This food-centre stalwart has been operating here since the 1970s, and is a favourite among regulars from the area. It fries up golden-brown servings of white carrot cake – you won’t find the black variety here – starting at just $2.50. The dish achieves a great balance of flavours and textures between the salty preserved radish, fluffy egg and wonderfully crispy exterior, and they don’t skimp on the portion sizes. Be sure to grab some tongue-tingling chilli sauce for an added kick.

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As a stall that’s pretty much synonymous with the food centre, you’ll encounter a constant queue outside Leng Kee Fish Soup. But what exactly makes its signature item so special? For starters, the Teochew-style fish soup has a light, aromatic and slightly sweet broth that goes down like a dream. Delicate slabs of tender fish, tofu chunks, tomatoes and lettuce round out the bowl (priced at upwards of $5). Pair this with some warm rice and you’ve got yourself the perfect comfort food for a cold and rainy day.

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Want something different from your usual hawker fare? Then make a beeline for Shiba Roti, one of the venue’s newest entrants. It offers a contemporary take on traditional prata: think small, taco-like discs crowned with colourful ingredients such as grilled chicken, fruit slaw and pickled vegetables (they even offer OmniMeat, a plant-based meat substitute). We like the Greek Lemon Chicken and Tandoori Chicken offerings (roughly $4 each). The prata isn’t too oily, and the different components complement each other well.

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Another of the popular joints here is Xie Kee Hokkien Mee. Each glistening plate features both yellow and white noodles – they use flat yellow noodles instead of the usual round ones – prawns, cuttlefish and lots of lovely eggy bits. The ingredients are all well-coated in a thick, umami-rich gravy that’s redolent of rich prawn stock, and the entire dish is chock-full of wok hei. Do add a squeeze of lime and a spoonful of chilli sauce before you dig in. Prices start at $3.

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Head here to feast on a gloriously messy assemblage of satay bee hoon ($4 and above). Although you’ll usually be greeted by a long line of fellow hungry diners, we promise that it’s worth the wait. A portion comes with rice vermicelli that’s topped with cuttlefish, pork, prawns, tau pok and kang kong, and is absolutely smothered in a luscious gravy. The sauce leans towards the sweeter side and isn’t too spicy, so those who don’t have the best spice tolerance can still enjoy the food here.

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Tuck into healthy and hearty nosh at Living Wholesome Vegetarian, which specialises in Hakka thunder tea rice. For $6, you get a filling bowl of brown rice with chopped bean curd, peanuts and assorted veggies such as cabbage, preserved radish, winged beans, long beans and Chinese greens. This is paired with the requisite herbal soup: a creamy, vivid-green concoction with heavy notes of basil, coriander and mint that isn’t too astringent. You can also choose to swap out the rice for bee hoon.

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Sometimes, all you want is a homey helping of chicken rice. If so, Seng Heng Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice has you covered. The crowd-favourite outfit draws steady queues at all hours of the day, and it’s easy to see why. We suggest selecting the standout roasted chicken rice (priced at around $3.50). Each serving boasts flavourful rice with a fragrant whiff of ginger, tender strips of chicken and some cucumber slivers. Complete your meal with a few lashings of their oh-so-spicy chilli sauce.

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For something to cool off after a sweltering hike, check out the offerings at Beauty in a Bowl. It doles out refreshing desserts (available either hot or cold) centred on peach gum: the resin obtained from peach trees, which is said to be rich in nutrients and antioxidants. The Signature Bowl features red dates, longan, goji berries, white fungus and ginkgo nut paired with a generous amount of peach gum. Other flavours include Osmanthus Aloe Vera and Almond Ginkgo Milk. Prices are about $3.

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Indulge in delicious (albeit not-so-healthy) fare at Zhong Zhong Fine Spice, which plies an array of fried goodies. Build your ideal plate by picking from different items: including the likes of prawn fritters, shrimp crackers, ngoh hiang, fishcake, tau kwa and cuttlefish. Once you’ve made your choice, your order will be quickly refried and served with cucumber pieces and a range of colourful, moreish dipping sauces. Add some fried bee hoon to make it a meal. Expect to pay roughly $5 per person.

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If you’re in the mood for succulent sticks of satay, then this should be your port of call. Yong Seng Satay has a long history – in fact, it’s been operating for a whopping 70 years and counting, and is now run by a third-generation owner. The menu features pork, mutton and chicken skewers, which are grilled-to-order. These are presented with chopped pieces of cucumber and red onion and an addictive peanut sauce complete with tangy pineapple puree. Each stick goes at $0.70, and there’s a minimum order of 10 sticks.

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