Geylang Serai Food Centre: 10 Hawker Stalls Worth Visiting
Flavourful nasi ayam bakar, soft chewy apam balik with fun flavours and mouthwatering briyani
The historic and always-busy Geylang Serai Food Centre – which is situated an approximately 10-minute stroll from Eunos MRT station – is a hotspot for all who love Malay and Indian fare. It’s undergone several renovations over the decades, with the current design inspired by traditional Malay kampong houses.
You’ll find a plethora of eats plied by vendors who have spent years honing their craft: think soup kambing for a rainy day, all manner of briyani dishes, comforting noodles and delectable desserts. Read on for our recommendations.
Geylang Serai Food Centre is at 1 Geylang Serai, Singapore 402001.
This Muslim-owned and Halal-friendly establishment has been making its hallmark traditional otak-otak (under $3 for three pieces) since the 1950s. Contrary to many other stalls, they refrain from using any flour in their product. Each slightly spicy slab of otak-otak is packed with succulent chunks of fish accentuated by fragrant grated coconut and coconut milk, and is wrapped in sturdy leaves before grilling.
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If you have a hankering for briyani served with saucy meat, you can get the goods at Geylang Briyani Stall – arguably the most popular briyani vendor here. Order the nasi briyani ayam if you want chicken, or opt for the nasi briyani kambing to try the mutton rendition. They also offer a version that’s served with fried chicken, if that’s more your style, and you can expect to pony up approximately $7.
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Nasi Ayam Sambal does Malay-style chicken rice – a tasty alternative to the Hainanese chicken rice that dominates most hawker centres in Singapore. A scoop of white rice is plated up with a juicy chicken thigh, which has a tender interior that contrasts nicely with the crispy skin, and a small bowl of soup. It’s best savoured with lashings of chilli sauce, and you can anticipate forking out around $5 and above.
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Want to sample the mee siam (roughly $3) from this vendor? Just make sure you arrive early, as it often sells out well before the lunch period rolls around. Those who miss out can get the Indian rojak. Take your pick from a cornucopia of items, which will be cut up into bite-sized pieces and served with red onions, cucumber slivers and fresh green chillies, alongside a yummy dipping sauce for good measure.
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Forget Bengawan Solo. Kueh Talam Asli is a must-visit spot for colourful and delicious kuehs. It’s best known for its kueh talam, a beloved two-tiered Malaysian treat. We’re fans of the kueh salat, which features a bottom layer of coconut-scented glutinous rice and a top portion made with pandan and coconut-spiked egg custard. You can select five assorted pieces for around $5.
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Cold and rainy days call for a warming serving of soup kambing. At Iqbal Soup Kambing, the dish features a rich and thick – but not cloying – broth that’s brimming with aromatic herbs and spices, as well as your choice of mutton parts. A serving goes for upwards of around $6, and we suggest ordering extra bread to mop up all that good stuff. Other menu items include mee goreng, nasi goreng and mutton chop.
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For something different from your usual min jiang kueh, pay a visit to this Muslim-owned vendor to get your hands on apam balik – chewy Malay-style pancakes that you can enjoy with a myriad of fillings. There are classic options like peanut butter and red bean, as well as fun flavour combinations such as peanut and corn, cheese and corn and kaya and chocolate. Anticipate paying around $3 for a slice.
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Serving the likes of nasi lemak, lontong and noodles including mee soto, mee siam and mee rebus, Warong Solo is where to go for comforting and affordable Malay dishes. The joint has been in operation since 1965 and is pretty popular, so be prepared to contend with a long queue. Tuck into the standout mee rebus that has a luscious, slurp-worthy gravy, and expect to fork out upwards of about $3.
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Hit up this spot to gorge on paper-thin thosai, which you can get plain or stuffed with egg, cheese, chicken, onion and potatoes. We also like their appam. It’s crafted with fermented rice batter and coconut milk and sports delicate lacy edges and a spongy interior, and is served with coconut shavings and orange sugar. Depending on what you pick for your fillings, you can expect to pay upwards of around $3.
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Pak Din Nasi Ayam Bakar dishes out flavourful nasi ayam bakar (roughly $7). Here, the grilled chicken thigh is absolutely smothered in a mouth-watering sweet-savoury sauce – which includes crispy fried shallots – and is accompanied by rice flavoured with ginger, turmeric and chicken stock and some raw vegetables. Spice lovers should try all the different sambals that pack a punch, and they also whip up mee soto and rojak.
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