Ghim Moh Carrot Cake @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

There are two fried carrot cake stalls at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre and I am undecided which one to patronize. Reading up reviews online at home pushed me into deeper dilemma as both have their fair share of supporters. 

Even on the day of my visit, I am still mulling over it. It was only when I reached there at the food centre that I made up my mind to have Ghim Moh Carrot Cake instead of Hock Soon Carrot Cake.

Reason? I went to the one with the longest queue.

This stall sells both the white and black carrot cake for $2.50, $3, $4 and $5. Now here comes another problem: black or white?

When it reached my turn to order, I queried whether they serve the yuan yang, which is a combo of both the white and black carrot cake on the same plate. To my delight, they said yes. 

Problem solved for $4.

Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck Rice @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Chuan Kee specializes in braised duck meat and is one of the more popular stalls at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. It was included in the Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.

Not that the inclusion in the list matters (not to me anyway) because with or without it, Chuan Kee have no lack of customers coming for their signature braised duck. The French tyre simply caused frustration in people who have to cope with the queue they created.

You can have the braised duck with either rice, noodle or porridge in three sizes ($3/$4/$5).

I was actually hesitating whether to give them a try. I mean, I do like braised duck rice but I prefer having it with white rice and a non starchy sauce like what Cai Ji and Ah Xiao are serving.

Despite Chuan Kee serving their braised duck with a dark colored looking rice and starchy sauce which is not really what I like, I still decide to go ahead and ordered for myself the $4 braised duck rice set.

Heavens Appam @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Heavens is the name of an Indian breakfast stall serving a very limited menu of thosai, putu mayam and appam at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre.

What piqued my interest is their unusual name. Why Heavens? Indian food stalls are normally named after the registered owner's name, the kind of food they sell or based on its location.

Of course, I do not speak collectively for all but just sharing my own personal experience with the ones that I have come across with.

Besides, such establishments are usually dominated by a male working environment hence my surprise to discover this stall managed wholly by two ladies.

Furthermore, if you have not already noticed by now that roti prata - quintessentially the representative Indian breakfast choice for many - is not on the menu.

But, roti prata is not why I am here for. What I am really after is their appam which I have not eaten before.

Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Mention Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre and Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh is bound to come to mind.

Sixty years into the business, Mr Lee began helping his mother peddle chwee kueh from a push cart outside Alexandra Hospital in 1959.

Now, a permanent fixture at the food centre since its opening in the 1970s, he and his wife has been selling chwee kueh to a faithful following with a sixty year old recipe that was passed down by his mother.

Prawn Village @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Update: Prawn Village has permanently closed.

I have been meaning to visit Prawn Village when they were at Golden Mile Food Centre but procrastination has gotten the better of me and before I knew it, they had relocated to Ghim Moh Food Centre.

Well, not that it is a bad thing since Ghim Moh is actually much nearer for me. However, they have recently switched their operating hours from 9am - 5pm to 4pm - 9pm instead which makes it harder for me to have a bowl since I usually have dinner at home.

As fate would have it, I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon and there is a direct bus that goes to Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. By the time I arrived at the food centre, it was almost opening time. So, it was kind of like the stars aligned for me to finally have a bowl!

The last time I came to Ghim Moh Food Centre must have been at least fifteen years ago. When I reached there, I am surprised to find the food centre deserted and void of people. I asked a passing cleaner why is this so and he explains that the majority of stalls here closes for the day after the office lunch crowd has subside with only a handful remaining opened for dinner service.

Weng Kiang Kee's Triple Egg Porridge @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Weng Kiang Kee Porridge is just next door to Fatty Ox at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre. I have been to Fatty Ox a couple of times but I have not noticed Weng Kiang Kee Porridge there before.

There were a couple of customers sitting around in front of the stall, waiting for their orders thus I decided to join them to see what the hype was all about.

The stall adopts an electronic queue system. When an order is placed, you will be given a number tag which you have to wait for the corresponding number to flash on the screen in order to collect your porridge. 

Babas Peranakan - Peranakan Chap Chye Png @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Babas Peranakan has permanently closed.

Economical rice, or more commonly known as chap chye png (mixed rice) is no stranger to most of us here. But have you heard of one that specializes in Peranakan dishes?

Today, I am going to introduce Babas Peranakan - a Peranakan food stall located in Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

Peranakan cuisine are usually found in restaurants but to have one in a food centre is hard to come by.

Some of the dishes I saw on display included vegetable curry, chicken curry, assam fish, fried mackerel steak, otah and fried long beans among others.

The variety of dishes is quite limited compared to a regular chap chye png stall but that is only because one person is cooking in this space constrained kitchen. However, you can be assured of the consistency and quality of the food delivered.

I ordered a plate of rice and picked chicken curry, bitter gourd yong tau fu and chap chye. I also asked for curry sauce to be splashed over the rice. The bill came up to $5.

Happies Bak Kut Teh By DFTBA Kitchen - Hawkepreneur With A Heart @ Chinatown Complex market & Food Centre

Update: Happies Bak Kut Teh has permanently closed.

While waiting in line for my porridge and fried bee hoon from Chang Ji Gourmet, the Doraemon decal on the shutters of Happies Bak Kut Teh caught my eyes.

After some googling, I found out that the stall owner Connie Chan, is a fan of this anime character. If you check out their Instagram account, they occasionally have Doraemon's merchandise available for sale.

I myself is a fan of the robotic cat from the future hence my particular interest in this bak kut teh stall at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

Tian Tian Porridge @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Update: Tian Tian Porridge has permanently closed.

After having my chee cheong fun at Duo Ji, I walked past Tian Tian Porridge which is managed by a couple of old folks. I find myself unable to walk away without having a bowl because I have the tendency to patronize a stall if the stall owner is an elderly. It does not matter if the food is good or not as my main reason is to support them.

As its name implies, Tian Tian Porridge serves porridge and they only have two options available so you can have either fish or pork.

I ordered a $4 bowl of pork porridge and the auntie told me to take a seat. I sat at the table nearest to the stall so she did not have to walk too far to deliver my order. I collected my bowl and moved to another table out of sight from the stall to take my photos in peace as I feel stressed out with people watching me taking photos of my food.

The perks of visiting the food centre early is that there is virtually no crowd at all.

Duo Ji Famous Chee Cheong Fun @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

This is actually an accidental find.

I was walking through the food centre when I stumble across this particular section where all the stalls have yet to open except this one.

It was quite early then, around 7am. The place was dark and the only lights available came from this stall. There were no customers so I walked up to see what they have to offer. Apparently, they sell chee cheong fun (rice rolls) and yam cake ($1.50/$2/$3).

Perhaps, it is a psychological thing; the morning was chilly and having piping hot chee cheong fun that is freshly out from the steamers seemed like the ideal thing to do. I decided to order a $2 plate to try. 

Fei Ye Ye Food Tradition - Soy Sauce Chicken Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre have no lack of stalls offering soy sauce chicken. Other than Fatty Ox and Liao Fan (Hawker Chan), Fei Ye Ye Food Tradition is another stall here that specialize in soy sauce chicken ($7.50/half, $14/whole).

Apart from soy sauce chicken noodle, they also serve wanton noodle, wanton soup, sui kow (dumpling) noodle, sui kow soup and chicken feet noodle.

Almost every lunar new year, I would head to Fei Ye Ye for their jellyfish yee sang however, I have yet to give their noodles a try. Well, not even once.

Come to think of it, I wonder why?

Since I am currently on a food trail at this food centre, I thought why not take the opportunity to try all the soy sauce chickens here?

Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Melvin Chew, second generation owner of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap took over reins of the 36 years old business from his father after the elder Chew's demise a few years ago. He now runs the stall with his mother.

Unlike other conventional lor ark (braised duck) stalls which serves either rice or kway chap, Melvin went one step further by injecting Japanese influences into this traditional Teochew dish. Think bento and ramen with lor ark.

Jin Ji does serve their braised ducks the traditional way for the purists, of course, but the new offerings will appeal to the millennials. After all, they are quite Instagram-worthy. 

Tai Wah Cooked Food - Pandan "Butterfly" Bun @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Tai Wah Cooked Food at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre sells traditional Chinese fried fritters like the youtiao (Chinese cruller), ham chim peng (salted five-spice buns), green bean bun, red bean bun and, the specialty of their stall, the butterfly bun.

I enjoy their fritters as they are hand-made at the stall daily and fried on the spot so it is always fresh and piping hot.

My favorite among all is the butterfly bun but not just any butterfly bun, mind you. Theirs is really unique because it is pandan-flavored. So far, this is the only stall I know that does it this way. 

Fatty Ox HK Kitchen - Beef Brisket Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

I am not much of a beef person thus, there are some beef dishes that I have not eaten before. Among them, I am particularly curious about the ngau lam (beef brisket).

I heard that the ngau lam at Fatty Ox is one of the best there is in Singapore. Since I am already checking out Fatty Ox for their soy sauce chicken, why not give their ngau lam a try?

That is why, I decided to order a plate of ngau lam with noodle ($4).

I also hear their sui kow (shrimp dumplings) are pretty solid so, I asked to add a couple in as well.

My ngau lam noodle with two pieces of sui kow came up to $5.50.

As this is my first time having ngau lam noodle, I do not know what to expect. In fact, I do not even know which part of the cow ngau lam is!

Fatty Ox HK Kitchen - Soy Sauce Chicken Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Soy sauce chicken are a dime a dozen at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre. At last count, there are at least five such stalls here within this complex and that's not including the lesser known ones.

The most famous one of them all - Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle - is the world's first hawker to be awarded one Michelin star. I was a fan of theirs prior their award days but ever since then, I can only shake my head in disappointment at the outrageous queue.

That is when I decided to seek out the other soy sauce chicken located within the food centre.

Cue Fatty Ox HK Kitchen.

The chef, Mr Cheung, is a Hong Konger who moved to Singapore during the 1980s. In 1986, he started his first stall inside a coffee shop at Pagoda Street. Then, in 1991, he moved to Murray Street and operated there for 16 years. Subsequently, he moved to a coffee shop at North Bridge Road for about two years before settling down at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre.

Maxwell Haha Mee Siam Mee Rebus @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Reviewing this stall is not part of the plan.

I was actually there at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre for Fatty Ox HK Kitchen's soya sauce chicken noodle but I have forgotten that they are closed on Mondays.

Not wanting to make a wasted trip, I went to the next stall on my list, Tai Wah Cooked Food for their Pandan-flavored "butterfly" but they, too were not opened.

Then, I remembered about this mee siam stall at the row behind Chang Ji Gourmet when I was there to review them. I was actually sitting at the table outside this stall because I wanted to make use of the lights coming from their stall to take photos of the fried bee hoon and peanut porridge.

The stall in question is called Maxwell Haha Mee Siam Mee Rebus and you can probably tell where they were previously located and what they sell. The stall is wholly Chinese owned, selling Chinese-styled mee siam and mee rebus.

Chang Ji Gourmet - $1.20 Porridge & Fried Bee Hoon @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Chang Ji Gourmet at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre has a very simple menu with just three items: fried bee hoon, fried noodle and peanut porridge.

I have not eaten at this stall before but I did walk past it many times and I am intrigued by its long, snaking queue.

Chang Ji offers a simple, no-frills breakfast at just $1 per serving. Their fried bee hoon and fried noodle come with just bean sprouts and nothing else. They do not even have additional sides that you can add on to your meal so why are they such a hit with customers?

I decided to join the queue on a Saturday morning to find out why.

Woo Ji Cooked Food - $2 Laksa & Prawn Noodle @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

The food centre at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre is like a labyrinth filled with surprises at every turn. I am excited to learn of a stall here that sell laksa and prawn noodle for a mere $2!

The only catch is, you have to come very early for a bowl as they are opened from 6am till they closes at 10am. Yes, only four hours! Very short operating hours I know!

But, what is one to do if you want to have a bowl? Well, you jolly wake up and leave the house when the skies is still dark which is what I did!

There is already a snaking line when I reached the stall Woo Ji Cooked Food at 7am. I cannot decide whether to have laksa or prawn noodle so I ordered both!

Jia Ji Mei Shi @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

After an intensive three-months renovations, Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre has finally reopened much to the relief of the stall owners (no income for three months!) and the nearby office workers who had to venture further for their lunches.

Honestly, I do not see any difference with the newly renovated food centre. Illumination within is still as bad as before, throwing people into a dreary mood. Furthermore, seemingly cleaned tables still have stains on them, suggesting half-hearted jobs from the cleaning crew.

The only evident thing I see are the nets put up to keep out the birds.

The very first stall that I cannot wait to revisit is Jia Ji Mei Shi which serves all-day breakfast like chee cheong fun (rice rolls), orh kueh (yam cake), porridge, fried bee hoon and rice dumplings, etc.

This particular stall is one of the more popular ones hence a perpetual queue is to be expected although it is not as terrible as Liao Fan's (Hawker Chan) which is just perpendicular in front to their stall.

Leong Wei Roasted Delights - $2 Char Siew Rice @ Holland Drive Market & Food Centre

To be honest, I was drawn to Leong Wei Roasted Delights by its low price. Their char siew rice, roasted pork rice and roasted chicken rice starts from $2. In this economy when everyone is struggling to cope amid rising costs, such affordability is truly a god send.

Kudos to the stall owners for keeping prices affordable to the lower income group.

I guess I am not the only one to feel the crunch; thirty minutes before the stall is due to open at 11.30am, a snaking queue made up mainly of retirees, has already formed.