Here’s another tribute to the lion city where I’ve lived for 11 years. Now that travel is back to normal, tourists have been flocking Singapore again and while most of the things are crazy expensive here, it’s a wonder that there’s a lot great cheap eats (and I’ve appreciated it even more now that I no longer live in SG).

1- Char Kway Teow at The Joo Chiat Place

We found out about this place by accident — while on our way to our street photography in Joo Chiat. Char kway teow is a stir-fried rice noodle dish (and my favorite Chinese noodle dish because of its wok hei and sweet taste). This place sells kway teow only for S$4.50 (small) and $5.50 (large). I was never a fan of spicy food but this has to be ordered spicy for the perfect blend, oh and I’d top-up to have extra yummy Chinese sausage.

2 – Crab Meat & Tobiko Egg Fried Rice at King of Fried Rice

My cheat day meant I get to indulge in this yummy fried rice with generous serving of crab meat and egg topped with tobiko (S$10.50) at Bedok (206 Upper Changi Road). Pork Cutlet Egg Fried Rice is another must-try and cheaper alternative (S$8.50).

3 – Mee Pok at 735 Pasir Ris Street 72

Mee pok is another Chinese noodle dish that tastes really good because it consists of minced pork, stewed mushroom, fish ball, etc that’s usually served dry (also my 2nd fave noodle). We normally head to 735 Pasir Ris Street 72 after going to Sunday mass at Divine Mercy Church, which is just beside the hawker or whenever we’d cycle somewhere east. This place also sells delicious yet affordable French toast.

4 – Hainanese Chicken Rice at 248 Simei St.

Of course, hainanese chicken rice has got to be everyone’s favourite, both for the tourists and locals (I prefer the steamed rather than the roasted one). We’re lucky that we live near one of the best hawker places that serve mouthwatering chicken rice. This is at Hola Cafe – 248 Simei St, you wouldn’t miss it as there’s always a long queue. You don’t need to go to a fancy restaurant to try a local dish — hawker centers offer the most authentic food at very cheap price. Chicken rice costs only S$4.50 (used to be $3 for a long time but blame inflation for that 😆)

5 – Char Siu Rice at 248 Simei St.

Another favorite because of its sweet taste, char siu rice also costs only S$4.50 and is being sold at the same stall at at Hola Cafe – 248 Simei St. You might find it similar to the Filipino dish pork asado but I would think char siu is tastier because it’s roasted.

6 – Kopi Bun at Heavenly Wang

We all know that SG is famous for its kaya spread (caramelized sugar, coconut, egg and pandan) but this jam is best paired with kopi bun plus a slice of butter. I found myself spending most of my mornings at a nearby Heavenly Wang until we left the country. I would order a set (kopi bun and hot milo) for $5+.

7 – French Kaya Toast at Tong Ah Eating House

We only came to know about this place after having cocktails at Potato Head (hoping to feature this in another SG must-try blog because it’s on a different $ range), which was almost just in front. There was an old newspaper feature of Tong Ah Eating House just before the entrance and it piqued our interest. It was late afternoon so we just ordered light snack — French kaya toast (S$4) and it was the best! I like that it’s not too sweet yet very tasty especially the kaya spread.

Note: Tong Ah Eating House is situated in Keong Saik Road which is a good spot for street photography because of the colorful Peranakan houses. I call my photo below the old-meets-new vibe haha.

That’s it! I hope to find time to write for 2nd batch of cheap eats and another blog for best chili crab and ramen as they, unfortunately, aren’t cheap and would fall into a different category but definitely worth trying!