Oyster Omelette

There are two types of Oyster Omelettes. The Orh Jian or Orh Luak which is the type where a sticky starch is added to the eggs to make it sticky and crispy, and there is Orh Nerng which is omelette without the starch. The beauty of the Orh Luak is the fact that the starch adds a sticky and crisp contrast to the oyster. On the other hand, with the Orh Nerng, you get to enjoy the taste of the fluffy, tender eggs with the oysters which is also very shiok.

The flavour comes basically from eggs, oil, oyster and fish sauce and I feel a good oyster omelette should not even need to be bathed in chilli to taste good. But even if you prefer it with chilli, the chilli sauce here is well balanced and has the right amount of sourness to cut through the oil. The texture on the other hand is a bit more complex. There's got to be just the right balance of crispy starchy bits, crispy brown egg bits, chewy starchy bits and sticky starchy bits. And of course it is a given that the oysters must be fresh.

So, here are some stalls you should visit to try this delicious dish!

Tong Siew (Stall 26)

Their oyster omelette is a rather straightforward dish and is essentially a plain omelette that is topped with oysters which have been fried with a rather nice chilli paste. Not many places actually make them this way. Its not too oily, unlike the usual Orh Jian and is a nice little side dish to order at this hawker centre.

• Cambridge Road Food Centre
• Opening Hours: 12.30pm to 11.30pm, Closed on Tuesdays

Ah Chuan Oyster Omelette (A MUST VISIT)

This is the most satisfactory Oyster Omelette among all the stalls. The oysters are big, juicy and fresh and the texture of the dish is just perfect. It would be even better is if he fried it in pork lard!

• Toa Payoh Lor 7 Food Centre, Stall #01-25
• Opening Hours: 3pm to 8pm, closed on Tuesdays

Ah Hock Oyster Omelette

The owner is yet another Teochew Ah Hia who insists on using the best oysters from Korea, the best sweet potato flour from China, the best eggs from Swee Choon Egg farm in Choa Chu Kang, everything must be grade A. The only thing that he does not do himself is the lard, but he insists that he gets only the best ready  made lard available. This stall fries several styles of oyster omelette. You must try the Orh Neng (Oyster Egg) which is fried without the sweet potato flour. This one was amazingly more shiokadelicious than the Orh Luak! It is wetter then Orh Luak and the fried eggs soaking in the juice created by the oysters, chilli and lard is absolutely (and literally) to die for.

• Blk 90 Whampoa Dr #01-54, Whampoa Hawker Centre
• Opening Hours: 11am to 12am, Closed Wed

Simon Road Oyster Omelette

The thing that sets his Oyster Omelette apart from the others is his way of frying the sweet potato starch into a wafer like crisp. 

In order to get the potato starch to that level of crispiness, it needs to be fried for an extended time in hot oil. The way he does this is to tilt his flat pan so that the egg and starch mixture is slowing cooking in a pool of oil while he uses the other side of the pan to prepare individual portions and finish the dish. There is always a burst of flames during the cooking process. That is when he adds the oysters to the far side of the pan. The oyster juices mix with the oil, causing the oil to spatter and catch fire. This gives the oyster a really nice and smokey flavour!

• 965 Upper Serangoon Road, Mee Sek Coffeeshop
• Opening Hours: 4pm to 2am, Tuesday rest

Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak actually started out in wrapped banana leaves but expanded to be served Ala-carte. In those good old days (they have been around for 50 years), Nasi Lemak was simply rice, eggs, fried fish and the sambal. Now, many insists that it is sacrilegious to have Luncheon Meat or even fried Chicken Wings with it! There are many aspects that make a good Nasi Lemak. Firstly, the sambal belachan chilli. Secondly, the rice has to fragrant with the scent and taste of pandan leaves and not be too oily. Thirdly, the ingredients have to be nice and able to complement the dish. Here are some stalls worth visiting!

Punggol Nasi Lemak

The quality of the rice is very good. They use Thai AAA Hom Mali (ie Jasmine) rice which has a good toothy bite and whose fragrance is accentuated by coconut and pandan. The sweet sambal tumis balances very well with the rice and is not overly spicy. You can see the consistency of the stall by looking at how they have done the eggs. Each one is individually fried and the yolk is runny with just the edges just browned.However, the chicken wings could be a little tastier. With the high turnover, they are very fresh, crisp and juicy but they can be spiced up a little with tumeric so that they are more like Nasi Lemak Chicken Wings rather than Chap Chye Png (economical rice stalls)Chicken Wings.

• 965 Upper Serangoon Road Singapore 534721
• Opening hours: 5.30pm to 3.30am, Closed Thursdays

Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak

The rice and chilli here is a powerful combination. The freshly cooked rice has the wonderful coconut fragrance coupled with the soft moist texture of fragrant Thai rice is almost perfect. One thing to note is that this is NOT traditional Nasi Lemak. The traditional version uses broken local rice which is dry and very light with little bite. You probably have had this at some Nasi Lemak stalls in Singapore. Cooking the Nasi Lemak with Jasmine rice is much better as it retains the moisture much better. The chicken wings are fresh but not particularly spectacular.

•  Blk 221B, Boon Lay Place #01-106 Boon Lay Place Food Centre
• Opening hours: 5pm to 2am daily

Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

This is a MUST GO TO stall. Their Nasi Lemak ia made with Basmati Rice! The Basmati Rice gives it a lighter texture, better flavour and the grains are beautifully separated. It is better for Diabetics too since it has got a lower glycaemic index (it does not cause the sugar levels to raise as quickly as jasmine rice). The Sambal Tumis is equally shiok and you should not miss the Sambal Cuttlefish which they offer as an optional side dish.

• No 2 Adam Road Food Centre
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 7am to 10pm

Chong Pang Nasi Lemak

The rice at Chong Pang is the more traditional starchy rice which is lighter and doesn't clump together as much as Jasmine Rice which Ponggol uses. The traditionalist would favour this style of Nasi Lemak rice. It isn't heavy on the coconut milk, so it is very light. The chilli here is brighter and more tangy than the Ponggol which is sweeter and heavier to the palate.

What Chong Pang does really well are the Chicken Wings and the fried Ikan Kuning. The wings are lightly battered and marinated so well that you are rewarded with a crunchy, juicy bite filled with that elusive "Chickeny" flavour you get from perfectly fried chicken. The Ikan Kuning is first lightly coated with batter and fried till the bones are edibly crunchy such that you can just about finish the whole fish.

• 447 Sembawang Road Singapore 758458
• Opening Hours: 5pm - 7am daily

Fishball Noodles

Available in soup or dry versions, fishball noodles is a much-loved local dish that’s enjoyed anytime of the day. The dry-tossed version is especially tricky to master, as it relies on a careful blend of sambal and condiments, as well as skill in cooking the noodles. There are various varieties of fishballs in the region. In Singapore, the most well-known is the Teochew version. Generally, fishballs are made from raw fish flesh that’s been finely minced and beaten to an airy, bouncy texture. The fish paste is shaped into balls, then boiled or fried. It is increasingly hard to find own-made fishballs as more variations cooked by different chefs has emerged over the decades. Thus, we decided to compile a list of famous fishball noodles in Singapore you should try!

Li Xin Chao Zhou Fishball Noodle

Made with yellowtail fish, Li Xin’s handmade fishballs were close to perfection. Ignore the pockmarked appearance, because taste is what really matters. The large orbs of fish paste tasted supremely fresh, with an intensely sweet flavour of fish. They had an airy and juicy texture, and struck a fine balance between soft and bouncy. The soup was delightfully clear and refreshing.

We also enjoyed the dry-tossed noodles, which complemented the fishballs well. The sauce was ketchup-based, with a lovely balance of sweet and spicy flavours. Some of us felt the sauce could have been more fragrant, with a stronger dash of vinegar to cut through the heaviness. But on the whole, the sauce was very likeable.

Prices here are comparatively steeper, due to its upmarket location, ambience, and bone china tableware. To be fair, for the price difference, you get to dine in cool comfort and with elegant chinaware. In addition, portions are larger than hawker servings.

• Price: $5.00
• 2 Orchard Turn, Food Opera, B4 of ION Orchard
• Opening hours: Sun-Thu: 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat: 10am-11pm

Xin Lu Fishball Noodles

Xin Lu also makes their fishballs fresh on the premises. The fishballs here—nearly as big as golf balls—were a pristine snow-white hue. The texture was very smooth, with a tight and springy bite. We also enjoyed the soup immensely. It was very clear and light, with a pleasant, natural sweetness.

For the dry version, the noodles had a good al dente texture. Fried shallots gave a lovely fragrance and crunch, but the spicy-savoury sauce was a bit too subtle. The noodles were also a bit too dry.

• Price: from $2.50
• Blk 159 Mei Chin Road, #02-05 Meiling Market & Food Centre
• Opening hours: 5.45am-3pm, closed on Mon

Hui Ji Fish Ball Noodle Yong Tau Fu

What really stood out here was the dry-tossed noodles. Cooked to the soft side of al dente, the noodles were tossed in a magical mix of chilli, vinegar, shallot oil, crispy lard cubes and fried hae bee (dried shrimp). They tasted tingly, sweet, and piquant all at once. What a multi-sensory symphony of flavours and textures!

The fishballs here were made by hand. These tiny balls looked very rustic with their irregular shape. While they tasted pleasant, we thought the texture was a bit too rough. They were also too small and could have been more succulent.

Toppings here were on the generous side. Besides fishballs, there were fishcake slices, fish dumpling, and fresh pork slices.

• Price: from $2.00
• 30 Seng Poh Road, #02-44 Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre
• Opening hours: 7am-2pm, closed on Wed

132 Mee Pok Kway Teow

The default version here comes with other toppings like pork and prawn in addition to fishball and fishcake. For fishball noodle purists, you could choose to have just fishballs. But the mixed toppings version is highly recommended.

We weren’t very impressed with the fishballs. Although they were freshly cooked, they had a processed quality and a slight floury texture. Hence, the mixed toppings version was more satisfying. The accompanying soup had great complexity and depth of flavour.

The noodles deserve special mention. They used a variety that was curlier and more translucent than the usual type. Lovely! While the chilli version was alluringly smoky, it was too spicy. Other flavours should have been added to balance out the heat.

• Price: from $3.00
• Blk 59 Marine Terrace #01-05, MP 59 Food House
• Opening hours: 7am-3.30pm; closed on Mon and 1st & 3rd Sun of the month

Song Kee Fishball Noodles

Needless to say the fishballs here are very very good. It has got the right balance of bounce and taste that you don't get with commercially produced fishballs. The additives and fillers they use in the commercial ones often means sacrificing taste for a more bouncy texture. Aside from the fishball, they have a limited stash of Her Giao (Fish dumplings) which they also make themselves.  

The noodles here are not for those who are eating fishball noodles because it is a healthier alternative. They are very generous with the lard and fried shallots here so the noodles can hardly be considered a light meal. I like the chilli here as it is wonderfully shiok as they add Buah Keluak to it. It might not be for those who crave for the pain and subsequent release of endorphins that is produced by really hot chilli paste, but for me it was excellent, although it does get a bit jialak (too oily) at the end.

• Toa Payoh Lor 5 Blk 75 Food Centre #01-354
• 10.30am to 12midnight, Closed Alt Wed