Upper Boon Keng Food Centre: 10 Best Hawker Stalls to Try
What to sink your teeth into at this centrally located culinary gem
Located a short stroll from Kallang MRT station and near the banks of the Kallang River, Upper Boon Keng Food Centre is a prime spot for affordable and delicious nosh. While it may not be one of Singapore’s most well-known hawker joints, it’s one of the older ones and has amassed a loyal following over the years.
As far as the food goes, there’s something for every palate – be it mouth-watering char kway teow redolent of wok hei, moreish soup kambing with tender chunks of mutton or appam with delicate crispy edges. Read on for a few of our suggestions and be sure to bring your appetite.
Upper Boon Keng Food Centre | 17 Upper Boon Keng Road
Mention Upper Boon Keng Food Centre and this famed stall is what comes to mind for many. Hearty, slurp-worthy servings of soup kambing are what’s in store at this long-running establishment. It’s been in business since 1955, and sells arguably one of the best versions in Singapore. Part with around $7 and up and you’ll get a large bowl filled to the brim with succulent meat and a thick, flavourful broth that isn’t too oily. Be sure to request for some extra bread to mop everything up – you won’t want to let a drop of this go to waste.
#01-03
Treat yourself to a cheat day meal of champions at Hock Huat Fried Kway Teow. Each helping comes with a mix of flat rice noodles, egg, pieces of Chinese sausage, thin fishcake slices and fresh beansprouts (as well as cockles if you wish) that are fried to perfection in a delectable sauce. It’s satisfying without being overly oily and we like ours with plenty of chilli sauce, which provides a punchy kick. Expect to pay upwards of about $3.
#01-37
Tuck into comforting Malay favourites including mee rebus, lontong, nasi sambal goreng and more at this vendor. Its nasi sambal goreng is great for those who want something different from the usual nasi padang. Another popular item here is the mee rebus, which is chock-full of noodles, fresh beansprouts, fresh green chilli slices and crispy fried shallots in an aromatic gravy that’s taken up a notch with a generous drizzle of calamansi. A meal here will set you back approximately $4.
#01-26
Regulars of this establishment know to arrive in the early hours of the morning, lest they miss the chance to get their hands on the stall’s highly coveted black and white fried carrot cake. The salty-sweet black carrot cake is made with preserved radish, shredded carrot and egg, and has a good amount of caramelisation. Meanwhile, the white carrot cake features a hefty portion of egg and a crispy surface. Customers who brave the long queue will be duly rewarded, and don’t forget to add lots of chilli sauce. Prices begin at roughly $3.
#01-21
Be it as a sweet morsel to end your lunch or for an afternoon snack, appam is always a delightful treat. If you’re here, you can find it at the aptly named Appam, where it retails for upwards of $1 and has a soft and spongy interior and crisp, lacy and browned edges. Choose your filling from the likes of peanut, coconut and red bean, or go for savoury options including cheese and egg. Whatever your choice, we recommend tucking in immediately when it’s straight off the griddle and still piping hot.
#01-75
Fans of traditional wanton noodles can fill up at Zao Dao Shu Shi, one of the crowd-favourite establishments at this hawker centre. Fork out approximately $4 and you’ll be given an ample portion of chewy egg noodles dressed with char siew slices, leafy greens and fried wantons, alongside a small bowl of boiled wantons sitting in a clear broth. Pickled green chilli slices help cut through the richness of the other flavours.
#01-78
Stock up on your morning bakes at this hawker bakery, which opens at the early hour of 6am and where items have been known to fly off the shelves. Early risers can take their pick from the dizzying selection of old-school, freshly made baked goods, ranging from sweet treats including red bean mochi buns, assorted muffins and egg tarts to savoury delights such as chicken floss, cheese and sausage buns. Many things here are priced at around $1.50, and we suggest bagging a few extra items for an afternoon snack.
#01-16
Chicken rice, anyone? Xin Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice delivers a solid rendition that you can get with either steamed or roasted chicken. Each plate has the requisite flavoured rice, tender pieces of meat and cucumber slivers, best accompanied with a drizzle of zingy chilli sauce. Big eaters can add sides such as a braised egg and tau kwa, and they also serve char siew rice and roasted pork rice. Expect to pay roughly $4.
#01-20
Dessert lovers will be spoilt for choice at Lit Lit Sin Cold & Hot Desserts. If it’s a sunny and sweltering afternoon, you can beat the heat with everyone’s beloved ice kachang slathered in a riot of colourful syrups or a classic chendol. Alternatively, for something that’s warm and satisfying, you can opt for the tau suan, green bean soup or steamed tapioca and sweet potato. Anticipate forking out approximately $2 per item.
#01-45
Those wanting to nosh on sliced fish soup or seafood noodles can hoof it over to Hock Heng Fish Soup, another vendor here that draws the crowds. The star of the show is the sliced fish soup (about $6), which is packed with thick slices of fresh fish in a slightly cloudy broth and makes for the ultimate comfort food on a rainy day. Their dry seafood noodles comes with strands coated in a yummy sauce and topped with bouncy fish balls, prawn, fish, spring onions and crispy fried shallots.