Best 3 Hawker Recommendations at Tampines Round Market - 2022 edition
Located just off the PIE expressway and known for the unique round structure and early breakfast options, Tampines Round Market has played host to some of the best known eateries in the east.
Yam’s Signature
Unbeatable value for this dish considering the price paid and huge portions that could easily feed two.
Feng Xiang Bak Kut Teh
The star of the dish would have to be the thin sliced lady’s finger that soaked up all the porky goodness and provided a nice crunch to go with the dish. The frying process removed all the stickiness from the vegetable so it would appeal to those who do not like to eat lady’s finger.
The Nasi Lemak Plan
To differentiate their offerings, the stall serves their version of nasi lemak with butterfly pea flower rice which based on the signage at the stall provides a whole host of healthy benefits.
Changi Village Satay
With its numerous competitors selling the same fare, this stall has managed to stand out by serving unique satay meats like beef tripe, liver and lung and manages to attract a strong following. The support of their customers is made more intriguing as the prices at this stall is 20 cents more expensive than its neighbouring competitors.
Ho Guan Satay Bee Hoon
Satay bee hoon is one local cuisine that is getting harder and harder to come by. It could be the changing palates of the younger generation or that there is no future generations willing to take up the mantle to keep the recipe alive.
Ho Guan Satay Bee Hoon located at one of the corners of Changi Village Hawker Centre is one such remaining stalwarts.
Mommy Rendang
Feel the makcik love with the huge portions and friendly service
Canton Delicacies
The sauce traps all the goodness of the prawns in the steaming process and infuses the flavour into the tang hoon which in my opinion is probably the most enjoyable part of the dish. Packed with umami and absolutely slurp-some.
Da Dong Prawn Noodles
One cute thing to notice is right smack in the middle of the menu, a statement “We don’t do refill of soup” that might send grammar nazi’s into a frenzy. I do wonder why they could not provide a paid option for the soup refill instead of a flat “no” which gives a feeling akin to fine dining experiences where the ingredients have been carefully portioned and any imbalance would ruin the entire experience.
Wild Olives
I was first introduced to Wild Olives when it was located at Changi Airport Terminal 2 staff food court. This stall was like the ultimate hidden find and was my go to place for good quality western food at hawker prices. Thankfully when it relocated to the second floor of Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre, the food was still as affordable as before.
Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee
Between the two versions, I would say I prefer the one from Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee but only slightly. There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup for a night cap and to this both Xing Ji Rou Cou Mian and Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee delivers.
Pang Pang Wanton Noodle
Pang Pang Wanton Noodle opened at Tampines Hub Hawker Centre at the same stall where there used to be a hawker stall selling the exact same fare. Kudos for the determination of the new owners and as a show of support, I decided to give the stall a try.
Hakka Ampang Yong Tau Fu
This was the original location for the famous 928 Ampang Yong Tau Fu which had moved 2 doors down to 930 Upper Thomson Rd. It is no surprise that both stalls serve roughly the same fare so no prizes if you guessing if the stall owners are somehow related to its original founder.
Maxwell Hainanese Chicken Rice
Born from one of the best known chicken rice battlegrounds (Maxwell Food Centre) is Maxwell Hainanese Chicken Rice. While not as popular and well known as the famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall at the hawker centre, this stall managed to etch out their own market and steadily expand across the island till they finally opened at outlet here at Tampines Hub Hawker Centre.
Lee Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle
The first thing I noticed is the tremendous amount of ingredients given - to the point where I could barely see any noodles.
Soon Lee Heng Satay @ Bedok 511 Chicken Wing
The satay was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of char on the meat. I did feel that the meats were a little on the dry side and needed a little more fat on the meat or additional basting during cooking.
Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian
One unique thing about this hawker stall is that is open till the wee hours in the morning and hence a good place to go to sober up from a night of partying. There is nothing like a hot bowl of noodle soup for a night cap.
137 Curry Rice
Ordering economical rice with no prices on display is akin to sky diving without checking your parachute. Hence I took a major risk by ordering economical rice at 137 Curry Rice located at Tampines Round Market
Ming Ji Shu Shi
The black sauce was added to the carrot cake during the frying process which allowed the sugars to caramelise a little. I loved biting into those blackened caramelised bits. Yummy.
85 Big Prawn Noodles
85 Big Prawn Noodle was previously known as Loyang Way Big Prawn Noodle which was a popular prawn noodle stall located at the Loyang industrial area. There seems to be a story here but I prefer to let the food do the talking.