8 Toa Payoh West (Lor 1) Food Centre Stalls – From Come Daily Hokkien Mee, Chey Sua Carrot Cake, To Uggli Muffins

Located near the Braddell MRT Station, this small hawker centre also known as Toa Payoh West or Lorong 1 food centre consists of only 40 stalls yet the food offerings are varied and interesting.

Also the configuration is slightly not like the usual food centres, divided into four quadrants.

However, do take note that this is more of a morning market, and most stalls would close by mid-noon.

Considering it is not one of the well known food centres, it actually houses some relatively-famous hawker stalls, including Da Cheng Kway Chap, Hong Kong Lung Hwa Roast Duck, Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, Chey Sua Carrot Cake, Lao Shen Ji Si Mian, Congee 88, 135 Fishball Noodles, Liang Heng Prawn Noodles and Deanna’s Kitchen serving Prawn Noodles.

(Note that stall operational hours change during “Circuit Breaker” and “Phase 1” periods, and waiting hours depends on when you visit – avoid peak hours if you can.)

Chey Sua Carrot Cake
127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre Lor 1 #02-30 Singapore 310127
Opening Hours: 6:30am – 1pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tues

Sisters Grace and Shirley man the stall, staying true to how their parents have done the dish over the years.

The prices are still very reasonable at $2.50, $3, $4, and there is only a ‘white’ version, not the sweeter black kind. there may not be a line per se, but everyone around the stall are just waiting.

So after a 30-minutes wait (or more), the ‘chai tow kway’ looking like a pancake arrived.

Unlike some of the other variants, Chey Sua’s version was fried like rectangular blocks, crisp brown on the outside, spread with a thin layer of chilli, looking thinner and flatter than usual.

Beneath the outer layer contains soft, small pieces, and I liked the texture which was moist and soft (unlike factory-made ones which have a certain firmness). Though some may find this version very oily.

There was something nostalgic about this, like the Carrot Cake of my growing up years. Chey Sua Carrot Cake (Toa Payoh Lor 1)

Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee 天天来炒福建虾面
127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre Lor 1 #02-27 Singapore 310127
Tel: +65 9671 7071
Opening Hours: 8am – 2:30pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tues

Operating since 1968, Come Daily 天天来炒福建虾面 is one of the popular stalls at Toa Payoh Lor 1 that serve up Fried Hokkien Mee.

If you come during peak-hour weekends, the waiting time can be from 45 minutes to an hour or more. However, you will be given a buzzer so you can spend the time eating at other stalls. (Tip: You can also make a call +65 9671 7071 to pre-order.)

Their Hokkien Prawn Mee is fried with a combination of rice noodles and egg noodles with prawns as the main ingredient, topped with bits of pork crackling.

It is worth nothing the fresh pork lard is cooked every day, as some people really go after this.

I remember that in the past, the texture was a lot ‘creamier’ and stickier, while the current plate seems to be soupier / wetter, and could do with slightly more wok-hei

At least the noodles itself is infused with the prawn and pork broth, imparting a rich and mildly-sweet flavour. Come Daily Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee (Toa Payoh)

Teochew Handmade Pau 朝洲自制包点有限公司
127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre Lor 1 #02-02 Singapore 310127
Tel: +65 6254 2053
Opening Hours: 6am – 2pm (Tue – Sat), 6am – 12pm (Sun), Closed Mon

Teochew Handmade Pau 朝洲自制包点有限公司 at Toa Payoh Lor 1 Food Centre serves up small-sized dim sum items, and is relatively popular with residents around the area.

This stall popular for breakfast has been selling since 1993, and one of the few stalls in Singapore that still sells pau made by hand.

2nd generation hawker, Richard, has adapted his father’s Teochew-style pau recipe with leaner pork to cater to younger, health-conscious diners.

For the Char Siew Bao ($0.80), they grill their own char siew in the central kitchen before mincing to fully absorb the sauce.

With a 50:50 dough-to-filling ratio, the pau skin is delicate and puffs to a nice, smooth finish. Caster sugar is used to prevent it from being dimpled, while lard oil is added to the dough for added flavour.

Lao Shen Ji Si Mian 老沈鸡丝面
127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, #02-01 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Singapore 310127
Opening Hours: 7am – 1:30pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon

Lao Shen Ji Si Mian has been around for more than 30 years, and originated from Hougang. There is no English menu per se, so be clear about what you are ordering.

The 3 options are Shredded Chicken with Fishball Noodles ($3), Shredded Chicken with Dish Dumpling Noodles ($4), and Fishball with Fish Dumpling Noodles ($5). Additional noodles cost 50 cents more.

A standard order of the Chicken Dried Noodles comes with a bowl of dry pale yellow hand-made noodles, springy in texture and very QQ.

This is topped with finely shredded chicken that was soft and not overcooked – though slightly to the dry side, some small pieces of braised mushrooms, pork lard, and chopped spring onions.

The overall flavour is best complemented with a drizzle of their chili vinegar.

Congee 88
127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre Lor 1 #02-29 Singapore 310127
Tel: +65 9475 2678
Opening Hours: 7am – 3pm (Tues – Sat), 7am – 2pm (Sun)

88 粥品 (88 Zhou Pin) at Toa Payoh serves up a familiar yummilious taste of Hong Kong styled congee, the quality kind that you would find along the roads of Nathan Lane. On a fine breakfast outing, the single bowl relieved my cravings for Kowloon street food.

What’s Congee without the good old familiar youtiao? The dough stick was freshly deep-fried on the spot and served one long stick on top of the bowl in its entirety.

Some of the recommended Congee included the Meat Ball & Century Egg, Prawn Ball and Meat Ball & Intestine Congee where the meatballs were home-made with a secret recipe.

If you wonder why you could get hotel quality food in a hawker centre, that was because Chef Au worked in Westin Hotel, Raffles Hotel and Hong Kong’s Shangri-La before he moved up to set up his own stall.

Deanna’s Kitchen
127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre Lor 1 #02-25 Singapore 310127
Tel: +65 96675500
Opening Hours: 10am – 5pm (Tues -Sun), Closed Mon

Deanna’s Kitchen is one of the few places that serve up “authentic Halal Prawn noodles”. (Though I know of Muslims who do not eat prawns.)

This is a family stall that has wholesome, homemade flavors in their food at quite affordable pricing. The owner’s greatest fan is said to be her mother-in-law and family who encouraged her to open up this stall.

Their regular Prawn Mee is perpetually sold out (LOL), so go for the other options such as Big Prawn Mee ($7), Prawn Noodles with Clams ($6.50) and Prawn Noodle with Crayfish ($12.50).

There is also a mega $39 “Seafood Platter” version, but you need to gather a squad to finish this.

The secret lies in the use of fresh prawn shells and other seafood items to heighten the taste and richness of broth – which I think works quite well.

The only thing is that the prawn shells were hard to remove, so do prepare some wet tissues.

Uggli Muffins
127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre Lor 1 #02-34 Singapore 310127
Tel: +65 9877 9020
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 3:30pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon

Parked under the signage of “Bliss Haven Restaurant”, Uggli Muffins may have gotten some social media attention recently, but they have been around since 2011.

The founders created a recipe and a unique style of baking that resulted muffins having a crusty and caramelised top, all coming with irregular shapes.

Each muffin is sold at $1.20, with flavours of Chocolate, Blueberry, Oreo Cookies, Raisin & Orange Peel, Cranberry, Walnuts, Chocolate Fudge, to even Shiitake Mushrooms & Herbs.

Delivery available at $10, with all the delivery fee going to the rider.

Pure Soya Bean 纯香豆浆
127 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre Lor 1 #02-28 Singapore 310127
Tel: +65 8868 6681
Opening Hours: 7am – 2pm (Tues – Sat), 7am – 3pm (Sun), Closed Mon

There are two popular soya bean stalls at this food centre – Teck Hwa and Pure Soya Bean.

Pure Soya Bean helmed by young hawkers makes Soya Bean Milk and Tau Hway fresh using top grade Non-GMO Canadian soy beans.

What you get is a smooth and slighty creamy tasting cup of Soya Milk ($1.20) with that distinct ‘beany’ taste. You can also opt for more fanciful flavours such as Bandung Soya Milk, Soya Milk with Red Bean, Soya Milk with Pearl, and even Soya Milk with Gula Melaka.

The Tau Hway is done the traditional way (ie as contrasted to say Lao Ban’s). I ordered less sugar (shao tang) which turned up to be the right amount of sweetness for me.

Additional toppings were generous, with options such as lightly sweetened red bean, soft lotus seeds, sea coconut, attap seeds, longan and gingko nuts. No wonder the long queue.

Other Related Entries
10 Beo Crescent Food Centre Stalls
8 Empress Road Food Centre Stalls
10 Must-Try Albert Food Centre Hawker Stalls
10 Must Try Stalls At Chomp Chomp Food Centre
10 Must Try Stalls At Old Airport Road Food Centre

* Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

admin

See Full Bio