10 Best Hawker Stalls To Try At Kim Keat Palm Food Centre
This Toa Payoh foodie hotspot houses an array of culinary delights
Toa Payoh has no shortage of dining venues to choose from, including the popular Toa Payoh West Food Centre. Another beloved option among the area’s residents is Kim Keat Palm Food Centre, which boasts a plethora of stalls selling the likes of crispy fried oyster omelette, succulent popiah, velvety chee cheong fun and various refreshing desserts.
After undergoing a facelift in 2021, it currently features a bright and airy interior and brand-new furniture in a pleasing yellow hue. While some outlets have shifted to occupying different units, most of them returned post-renovation: including the original joint of a fish ball noodle stall that now has almost a dozen storefronts in Singapore and a beef noodle vendor that’s picked up a Michelin Bib Gourmand mention.
Kim Keat Palm Food Centre | 22 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh
You can’t visit this food centre without paying a visit to Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodle, which commands snaking queues and a stamp of approval from the Michelin Guide. The mixed bowl option – which comes with thick noodles, tender beef slices, plump meatballs and various innards, as well as beansprouts and spring onions for some freshness – is a solid pick, and features a smooth, luscious sauce. Expect to pay upwards of $5.
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Old-fashioned discs of chwee kueh are what you’ll find at this traditional stall. The tiny steamed cakes are made with rice flour, and are smothered in a mountain of preserved radish and – if you so desire – piquant chilli sauce. The supple chwee kueh has a firm bite, and the salty, sweet, savoury and spicy flavours blend together well. Expect to fork out approximately $2, depending on how many you order.
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For a comforting helping of wanton noodles ($3.50 and up), make a beeline for this establishment. We like the dry version: you’ll get springy egg noodles that are tossed in a moreish savoury sauce, some leafy greens and a few slivers of char siew accompanied by a warm bowl of soup filled with juicy wantons. Their menu also features fried dumplings, which are crispy, crackly and make for the perfect side dish.
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This storied establishment, which has been around for over four decades and counting, specialises in old-school, increasingly rare Hainanese delights. Their signature snack is yi bua – a classic Hainanese kueh that’s crafted using sticky glutinous rice flour and filled with crushed roasted peanuts, grated coconut, some sesame seeds and assorted aromatics. The delicacies are wrapped in banana leaves and finished with a drop of red food colouring, and are almost too pretty to eat. A piece retails for just over $1.
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If it’s hot outside, you can cool off with something sweet from Dove Desserts. Try their specialty chendol ($2), which comes with bright green squiggles of pandan jelly, red beans, condensed milk and gula melaka served over shaved ice. It’s guaranteed to help you beat the heat. Other items include everyone’s favourite ice kachang, cheng tng (available in both hot and cold options) and refreshing aloe vera with sea coconut.
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For a little pre-meal appetiser to keep your appetite at bay while waiting for your main dish, we suggest getting some made-to-order popiah from this joint. It has an illustrious history, having been operating since 1930, and the popiah is prepared fresh daily using a secret recipe containing zero MSG or preservatives. Be sure to kick things up a notch by getting yours with a smear of chilli sauce. Each piece goes for just under $2.
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Ah Chuan Fried Oyster Omelette is home to one of the food centre’s most in-demand dishes – fried oyster omelette ($5 and up) that purportedly ranks among the best in the city-state. It comes with briny oysters and plenty of lovely eggy bits, plus sprigs of cilantro and spicy chilli sauce. There’s a great textural contrast between the soft oysters, spongy egg and crispy batter, making it a dish that’s worth braving the crowds for.
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Satisfy your cravings for Sichuanese cuisine at Chuan Xiang Xiao Chu, which serves a range of authentic Sichuan dishes that will delight lovers of the region’s strong and spicy flavours. You can choose from the likes of boiled fish doused in a power-packed chilli gravy, umami-rich, jiggly mapo tofu – best paired with a good amount of rice – pickled fish and Sichuan eggplant, plus a selection of the usual zi char suspects. A meal here will set you back upwards of $5.
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Rainy days call for warming bowls of food. And this is the place to grab delicious noodles packed with bouncy fish balls and served in a pleasant, comforting broth. This OG stall is so successful that it’s spawned multiple other outlets, and recently nabbed a Michelin Bib Gourmand accolade. The signature fish balls are fresh and made with 100% yellowtail fish, the noodles are cooked to al dente perfection and you’ll leave with a satisfied stomach. Expect to fork out approximately $4.
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Hong Kong may be opening up to leisure tourism again, but why travel all the way to the Fragrant Harbour when you can get a stellar serving of Hong Kong-style chee cheong fun right here in Singapore? Grab some silky rice rolls filled with everything from char siew to prawns to scallops, all covered in a light, fragrant gravy and served with a dollop of fiery chilli sauce for good measure. They also do seafood porridge, and you can anticipate paying around $3 for your meal.
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