Toa Payoh West Food Centre: 10 best hawker stalls to try

Everything worth trying at this neighbourhood food centre, including the likes of fluffy carrot cake, fragrant Hokkien mee, gigantic crumbly muffins and homey porridge.

Although relatively small in size - you'll find around 40 stalls here - Toa Payoh West Food Centre is home to a stellar clutch of hawkers serving scrumptious dishes. It's located in a residential area a stone's throw away from Braddell MRT station, and is a popular option for those in the neighbourhood to grab some good nosh.

Among the more well-known joints are a bakery selling irregular-shaped, golden-brown muffins; a vendor making Michelin Bib Gourmand-approved carrot cake from scratch; and an establishment doling out sinful and satisfying plates of Hokkien mee. Here are a few of our favourite joints.

Toa Payoh West Food Centre | 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh

Chey Sua Carrot Cake

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Given that it’s famous for its handmade carrot cake, you know that you’ll be in for a treat at Chey Sua Carrot Cake. This Michelin Bib Gourmand-endorsed spot with snaking queues is run by a pair of sisters. They only serve white carrot cake, and their rendition is equal parts crispy and spongy, and pan-fried until golden brown.

It comes packed with plenty of egg, preserved radish and carrots, and is finished with a smattering of spring onions and a dollop of dark-red chilli sauce. A portion of this goodness begins at $2.50.

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Teochew Handmade Pau

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Another popular vendor here is Teochew Handmade Pau. Operating since 1993 and now run by a second-generation hawker, it crafts fluffy, authentic Teochew-style buns that are stuffed with all manner of sweet and salty fillings: including char siew, minced pork with parsley and lotus paste.

We suggest going straight for the kong bak pau, which has melt-in-your-mouth pork that’s been braised in sweet-salty dark sauce. Prices start at under $1.

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Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

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Widely considered as one of the best Hokkien mee stalls in Singapore, this is a must-try if you’re visiting the food centre.

For upwards of $4, you’ll receive a large plate of delectable noodles that’s been cooked to perfection in a rich and fragrant stock, which has strong and briny prawn notes. It’s a little on the wetter side, and the noodles are gussied up with pork strips, egg, seafood and beansprouts. Don’t forget to add a dollop of spicy sambal to complete the dish.

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Uggli Muffins

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Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. And while the bakes here aren’t exactly symmetrical or perfectly shaped, they’re absolutely delicious – and that’s what counts.

The muffins (around $1.50 each) come in a full range of classic and creative flavours, including Oreo, cranberry, raisin and orange peel, chocolate and banana walnut. They’re light and airy but not too sweet, and their haphazard shape yields plenty of crusty, slightly burnt bits that offer a great contrast to the softer parts of the muffin.

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88 Congee

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Start your morning on the right note with porridge from 88 Congee, one of the food centre’s crowd-favourite joints.

You’ll find all the classics, including sliced fish porridge, meatball and century egg porridge and chicken porridge. Regardless of your choice, the porridge has a creamy consistency that isn’t too thick, and the ingredients taste fresh (we highly suggest adding an egg, too). The best part? Each helping comes with a crunchy, golden-brown dough fritter. Expect to pay around $3.

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Joo Heng Noodle

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This stall serves wanton noodles, and offers a unique option that you won’t find at most other hawker joints: jade green spinach noodles instead of the standard yellow egg variety.

The spinach noodles are softer than the egg ones – so they may not be ideal for those who like their noodles super chewy – and go well with the large wantons and char siew. The addition of sliced green chillies adds a welcomed tangy kick. Prices start at $3.

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Da Cheng Kway Chap

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Hit up Da Cheng Kway Chap for a tasty, comforting meal on a wet and rainy day. The slippery and silky rice sheets have a firm bite, and the soup – which is topped with fried shallots, coriander and spring onions – is light, while still being aromatic and complex.

Of course, you can get all the requisite fixings such as braised egg, braised pork, tau kwa and assorted innards. There’s also a tangy chilli sauce to dip your ingredients in, and a meal here will set you back around $4.

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Pure Soya Bean

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Complete your feasting with dessert from Pure Soya Bean. Opened in 2018, it uses only non-GMO Canadian soya beans and a grinder imported from Taiwan. The standard tau huay boasts soft and smooth curds with no traces of a sandy or gritty texture, while the soya milk is luscious and thick.

You can add various ingredients to your dessert, including gingko nuts, red beans, grass jelly, longan and even breakfast cereal. Those with a sweet tooth can also request for a drizzle of gula melaka syrup. Expect to pay upwards of $2.

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Lao Shen Ji Si Mian

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For a simple yet hearty meal, check out Lao Shen Ji Si Mian, which has been in business for over three decades. It specialises in shredded chicken noodles ($3 and up), which you can get with either fish balls, fish dumplings or both.

The dry egg noodles are nice and springy, and come with shredded chicken, braised mushrooms, pork lard and spring onions, plus a delicious chilli and vinegar sauce. We also really love the fish dumplings, which are fresh and flavourful. 

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Hong Kong Lung Hwa Roasted Delight

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A trip to Hong Kong may still be some ways away, but you can dine on mouth-watering Cantonese-style roasted meats at this stall.

Although word has it that they use leaner cuts here, the meat is still extremely succulent and juicy. Order the char siew and roasted pork rice ($4), and you’ll get a sizable helping of fatty meat with a crispy exterior. It’s served with warm white rice, leafy greens and a bowl of soup. The chilli sauce is also a must.

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ALSO READ: 10 best hawker stalls to try at Beauty World Food Centre

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