Our national love of food is deeply woven into our social and cultural identity. With Singapore being a melting pot of various cuisines and worldly tastes, it’s easy to get our hands on almost any type of food we crave.
With numerous hawker centres and coffeeshops dotting the island, they are no doubt our top go-to spots for delicious and wallet-friendly food.
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Over the past few years, younger hawkers with a penchant for fusion dishes and unconventional local-inspired items have popped up, giving us even more options than ever. Think: rosti, yakitori, prata wraps, duck confit and chicken chop laksa spaghetti… yes, all available at affordable hawker prices (under $10)!
Keep scrolling to check out our favourite fusion hawker stalls in Singapore, plus the mouthwatering dishes and flavours to expect.
(Warning: You might not want to read this on an empty stomach.)
It is not often that one finds duck confit at a hawker stall, hence it would explain why the traditional French dish is constantly sold out daily at Eddy’s No.1, a Western-Asian food stall in Hong Lim Food Centre.
The stall is run by Malaysian-born chef Eddy Wan and his wife, who reportedly marinates the ducks overnight, before letting it cook slowly for around 14 hours. The dish comes with a choice of either aglio olio spaghetti or mashed potato, a grilled corn cob and token coleslaw.
Aside from run-of-the mill pastas and rice bowls, two other unique dishes Wan serves up include a Mala Shrimp Spaghetti, which promises a salty-spicy, tongue-tingling kick; and a Chicken Chop Laksa Spaghetti which possessed the perfect amount of “lemakness” in a traditional laksa broth and a juicy slab of chicken.
Available on Foodpanda.
Hong Lim Food Centre, #02-52, Singapore 050538
Singapore has many burger options, from the likes of Shake Shack to good old McDonalds. When though, was the last time you ate burger at a hawker centre?
Skirt & Dirt’s claim-to-fame – and a bid to stand out from the rest – is their iconic Cheese Skirt Beef Burger, where their 100% beef rump patty comes with a skirt made of crispy cheddar cheese; hence its name. The cheese skirt is made from drizzling shaved cheddar over a hot grill and letting it sizzle to form the crust.
Other great-value burgers currently on their line-up include a Cheesy Chicken Katsu burger, Big Bad Wolf’s Pork Burger, a fish option, and a vegetarian option (it’s currently Truffle Mushroom, Swiss Cheese & Rocket). Previous dreamt-up creations include a Duck Confit Burger that boasted chunks of duck leg, rocket, caramelised onions, and truffle mayo.
If you have the appetite, you can top up $2 for two sides (house salad, Cajun fries, or soup of the day).
Available on Foodpanda and GrabFood.
Tiong Bahru Market, #02-66, Singapore 168898
Instead of heading down to Marché for rosti, how about checking out this coffeeshop in Ghim Moh for an equally tasty, and more affordable version of the Swiss potato pancake?
What started as a pop-up stall at open-air carnivals has now put its roots down in a permanent location. Shredded spuds are their speciality here, and the rosti patties are freshly-made onsite daily, using American russet potatoes.
Our pick is the Cheese Rosti, topped generously with mozzarella cheese, which melted nicely onto the fluffy, pan-fried potato pancake. Pair that with a dollop of their smooth homemade sour cream, and your meal will be complete. There are options with protein as well, such as a chicken chop with brown sauce, smoked salmon, and smoked duck.
Aside from rostis, 6ixs’ menu features typical Western stall dishes such as chicken cutlets, fish & chips with mash potatoes and coleslaw, small bites and several pastas.
Available on Foodpanda.
25 Ghim Moh Link, #01-01, Singapore 270025
Tucked in a quiet coffeeshop in Sunset Way, this hawker stall was set up by three friends set on selling quality flame-grilled meat to the masses. For a taste of everything, order their meat platter for two which includes a 250g NZ Grass Fed Ribeye Steak, Honey Soy Chicken, two Pork Bratwursts, and three sides of grilled corn, coleslaw, and fries. Other complementary add-ons include tater tots, onion rings, and potato wedges.
Other than the main meat platters, there are also rice bowls, fish & chips, and salmon steaks available. The most expensive item here is the Truffle Beef Rice Bowl ($16), where an NZ Ribeye Steak torched with truffle oil and served with a lava egg, edamame, and corn on a bed of rice. Though this bowl doesn’t really count as affordable hawker food, we think it’s worth splurging on once in awhile.
Available on Foodpanda.
107 Clementi Street 12, FoodPark, Singapore 120107
Shiba Roti takes its name after Kuro, a black shiba owned by Justin, one of the two co-owners. The other is Leonard, both of whom did a mid-career switch to become hawkerpreneurs.
Their menu here is straightforward, with four prata wraps – each packed with zesty housemade fillings – and a soup. We especially loved the Greek Lemon Chicken – sliced chicken thigh marinated overnight in yoghurt and herbs topped with pickled vegetables and an apple slaw cosily swaddled in a warm, buttery prate wrap. Meanwhile, their Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup is meant to mimic the small plate of curry usually served with prata.
When inspiration strikes, the owners will serve up specials. Past special wraps include a Balinese BBQ Chicken, and Potato Salad.
Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre, #02-140, Singapore 588215
Started by three childhood friends from Sarawak, this hawker stall specialises in yakitori (grilled chicken sticks). Cooked over a gas-powered grill upon order, charred sticks on offer – seasoned simply with salt or glazed with a thick, sweet Japanese soya sauce – include pork with cherry tomatoes, chicken with leek, and quail eggs.
The humble stall serves other non-yakitori items as well, such as bento rice sets that feature a different protein – think a deep-fried panko-coated Japanese horse mackerel topped with mentaiko mayo, or juicy chunks of seasoned chicken karaage. For a heartier sharing plate, give the umami miso eggplant with pork belly a go.
Available on Foodpanda and Deliveroo.
465 North Bridge Road, #01-5041, Singapore 191465
Located near Jalan Besar MRT is an unassuming soba noodle stall, opened by a Japanese couple. Their soba noodles are made from scratch using 100% buckwheat flour, blanched in a pot of MSG-free bone broth, before being shocked in an ice bath.
Their bestseller is the Reiwa Pork Soba, comprising buckwheat soba, slices of Spanish white pork, and a fusion dipping sauce. Instead of the traditional tsuyu dipping sauce, Reiwa’s dipping sauce is made with chicken bone broth, dashi, kombu, dried mushrooms and soya sauce. A dash of chilli oil is added for a piquant note, and perhaps as a nod to local taste buds.
Twists can be found in their other dishes as well, for instance, their Mango Salada Soba is a curious marriage of Thai green mango salad and soba; and their Soup of the Day Soba has spawned interesting variations, such as green curry, bak kut teh, and pork stomach soup-inspired dips.
Available on Foodpanda, Deliveroo and GrabFood.
28 Kelantan Road, Old Chin Kitchen, #01-121, Singapore 200028
Reimondo Seafood Congee has been operating at Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre since 2020, and this humble fusion congee stall has won the stomachs of many.
Its menu boasts only four dishes, the must-order Seafood Congee, Smoked Salmon & Lala Congee, Tea Smoked Salmon (smoked in-house) and Prawn UFO.
Upon order of the Seafood Congee, scallops, prawns and claims are stir-fried before being enfolded in the silky congee, which itself has been cooked separately in a rich seafood stock. The bowl is then generously garnished with salmon flakes, chye poh, a crabstick, and a fried dough fritter.
Unlike the congee many of us are accustomed to, this well-executed bowl has been imbued with subtle savours of smokiness and umami that enriches the entire dish (hence “wok hei”).
Available on Grabfood, or by calling 91255748.
110 Pasir Ris Central #02-07, Singapore 519641
A rather contemporary and ambitious take on fusion food, Sticks ‘N’ Bowls was started by a trio of young hawkers seeking to introduce an appealing mix of Malaysian lok lok and Japanese donburis to the local hawker scene. Like its endearingly comedic logo, the stall’s exuberance and light-hearted radiance can also be found in their food.
There are five rice bowls to choose from – a Mentaiko Salmon, Mentaiko Chicken, Garlic Pork Belly, Taiwanese Braised Pork, and Beef Shortplate with Sauteed Mushroom. For an additional dollar, you can top your rice bowl with a gooey onsen egg, or a myriad of lok lok sticks to supplement your meal. Notable sticks include their chicken karaage, chikuwa and fish wanton sticks, and will surely hit the spot when dipped into their peanut sauce and house-made chilli sauce.
Islandwide delivery available by calling 82996523 or 90060146.
824 Tampines Street 81, #01-38, Singapore 520824
What started as one hawker stall in Toa Payoh by Mediacorp actor Shane Pow and several friends, has now expanded to three hawker stalls in heartlands across Singapore. It is also the only stall on this list that sells Korean food, at a wallet-friendly price.
Menu items run the gamut of tasty Korean street food, ranging from the comforting army stew and japchae, to bulgogi beef bento sets and soy garlic chicken wings. You can also expect rice bowls with a Japanese flair, where proteins are covered with an ample serving of mentaiko sauce.
When dining in resumes, patrons will also be able to enjoy a Korean BBQ on-site, and grill up a mound of their signature bulgogi-marinated beef atop a hot plate, while letting its juices flow down into a mookata-esque soup of sorts filled to the brim with mushrooms, vegetables, glass noodles, kimchi and Korean fishcakes.
Islandwide delivery available via https://take.app/a/gogiyosg.
978 Toa Payoh North, #02-01, Singapore 319001
119 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-40, Singapore 151119
69 Bedok South Ave 3, Singapore 460069
Restaurant-quality tonkatsus can be found at this coffeeshop in Punggol’s Edgefield Plains estate, for the chef-owner was formerly the head chef of a well-known Japan-based tonkatsu restaurant in Singapore.
Here, thick-cut tenderloin and pork fillets from the USA and Canada are used, and each katsu is breaded in fresh panko breadcrumbs imported from Japan. 100 per cent cottonseed oil is used in the deep frying process, which ensures the cutlet exudes a crisp, clean flavour. A selection of sides, like crab croquettes, gyozas, and fried oysters, rounds off the menu.
The pork katsu here can be served in various ways – on its own with shredded cabbage, miso soup and Japanese rice on the side; as an accompaniment to Japanese curry rice; on top of a piping hot ramen bowl; or as a donburi where the pork cutlet gets dressed up in a flavourful egg and onion mixture.
Available on Foodpanda and GrabFood.
671 Edgefield Plains, Happy Hawkers, #01-01, Singapore 820671
Text: Rachel AJ Lee/HerWorld
