enjoy a little spice, requesting such is highly recommended to elevate the dish just that little bit more. At SG$4 (US$3), this dish is hardly expensive, though cockles can be added for SG$2 and egg for SG$0.50. This dish is rich but not heavy, making for a filling meal for one. But be prepared to wait! At any time of day, the queue is easily 20 minutes, at least.
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee 欧南园炒粿條面
#02-17
Mon-Sat 6.00am-3.30pm
Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Hor Fun
Hor Fun comes in many forms. This one consists of a flat rice noodle in a light gravy, topped with the proteins of your choice. Our selection was chicken and prawn, both of which turned out fairly dry and slightly bland, though we suspect because they were used to flavour the broth that they were cooked in.
However, this results in a highly flavourful gravy that was the star of the show. Rich in the umami from seafood and chicken, it had a strong crustacean flavour from the shells of the prawns. Its thickness allowed it to cling to the rice noodles to be slurped up with ease, without being greasy in the slightest. The sambal provided is fresh with a vinegary flavour that cuts through the gravy. It rounds the sweet umami with some acidity, and the addition of spice again adds to the dish.
Definitely the lighter of the two dishes, the chicken and prawn hor fun sets you back only SG$6 (US$4.50). While there is less of a wait at Tuck Kee, it is not any less delicious. It is a lighter alternative, and perfect for a hot day in Singapore.
Tuck Kee Ipoh Sah Ho Fun德记怡保沙河粉
#02-40
Mon-Sat 11.00am-2.45pm
It goes without saying that Hong Lim should not be reduced to these two food stalls. It is also home to the popular Tai Wah Pork Noodles (not to be confused with the Michelin starred stall) and the Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Prawn Mee, amongst others. That being said, don’t forget to try your luck at other stalls, as each have their own specialties to bring to the table. Literally.
Hong Lim Food Centre
531A Upper Cross St, Singapore 051531
7am-9pm (Individual stalls vary).
