Nowadays, you don’t see many places like Bendemeer Market and Food Centre, where you can find both a hawker centre and a wet market under the same roof. A short walk from Boon Keng MRT (Surprise! It’s not Bendemeer MRT, lol.), I was excited to explore this space situated on the city’s edge.
Next to the bakeries, fruit stalls and household necessity shops lining the sheltered area was the bustling hawker centre. Packed with rows upon rows of stalls advertising all sorts of goodies, I was nearly lost in this foodie haven.
I made it out alive and full — though I can’t say the same for my wallet — so let me show you 11 of the best eats at Bendemeer Market and Food Centre!
1. Indonesia Cuisine (#01-15)
There’s nothing as good as a cooked food stall when your stomach is about to shrivel up from hunger. Dished up minutes after your order, Indonesia Cuisine’s trays of meats and vegetables are the promise of good food to come.
The Lontong (S$3.80) is the sort of dish that you start thinking about 30 minutes before lunch break. I’m definitely not saying this because I’m craving it at 11.30am. Nope, not at all.
The lontong sayur is packed with thick slices of rice cakes, a hard-boiled egg, tofu and assorted veggies. The sayur lodeh itself? Perfection. The creamy coconut milk gives the curry a velvety texture, and it’s slight sweetness balances the seasonings.
Daily: 7am – 3pm
2. Yit Lim Hong Kong Soy Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle (#01-73)
My eyes were glued to the snaking queue in front of Yit Lim Hong Kong Soy Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle. From 10am, the line only lengthened despite the fast service.
True to their name, most of the dishes here revolve around their signature soy sauce chicken. The Soy Sauce Chicken Noodle (S$4 for Regular, S$5 for Large) features the silky chicken atop noodles and kai lan.
The whole plate is drizzled generously with their special sauce for a savoury slurp. A clear broth comes with the dish, a palate cleanser that washes down the richness of the chicken.
Mon to Sat: 6am – 2pm
Closed on Sun
3. Xin Xin Yong Tau Foo (#01-48)
Xin Xin Yong Tau Foo is the stall for all things fish cake. Not only do they have — drum rolls please — yong tau foo, they also have a variety of soups and noodle dishes that take the edge off a rainy day.
You can’t go wrong with a bowl of the classics. The Yong Tau Foo Soup (S$5 for Regular, S$6 for Large) is everything you want to cuddle up with on a cold day. It’s packed with 8 to 9 pieces of yong tau foo and a lightly salted broth that absorbed the fish paste’s umami.
To switch things up, there’s the Yong Tau Foo Laksa (S$5 for Regular, S$6 for Large) or the Tom Yam Fried Fish Soup (S$5 for Regular, S$6 for Large). I recommend getting your choice of noodles for the former and rice for the latter. These S$0.50 add-ons soak up the broth perfectly to mellow out the salt and spice.
Daily: 8am – 8pm
4. Generation Coffee Roasters (#01-88)
Not every drink stall grinds its own coffee beans, but Generation Coffee Roasters sure do. With a dream to spread speciality coffee to kopi drinkers, they include both types of coffee in their menu.
While their speciality coffees are more expensive than their kopi counterparts, these cups still cost less than a cafe trip in town. I didn’t think there’d be a day when I would see latte art in a hawker centre, but I was wrong!
For a mix of modern and traditional, grab a steaming cup of Kopi O (S$1.80 Hot, S$2.30 Iced) and a Cappuccino (S$3.90 Hot) topped with silky frothed milk. If roasted bean juice isn’t your thing, they’ve also got Thai Milk Tea (S$2.10 Hot, S$2.60 Iced) and Matcha Lattes (S$3.80 Hot, S$4.30 Iced).
For a list of locations, opening hours and phone numbers, please click here
Daily: 7am – 10.30am, 11.15 am – 3 pm
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5. One Ton Mee (#01-09)
Offering Sarawak kolo mee and wanton noodles is One Ton Mee’s speciality. You know that a stall has a tried and trusted recipe when there’s only one version of each dish.
The Sarawak Kolo Mee (S$5.50) features egg noodles springier than those often found in wanton mee. This dry noodle dish is topped with a generous amount of char siew and minced pork for a super satiating bite.
Served with a bowl of wantons in soup and pickled green chillies, this dish is a mix of textures that dance on your tongue.
Tue to Thu, Sat & Sun: 6am – 2.30pm
Closed on Mon & Fri
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6. Hwa Heng Beef Noodle (#01-86)
Maintaining a 4.5-star rating with 320 reviews is Hwa Heng Beef Noodle. Not to be confused with Jalan Besar’s stall of the same name, though!
Hwa Heng Beef Noodle features broths thickened with starch for a super gao coating on the noodles. Their Beef Noodles (S$5.50) come in either dry or soup versions, the latter slathered in that rich, almost lor mee-style sauce.
Paired with crunchy tau gey, tender beef and aromatic coriander, this mouthful is bound to linger on your tongue for a long time!
Wed to Sat: 10 am – 2:30 pm
Closed Sun to Tue
7. Indonesia Curry Rice (#01-49)
There’s really nothing as no-frills as curry rice piled onto wax paper. But Indonesia Curry Rice does you one better, because they’re loved for their assam fish too.
The S$6 Assam Fish with Nasi Kuning and Beansprouts is tangy, spicy and sedap-licious. The punchy aroma of lemongrass and acidic tamarind makes the perfect base for juicy white fish.
The assam sauce ensures that no fishy flavours are present, leaving you with the natural sweetness of seafood. Mixed with the nasi kuning that sops up all that richness, this dish is a must-order when you pop by Bendemeer Round Market and Food Centre.
+65 8366 7772
Mon to Thu: 10.45am – 7pm
Fri: 10.45am – 3pm
Closed on Sat & Sun
8. Min Hiang Soyabean (#01-60)
With the heat waves assailing Singapore, Min Hiang Soyabean is my go-to for refreshing drinks at affordable prices. There’s just something about the old-school tanks of drinks loaded with ice that makes the drinks so much better. Call me crazy, but it’s true!
Their popular fare includes the Grass Jelly Drink and Soyabean, both with 2 sizes offered at S$1.20 or S$1.50 each.
I judge portions by how careful I have to be when gulping it down: if two sips drain the water level past the halfway point, is it really worth it?
But these? These mugs made me feel like I was at some beer-drinking competition. There was definitely more liquid than your run-of-the-mill 250ml. And safe to say, I was chugging it down. I particularly enjoyed the less sugar version of the soy milk, which was — say it with me — not too sweet!
Sat to Thu: 6am – 2pm
Fri: 6am – 6pm
9. Chun Man Yuan Satay (#01-78)
Am I really talking about hawker centre stalls if I leave out satay? There’s no replacing that charcoal-grilled, meaty scent wafting through the air, especially with Chun Man Yuan Satay.
This satay is sweet, savoury and smoky. And just like the Powerpuff Girls, there are a trio of meats you can choose from: pork, chicken and mutton. S$0.90 secures each skewer of satay cooked over a charcoal grill.
The charred meat scoops up the creamy peanut sauce perfectly. Meanwhile, the pineapple puree poured in the middle adds a sweet and sour kick to each bite.
+65 9005 5522
Wed to Sun: 4pm – 8:30pm
Closed on Mon & Tue
10. San Xi Hainanese Chicken Rice (#01-53)
It’s in Singaporean blood to join a long queue when you see one, especially when it’s food-related. San Xi Hainanese Chicken Rice boasted a long line that caught my attention immediately. I’m talking “waaaay out of the hawker centre and into the walkway” sort of line!
Nothing beats the classic chicken rice elevated with juicy leg meat: the Chicken Drumstick Rice (S$4.50) is a testament to that. It’s served with a thigh-and-drumstick combo sliced for convenience, rice that’s gleaming with chicken fat and a light, herbal chicken broth.
If you’re dropping by with friends or office buddies, why not order the 双人饭 (shuang ren fan), or 2-pax meal, for S$11.20. You get that succulent chicken and complimentary soup for a lower price. And if that’s not a steal, I don’t know what is!
Mon to Sat: 9am – 8 pm
Closed on Sun
11. Hai Sheng Carrot Cake (#01-85)
Fluffy carrot cake is Hai Sheng Carrot Cake’s speciality. I just love how simple the signage is — you’re definitely here for carrot cake, so just choose the price and make the payment.
I’m usually not a fan of White Carrot Cake (S$2 for Regular, S$3 for Large), but just the sight of this plate had me questioning my convictions. The morsels of carrot cake are stir-fried to crisp perfection on the outside and smoky softness on the inside.
Paired with fluffy scrambled eggs sticking to the edges of the carrot cake and savoury sambal, this dish is a force to be reckoned with. Queue up for a late afternoon snack or a light lunch before everything’s sold out!
Daily: 6am – 11am
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