10 best hawker stalls to try at Marine Parade Food Centre

Whether you’re tuckered out from a long day at the beach, want to recharge after shopping or have time to spare after you’ve dropped off the little ones at their enrichment classes, Marine Parade Central Food Centre is a solid spot to grab some decent grub.

Also known to neighbourhood residents as Parkway Parade Food Centre, the site recently underwent an extensive multi-year revamp and reopened in 2019 – thankfully with many of the original stall owners returning.

From famous fried kway teow and juicy Cantonese dim sum to hearty mee rebus and comforting porridge, read on for some suggestions for what to sample here.

Marine Parade Central Food Centre | 84 Marine Parade Central

Neptune Hong Kong Dim Sum

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Quality dim sum at affordable prices? Yes please. Neptune Hong Kong Dim Sum serves top-notch dim sum dishes that could give more upmarket restaurants a serious run for their money.

You’ll find all the usual suspects, including meaty and moreish siew mai, juicy har gow, chicken feet and crispy carrot cake, which are presented in bamboo baskets. Head here with a group so you can try as many items as your stomachs can handle, and anticipate forking out around $10 per person.

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Yok Mari Yok

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For a luscious plate of mee rebus, look no further than Yok Mari Yok. This long-standing establishment serves a range of Malay favourites – including nasi padang, ayam penyet and mee siam – though the star of the show is undoubtedly its mee rebus ($3.50).

Each serving comes with chewy yellow noodles, tau kwa, fresh green chillies and an egg swimming in a rich, thick and creamy gravy. The sauce has a light peanut fragrance with a subtle spicy kick, making this a slurp-worthy delight.

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New World Congee

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Need to warm up on a chilly day? Nothing hits the spot like a bowl of porridge. Check out New World Congee, where you can get velvety Cantonese-style porridge with a variety of ingredients: including shredded chicken, scallop, minced meat and fish.

Our favourite is the Happiness Congee, which features the trifecta of tender sliced fish, shredded chicken and lean pork meat. Each helping is dusted with ample chopped spring onions and coriander, and you can expect to pay $3.50 and up.

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Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow

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If you prefer your fried kway teow on the wetter side, then you’re sure to love Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow – perhaps the food centre’s most famous vendor.

Operating for over four decades and counting, the stall dishes out plates of noodles that boast a robust wok hei and addictive salty-sweet-smoky flavour, as well as a strong kick of garlic for good measure. Ingredients include Chinese sausage, cockles and fish cakes, and we recommend trying the spicy version. Prices start from $4.

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Xin Long Cooked Food

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There are certain days when all you want is a simple and straightforward meal of economical rice to satisfy your hunger pangs. Xing Long Cooked Food delivers just that, and draws some of the longest lines at the food centre during peak periods.

While humble, the hearty dishes here are nothing to scoff at. Load up on the likes of fried chicken, sweet and sour pork, beef rendang, eggplant and long beans, and be sure to add some chilli sauce before digging in. Budget upwards of $3.

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ALSO READ: 10 best hawker stalls to try at Bedok 85 Fengshan Food Centre

D’Authentic Nasi Lemak

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D’Authentic Nasi Lemak sells comforting plates of traditional nasi lemak that are worth writing home about.

The rice has a strong and pleasant coconutty aroma, and is paired with crispy fried chicken, cucumber chunks, a fried egg, peanuts, ikan bilis and a dollop of delicious sambal. The standard option goes for $3.50, but you can gussy up your portion with additional items such as begedil and assorted vegetables.

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Kun Ji

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Braised duck is the name of the game at the popular Kun Ji, which doles out tender, succulent and glistening hunks of meat accompanied by either rice or porridge.

We like the former, which offers a generous serving of braised duck that’s slathered in braising sauce atop a heap of fluffy rice. You also get some cucumber slivers and a small bowl of soup.  Don’t forget to help yourself to the house-made sambal for a fiery kick. Prices start at $3.50.

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Tip Top Western Food

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Check out this beloved stall for old-school Western dishes that run the gamut from fish and chips and spaghetti Bolognese to chicken cutlets and gargantuan pork chops.

A mainstay at the food centre, the joint is currently run by a third-generation owner, and has been in business since 1976. The delicious chicken cutlet ($6.50) boasts a crispy, ASMR-worthy breading and is served with crinkle-cut fries and a small mound of coleslaw.

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Aziza Putu Piring

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End your meal on a sweet note by paying a visit to Aziza Putu Piring to get your hands on the Malay dessert.

Pony up just under $2 and you’ll receive three fragrant discs of steamed rice cakes that feature a caramelly, slightly smoky gula melaka filling, and are topped with a smattering of freshly grated coconut. Those with more adventurous palates can try the other flavour options, including peanut, durian and Nutella. The stall also sells fried delights including goreng pisang and chempedak.

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Emmanuel Peranakan Cuisine

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In the mood for some filling Nyonya-style nosh? Then make a beeline for Emmanuel Peranakan Cuisine. Fun fact: it’s helmed by the daughter of Xin Long Cooked Food’s founder, who opened this stall with her husband.

First-time diners can go for the Nyonya Nasi Lemak ($5.50), which includes rich, tender and saucy chicken rendang, a fried egg, spicy sambal, crunchy peanuts and ikan bilis. Alternatively, you can order the signature blue pea rice and top it with your choice of dishes.

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ALSO READ: 'We will be back stronger': Young hawkers selling fusion nasi lemak close 5-month-old stall, lose $45k

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.