11 best food stalls at Tanglin Halt Market for a feast
For this food guide, I ventured to one of Singapore's oldest heritage sites: the old Tanglin Halt Market. Housed in the former Tanglin Halt Neighbourhood Centre in the Queenstown district and accessible within a few minutes walk from Commonwealth MRT, it functions as a cooked food centre for many residents to this day.
Many pioneer business founders have built their lives in the 1960s building, and several are still active despite it being decades since they started. A large segment of the regulars consists of seniors, though younger faces, especially locals, still drop by occasionally.
I believe it's time to give this long-standing hawker centre some well-deserved appreciation. Here are 11 good food stalls you can visit in Tanglin Halt Market for a heritage feast!
Trying to catch the famous Tanglin Halt Original Peanut Pancake given my schedule was a little tricky, but I did it! This Singapore Best Foods-rated stall has been in operation since 1965 and opens as early as 3.30am in the wee hours for business.
It sells a variety of min jiang kueh, which are so popular that most options sell out before 10am. The Peanut Pancake (S$1) was nothing short of sugary sweet and nutty, and the pancake was rather chewy. Soft and sticky, the pancake picked up the crunchiness and flavour of the chopped peanuts and sugar which overflowed from its sides.
Besides Peanut, flavours like Black Sesame Peanut (S$1.50), Yam Paste (S$1.50) and even Leaf Green Bean Paste (S$1.20) are offered – come early and grab them before they run out!
Tue, Thu, Sat & Sun: 3.30am – 11.30am Closed on Mon, Wed & Fri
If you're down for bak chor mee, check out Lao Cai Shi Minced Meat Noodles. It's a popular stall, especially during lunch hours, that serves savoury minced meat noodle dishes.
The Signature Teochew Noodle (S$5/S$6) comes in Dry and Soup versions and is more ingredient-heavy for a hearty meal. It contains fishcake, fishballs, minced meat, mushrooms, prawns and fish dumplings, which create an umami-rich combination to help you fuel your day.
Besides that, you can also order Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle (S$4/S$5) or Sliced Abalone Noodle (S$4/S$5) and choose from noodle options like. It all depends on your liking.
Mon to Sat: 5am – 1.30pm Closed on Sun
Visiting Ban Seng Roasted Meat Supplier was not initially at the front of my mind, but things changed after I caught sight of a fellow diner munching away at a hearty plate of Roasted Duck Noodles (S$4). It serves plenty of roast meat rice and noodle dishes, with selections ranging from steamed chicken to roast pork.
The rich and juicy barbecued honeyed pork of the Rice (S$3) was delicious, and the amount offered was pretty substantial. I was also offered a thicker cut and a bowl of Preserved Veg Soup for an additional S$2, which I accepted. The soup itself was surprisingly not salty but contained the deep flavours of the meat scraps and preserved vegetables.
Order Delivery: foodpanda Sun to Fri: 7am – 3pm & 5pm – 7pm Closed on Sat
Jiu Ye is the best place to fulfil your steamed rice noodle roll cravings here at Tanglin Halt Market. The couple-run stall serves several Hong Kong-style chee cheong fun dishes with fillings such as Turnip (S$3.70), (S$3.50) and Veg & Egg (S$3) . Porridge dishes like Sliced Fish & Cuttlefish (S$4.70) and Century Egg Meatball Porridge (S$3.50) are also available, and there's an option to top up your chee cheong fun selections with Porridge (S$1.30) as well.
In my opinion, the Fresh Prawn (S$3.70) would've been way better if the 4 prawns had been chopped and distributed more evenly across the rice roll. Regardless, it was tasty paired with the savoury-sweet sauce, and the prawns were nice and fresh.
Tue to Sun: 6am – 10am Closed on Mon
Are you looking for dim sum? Look no further than Han Lim Dim Sum. Run by a lovely couple, it offers a selection of pau, chwee kueh and more at decent prices.
Their contains no pork or lard, and the prices range from S$1.40 for 3 pieces, to S$4 for 10 pieces. Customers have pointed out that it has a firmer texture due to less water in the batter and is served with savoury chye poh. For something more substantial, Han Lim also sells traditional (rice dumplings) at S$4.20 each.
Pau flavours available include the meaty Big (S$1.80) and Yam (S$1). I selected(S$0.90), which was fluffy and filled with sweet red bean paste.
Daily: 6am – 1pm
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Ah Luck Bean Curd is said to have been in Tanglin Halt for over 60 years as a food cart, even prior to the market's establishment. While its menu must have been a lot simpler back in the day, this dessert stall's now modern signboard displays over 55 dessert and drink options.
Most customers come for the tian pin like Ah Luck's ever-popular Beancurd (S$1.80/S$2) which comes in hot and cold options. Contemporary options include Mango Pomelo Sago (S$4.70) and drinks such as Matcha Milk Tea (S$3.50/S$4.50) and the beautiful blue Butterfly Pea Flower w Jelly (S$2.50). Still, it'd also be nice to return to classics like Red Bean Soup (S$1.80) and Soya Bean w/ Grass Jelly (S$1.90).
Daily: 11am – 9.30pm
Another of the more well-known stalls residing in the Market would be Wei Yi Laksa & Prawn Noodle. The queue at the stall speaks for itself – there's always a high demand for the (S$5, S$6, S$8) and Prawn Noodle (S$4, S$5, S$8).
The Laksa comes in variations with generous amounts of ingredients such as Chicken, Prawns, Cockles and Fried Bean Curd. To get the most out of your dollar, go with Option 5 which includes all of the above for S$6/S$8. Meanwhile, the Prawn Noodles come in 2 choices: Option 8 with Prawns and Fish Cake, and 9 with All Prawns.
Make sure you come early to queue for this crowd-favourite stall; it opens at 5.30am only 4 days a week.
+65 9782 1012 Tue: 5.30am – 12pm Wed & Sat: 5.30am -12:30 pm Sun: 5.30am – 11 am Closed on Mon, Thu & Fri
More than 6 decades old, Tanglin Halt Delicious Duck Noodles has humble origins as a roadside hawker selling Braised duck noodles along the Singapore River. The stall is still standing strong since its establishment in 1969, though its owners Mr and Mrs Chua are now rather elderly.
Most customers go for the Duck Noodle w/ Gizzard (S$4/S$5/S$6/S$8) or the Duck Meat Noodle (S$5/S$6/S$8). However, the stall does sell just Gizzards, Duck Tongue and Duck Feet from S$3 as well. The ducks are simmered for 3 hours with duck bones and herbs, so it's no wonder that the ingredients and soup taste so flavourful.
+65 9782 9210 Tue, Thu & Sat: 5am – 2pm Closed on Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun
If you're looking for halal-certified chicken rice, do check out Edmond Chicken Rice, one of the 4 chicken rice stalls in the Market. The founder, Edmond, skipped school when he was 16 to perfect his craft under the guidance of a chicken rice uncle working under his block and opened his first stall around 2009.
Edmond's Chicken Rice (S$4.50, Set for S$6.50) is available in Roast or Steam chicken depending on your preference. For specific cuts of chicken other than breast meat, go for Drum Stick Rice (S$5) or Double Wing Rice (S$5).
There's also Chicken Noodles (S$4) and Chicken Porridge (S$4) for those feeling something different, or Oyster Sauce Vegetable (S$4.50) for a veggie top-up.
Order Delivery: Deliveroo +65 9834 2842 Mon to Thu & Sat: 9.30am – 5pm Fri: 9.30am – 12am Closed on Sun |
C 餐 (directly translated to 'meal') Fried Chicken appears to be the only stall selling Western food in Tanglin Halt Market. The meat for each dish is fried to order and takes around 10 minutes of waiting time. That's according to a notice taped on the glass, though there were already a few deep-fried chickens on display when I passed by and took a peek.
Reviews have praised the pasta and rice dishes like the Chicken Wing Spaghetti (S$6.50) and Western Fried Rice + Half Fried Chicken (S$7.50). Other than the crispy chicken, the tomato spaghetti studded with carrots, onion and cheese and the fragrant fried rice have won the hearts of customers.
Fried chicken isn't all that the stall serves— it does have options like Western Fried Rice + Grilled Chicken Chop (S$7.50) and Fish Fillet Spaghetti (S$9). Or, if all you want is a nibble, the Fried Chicken Wings cost S$1.60 per piece.
Order Delivery: foodpanda Daily: 10am – 7.30pm
A friendly and hardworking foreign lady runs Hao Zai Lai Ban Mian Fish Soup, a relatively new cooked food stall in Tanglin Halt Market. She mans the stall almost daily but briefly mentioned the possibility of her returning home soon.
There are plenty of options to choose from here, all of which are fairly affordable. The lowest-priced options are Peanut Porridge, Century Egg Porridge and Minced Meat Porridge at S$3.50. Meanwhile, the priciest one would be /Seafood Soup or Noodles at S$6.
For something simple, try the Sliced Fish Soup w/ Lettuce or Bitter Gourd (S$5). If you're craving something with pork, go for the (S$5), which came with minced meat and cucumber shreds.
Sun to Fri: 6am – 8pm Closed on Sat
11 best stalls at Yuhua Village Market & Food Centre with food so good you'll bring your village
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