Punggol Coast Hawker Centre Is Buzzing — Here’s What’s Actually Worth Eating

Punggol Coast Hawker Centre may have only opened at the end of July, but it has already made somewhat of a name for itself as a foodie hotspot. Our visits during lunch and dinner hours were met with snaking queues and lively crowds of both young and old.

The hawker centre (under Kopitiam) houses forty stalls in total. This includes long-time favourites from other parts of Singapore as well as newer entrants in the hawker scene. Below we have curated a list of stalls that are worth checking out on your visit(s) there.

And the best part: CDC vouchers are accepted at this hawker centre!

Huay Kwang Thai Wanton Mee

We are starting this list with the store that saw not only the longest but also the most consistent queue during lunch rush. Huay Kwang Thai Wanton Mee has its roots in Ubi, with this Punggol location being its second outlet.

While the store serves other dishes such as the Black Sauce Char Siew Fried Wanton Mee ($5 for S portion) and Wanton Kuey Teow Soup ($3.50), we ended up trying the Signature Thai Style Char Siew Wanton Mee ($7). For those who don’t know: Thai wanton noodles can look plain and flavourless on first glance, lacking the dark sauce that is quintessential in Singapore-style wanton noodles. But while this bowl of noodles looks unassuming, it was packed full of flavour.

This dish saw fatty and sweet char siew slices meet savoury Thai fish sausages for a savoury-sweet combo that had us hooked. It came with two different types of wanton, both of which were extremely flavourful.

Despite not being mixed in a sauce, the noodles were coated with pork lard oil and chilli flakes that really brought out the Thai flavour. The store allows you to toggle the spice level of the dish so those who can’t handle spice can opt for a milder experience.

Opens from Monday to Saturday from 7.30am to 3pm. Closed on Sundays. Located at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, 84 Punggol Way, #02-K51, Singapore 829911.

Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun

I personally like to call myself a chee cheong fun connoisseur. It’s my go-to breakfast meal when I want something easy on the stomach. So, when I saw that Hong Kong-style Chee Cheong Fun was another store featured in the Michelin guide, we just had to try it.

The store has four different types of chee cheong fun on the menu: Cheong Fun ($3.50), Char Siew ($4.50), Prawns ($5.50), and Scallop ($6.50). While the scallop looked like an interesting choice, we decided on the prawn and char siew option for a more traditional chee cheong fun experience.

Both dishes featured thin, silky smooth rice rolls that were a delight to chew. The prawns were fresh and juicy, providing a nice crunch with every bite. The char siew bits were very generous and gave the dish a sweet-savoury taste. 

The best part of the dishes would have to be the soy-sauce-based sauce that is liberally poured over the rice rolls. We have seen some reviews note that it can be a bit too salty, but we personally really enjoyed it. The taste of the sauce complemented both the prawns and the char siew bits extremely well. Overall, this is one of our favourite stores that we tried at this hawker centre.

#02-K87 Punggol Coast Hawker Centre.

75 Ah Balling Peanut Soup

This store is best known for the peanut soup that features uncrushed peanuts, but also has ginger soup, almond milk soup, and longan red date soup. There are five flavours of tangyuan to choose from: from the good old peanut and sesame options to yam, matcha, and red bean. 

The tangyuan and soup combo is sold in three sizes: four pieces of tangyuan for $2.90, three pieces of tangyuan for $3.40, and six pieces of tangyuan for $3.70. We ordered two bowls of six pieces with the peanut soup and got a mix of all five flavours.

The peanut soup was sweet but not overwhelmingly so. The peanut flavour was well-balanced, and the crushed peanuts were not too soft or hard; just hard enough to add a nice crunch. 

Now, let’s talk about the tangyuan. The peanut and sesame tangyuan are must-tries. The glutinous rice exterior was extremely soft and tender, making each bite a great textural experience. The peanut filling was crunchy and slightly sweet, while the sesame tangyuan retained that distinct nutty sesame flavour that paired nicely with the soup.

While the red bean and matcha tangyuan were decent, the exterior was quite a bit firmer than the peanut and sesame tangyuan. The matcha tangyuan also lacked in terms of a distinct matcha flavour.

Opens from Thursday to Tuesday from 11am to 8:30pm. Closed on Wednesday. Located at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, 84 Punggol Way, #02-K83, Singapore 829911.

What The Puff

You might be wondering: how popular can puffs be? Well, they’re actually a hit with the crowds at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre. My visit to What The Puff revealed five staff members hard at work replenishing the constantly disappearing stock of five different flavoured puffs.

Apart from the Original Puff ($2), the usual curried potato curry puff, other flavours available include the Sardine Puff ($2), Cheesy Curry Puff ($2.50), Charsiew Chicken Puff ($2.50), and Black Pepper Chicken Puff ($2.50).

Initially slightly hesitant to try the Charsiew Chicken Puff – after all, we mostly see char siew in buns – I was happily surprised. Not only was the char siew chicken extremely tender, but the pastry’s rich flavour complemented the tasty sweet-savoury sauce and really allowed it to shine. 

The Black Pepper Chicken Puff was not too peppery, housing soft chicken chunks with the occasional chewy, fatty bite. We appreciated that the pepper flavour was not overwhelming and was spread evenly throughout the puff (and thankfully, no surprise pepper corns that made us cough). 

The Cheese Curry Puff had a very unique taste. Instead of the usual spiciness you’d expect from a curry puff, the cheese helps with mellowing it out (in a good way). And yes, there were very satisfying cheese pulls. There was also a strong potato flavour, which is something that we love in our curry puffs. 

Opens Thurs to Tues, from 7am to 2.30pm. Closed on Wed #02-K76, Punggol Coast Hawker Centre.

Xiang Chi Mian

If you are looking for a hearty bowl of bak chor mee, Xiang Chi Mian is a good stall to try out. While this store did not have an extremely long queue, I was drawn to it by the steady stream of customers, as well as the bright red sign that said ‘Traditional Bak Chor Mee’.

We opted for a bowl of the Signature Minced Meat Noodle Dry ($5.80) and were pleasantly surprised when we were served. You know how sometimes the images on the signboards look too good to be true? The image of the bak chor mee was chock full of ingredients, and we were reasonably sceptical of it. So we were caught off guard when the bowl we received looked very much like the image shown.

There was a generous amount of minced meat and pork slices, as well as two big liver slices that were cooked just right. There was also a large fishcake, one meatball, and plenty of mushrooms that ensured that every bite had a bit of something. The chilli mixed with the noodles was not too spicy, and the accompanying soup was extremely flavourful.

While the bak chor mee is definitely the star of the shop, there are also other noodle dishes such as Fishball Noodle Wet/Dry ($4) and Laksa ($4.80).

#02-K55, Punggol Coast Hawker Centre.

Jade’s Chicken

Korean fried chicken has to be up there on our list of comfort foods, and Jade’s Chicken is all about this dish. Korean-owned, the store serves up authentic Korean fare at relatively affordable prices. The store has four flavours of fried chicken available: Original, Sweet Spicy, Soy Sauce, and Honey Butter. Prices depend on both the size and flavour, with half a chicken (seven pieces) of sweet spicy, soy sauce, and honey butter priced at $15 each, while half a chicken of the original flavour is priced at $14.50.

Those looking for a smaller portion can opt for the three-piece choice, priced at $6 for Original and $6.50 for the other flavours.

On our visit, we managed to try both the Original and Soy Sauce versions. The Original was your typical Korean fried chicken; good, but not mind-blowing. The Soy Sauce flavour, on the other hand, was an instant favourite. It was both sweet and savoury, a combination that had us hooked from the first bite. The meat was tender and aromatic with a nice crispy skin. 

Apart from fried chicken, the store also sells Korean staples such as Tteokbokki ($7), Kimchi Soup ($6.50), and different types of ramen at various prices.

Opens daily from 11am to 8pm. #02-K78, Punggol Coast Hawker Centre.

One Soy

Let’s be real; it can sometimes be a struggle to hit your protein goals if you are trying to put on some muscle. So we were intrigued by the ‘High Protein Fresh Soy Milk’ on the signboard. One cup of this soy milk is priced at $2 and allegedly offers 16g of protein, which is a lot.

We opted for the cold version and found ourselves really enjoying it. The soy milk was surprisingly rich and aromatic, with a slightl creaminess. You can also choose your preferred sugar level, and add toppings such as rice balls (additional $0.50), longan (additional $1), and nata de coco (additional $1).

Apart from the soy milk, we tried three of the store’s desserts: Beancurd Rice Balls with Soy Milk ($3.50), Traditional Beancurd ($2.50), and Pandan Beancurd Rice Balls with Soy Milk ($3.80). 

The Beancurd Rice Balls with Soy Milk was an interesting dish that was not too sweet. The sesame and peanut tangyuan, together with the mild-tasting beancurd, was a very nice pairing. I found that the combination of the beancurd and the soymilk created quite an overwhelming soy flavour, but it was a decent dish overall.

The Pandan Beancurd Rice Balls with Soy Milk, on the other hand, did not face the same issue. The soy-flavour was less overwhelming and the dish left a nice pandan aftertaste. 

The Traditional Beancurd was the star of my order. A bit on the sweeter side, the beancurd was silky smooth and glided down my throat. It’s a simple, no-frills dish that I would order again. 

Located at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, 84 Punggol Way, #02-K88, Singapore 829911.

Hee Hee Hee Steamed Fish & Seafood

Hee Hee Hee Steamed Fish & Seafood is another stall that saw a constant stream of customers during both lunch and dinner hours. The menu features four different types of steamed fish: Grouper ($10/$12), Seabass ($9), Golden Pomfret ($12), and the more expensive Red Snapper ($22/28). Those on a budget (or who can’t stomach a whole fish) can get the Steam Fish Head at just $3.50. 

The $10 Grouper was a decent size for its price point and was liberally topped with coriander and garnished with spring onion. 

The Grouper had a mild flavour, and the meat was fresh and smooth. The best part of this dish was the sauce; the salty flavour really helped to elevate the taste of the fish. 

Aside from steamed fish, the store also sells a variety of other dishes. This includes Lala ($8), Bamboo Clam ($8), Steam Crab Tofu ($9), Otah with Egg ($8), and more. Do note that rice comes at an additional cost of $0.70.

Opens from Friday to Wednesday, from 11am to 2pm and from 4pm to 8pm. Open on Thursday from 11pm to 8pm. Located at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, 84 Punggol Way, #02-K58, Singapore 829911.

99 South Buona Vista Braised Duck

For foodies, this store’s reopening is probably the highlight of the food centre. The beloved store was previously located in Desker Road but had to close due to rising rental costs. 

News of its reemergence in Punggol Coast Hawker Centre seems to have spread far and wide. A queue started forming 20 minutes before the shutters opened. And even though we started queuing up 15 minutes before official opening hours, we still had to wait 45 minutes before we got our food. 

I ordered the one-pax Braised Duck Meat ($6) that came with a bowl of soup. The texture of the duck was different from what I’m usually accustomed to. It was a bit on the firmer side and slightly chewy. After a while, though, I started to enjoy the chewy texture.

The unique selling point of this dish was the sauce. It did not have that strong a herbal flavour and instead leaned strongly into its salty aspect. It was also a very light sauce, quite different from other stores that serve the ducks with a thicker sauce. Taste-wise, I actually think the saltiness worked really well with the duck.

Just a note: For $6, the portion was a bit small. The wait time was also a bit of an overkill. I’d instead advise heading down early in order to be among the first few in line. If not, you might end up in a 30-person line waiting for an hour (I’m not exaggerating) 

Opens from Thursday to Tuesday from 11am to 4pm or until sold out. Located at Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, 84 Punggol Way, #02-K59, Singapore 829911.

Whampoa Traditional

Singaporeans, as a general rule of thumb, go where the long queues are. So we just had to give Whampoa Traditional a try when we saw the snaking line.

This store specialises in fried oysters, char kway teow, and carrot cake, dishes that are at the core of our hawker scene. We got the Traditional Fried Oyster ($10) and were quite surprised by how small the portion was. Regardless, the dish was creamy and starchy, and the oysters were decently plump.

The White Carrot Cake ($6.80) was a decent plate of carrot cake fried with some cai poh for that extra salty kick. We also liked that there was a nice ratio of egg to radish cake.

Of all the dishes, we’d recommend giving the Char Kway Teow a miss. It was an okay dish, just nothing spectacular.

#02-K5 Punggol Coast Hawker Centre.