5 new hawker stalls in Singapore to check out

For healthy salmon rice bowls

Amoy Street Food Centre is a hotbed of new-gen hawkers, the Big Bowls Project being one of them. It brings affordable and delicious rice bowls to the hawker setting. Each come with healthy jasmine brown rice, a side of greens of your choice, a runny sous vide egg and the main highlight: salmon. It’s prepared in a couple of ways like the signature mentaiko ($9.50) and the tom yum salmon bowl ($9.50).

DON’T MISS The rich mentaiko salmon bowl always hits the spot. A thick layer of rich and mildly spicy ebiko (shrimp roe) cream is slathered over the salmon before it is scorched with a blowtorch. What you get in the end is a smoky and salty flavour that blends well with avocado and cherry tomatoes. Looking forward to trying a bowl? Start queuing early as the bowls often sell out quickly.

For prawn noodles, reinvented

A classic bowl of prawn noodles satisfies any comfort food craving but for Alan Choong that wasn’t enough. His stall Prawnaholic in Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre elevates the local dish with the addition of some tasty treats.

DON’T MISS The signature dry prawn noodles (starting from $6.50) resembles a work of art. Meticulously arranged, a bowl features springy noodles topped with a runny sous-vide egg, two giant king prawns, chef Alan’s homemade prawn balls and the best part: scorched Kurobuta pork belly.

For Michelin-worthy grilled meats

One-Michelin-starred modern Australian barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends in Keong Saik is a fine establishment to visit if your budget allows. But on days when living large is not feasible, Meatsmith Western BBQ at the recently revamped Makansutra Gluttons Bay is a great alternative. The man behind this venture is none other than chef Dave Pynt of Burnt Ends. Adapting his skills to the hawker setting – he even built an on-site hardwood brick oven – he hawks grilled meat dishes from just $4. The menu is kept light but it covers quite a spectrum. If you love your usual Burnt Ends fare, the smoked char siew ribs with garlic rice and pickled cucumber ($10) is a must- try. It’s marinated in char siew sauce and grilled thoroughly in the wood oven. The result? A bold tasting chunky slab of ribs complimented with slices of refreshing cucumber.

DON’T MISS The grilled chicken chop with salted egg yolk ($9) is a crowd favourite. While it might not be as meaty and robust as the ribs, the smokiness of the grilled chicken surprises. Drenched in a rich crowd pleasing salted egg yolk sauce and served with garlic rice and a salad, it’s an all-round winner.

For third-generation hawker fare

In the heart of Chinatown, hawkers are hustling every day at Hong Lim Food Centre. Household name Tang Kay Kee Fish Head Bee Hoon has been at it since 1946, serving zi char fare – but only for dinner. Since lunch in the CBD is kind of a big deal, fourth-generation hawkers Debbie Yam and Kamen Tang (whose great grandfather was the original founder of the stall) decided to launch a modern zi char lunch bowl concept for busy CBD folks.

DON’T MISS Classics get an upgrade with Cai Po Fried Rice ($5.50), which is full of the good stuff like lup cheong (Chinese sausage), crab meat, salty preserved turnip and a gooey sous-vide egg. The stand out though, is the hor fun ($7), which is immediately distinguishable with its battered enoki mushrooms, tender pork slices and a sous-vide egg. With such affordable prices, it’s no wonder why the lunchtime queue at Tang Kay Kee is almost never ending.

For classic ban mian

When Kwan Yee Liang first thought of the concept for Kung Fu Noodles, he had zero experience in the hawker trade. Besides studying culinary skills in polytechnic, he didn’t even cook at home. Still, this didn’t stop the ex-bartender, financial consultant and watchmaker from opening his first stall selling ban mian at Bukit Merah Central Food Centre.

DON’T MISS There are only two options: soup ($4) or dry ($3.80) with springy noodles fashioned by hand.