1 DISH, 10 WORDS, 10 DOLLARS: Speed-running a Michelin Bib Gourmand tour of Our Tanjong Pagar
Delectable and affordable, here’s a quick run-down of all the Michelin Bib Gourmand meals you can enjoy in our town for $10 or less.
Share to:
Our township is blessed with many great places to eat. Out of the three restaurants in Singapore that currently hold 3 Michelin Stars, two are located here. Dining at one of these places is obviously a very special, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime experience, with prices that may necessitate the refinancing of your home.
Luckily, we also have affordable Michelin offerings that you can enjoy daily. They can be found at 28 eateries across our town – a few restaurants, but mostly hawker stalls – which have been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. We featured the three newest ones in our last eNewsletter, and now we’re serving up the full list.
For this article, we stuck strictly to three rules:
- Review just one dish from each outlet.
- Spend $10 or less per person per outlet.
- No more than 10 words per review
Whenever we could (usually when the proprietors weren’t too busy to speak with us), we’ve also included some additional details on the side.
Ready? Got your bib tucked in securely? Let’s go!
ABC BRICKWORKS MARKET & FOOD CENTRE
Ar Er Soup
Open from : 2.00pm – 8.00pm (Sun-Fri) | Closed Sat
Dish: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall ($7.50)
10 words: Generous, perfectly-cooked ingredients and tasty soup. Reminiscent of Grandma’s cooking.
Jason Penang Cuisine
Open from : 11.00am – 2.00pm , 5.30pm – 8.00pm (Wed-Sun) | Closed Mon – Tue
Dish: Penang laksa ($4.00)
10 words: Perfectly-balanced, spicy-tangy soup. Certified authentic by our resident Penangite.
Extra info: Recently reviewed in our last issue for earning Michelin recognition in 2024. This laksa was our favourite dish from that visit, offering great flavours and generous portions even with their smallest $4 serving size. We advise you to go early as they regularly sell out before closing time.
ALEXANDRA VILLAGE FOOD CENTRE
Hong Kong Yummy Soup
Open from : 12.00pm – 2.30pm , 3.15pm – 8.30pm (Mon-Fri) | Closed Sat – Sun
Dish: Brazil mushroom soup with chicken, and white rice ($6.00)
10 words: Subtle-but-deep flavours. A great showcase of Cantonese people’s soup mastery.
Extra info: When we learned that the husband-and-wife team running this stall came from Hong Kong, our expectations for the soup immediately jumped up several notches. After all, soup plays a big role in their cuisine: no Cantonese meal is considered complete without it.
As expected, their soup tasted light, healthy and delicious. What surprised us was their white rice. This simple item – often treated almost as an afterthought – was cooked so perfectly that we doubt there’s a better version anywhere else in the world, even at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Drawing from their 13 years of hawker experience, they make all their soups from scratch without MSG, crafting each one to deliver a different health benefit. For example, their signature Night-Blooming Cereus & Spare Rib Soup helps detoxify and cool the body from heatiness, while the Brazilian Mushroom & Chicken is good for the skin.
When you visit, try telling them which aspect of your health could use a boost, and see which soup they recommend for you!
BUKIT MERAH VIEW MARKET & HAWKER CENTRE
Chai Chuan Tou Yang Rou Tang
Open from : 11.00am – 1.30pm (Tue-Sat) | Closed Sun – Mon
Dish: Mutton soup with rice ($8.50)
10 words: Rich, complex, dangerously-addictive flavours. Mind-blowing from first to final mouthful.
Extra info: At the peak of the lunch rush, there can be over 30 people in the queue for this stall, which snakes all the way along the sheltered walkway leading to the hawker centre.
Fortunately for hungry diners, the line moves briskly as the 3-woman team running this family business works like a well-oiled machine. While Mum slices the meat and Elder Sis cooks and dishes up the food, Younger Sis manages orders and payments with infectious enthusiasm and bubbliness.
Her energy level is impressive, especially if you consider that all three of them had been prepping food at the stall since 5 am.
The time and effort they put in are obviously worthwhile. They start running out of menu items less than an hour after opening. When we visited (on a regular Wednesday), they sold their last bowl just a little over 2 hours after they open.
To avoid the same crushing disappointment we saw on the face of the gentleman who arrived there from halfway across the island, only to just miss out on that last bowl – we strongly suggest that you turn up early for this magical mutton soup.
Na Na Curry
Open from : 11.30am – 6.30pm (Mon-Sat) | Closed Sun
Dish: Pork rib curry with rice ($5.80)
10 words: Generous portions, fall-off-the-bone meat, powerfully-spicy kick. High heat
tolerance is advised!
Yong Chun Wan Ton Noodle
Open from : 5.30am – 12.30pm (Fri-Wed) | Closed Thu
Dish: Noodles with combo of wan ton, shui jiao & char siew ($6.00)
10 words: Tasty and comforting. Meaty, generously-filled wan ton and shui jiao.
HOLLAND DRIVE MARKET & FOOD CENTRE
New Lucky Claypot Rice
Open from : 10.30am – 12.30pm , 5.00pm – 7.30pm (Thu-Tue) | Closed Wed
Dish: Claypot chicken rice ($7.50 per person)
10 words: Sizzling-hot, hearty comfort food with an intense char and smokiness.
Extra info: The meal is served with big jugs of oil and dark soy sauce so you can pour on as much as you like. You’ll especially enjoy this if you like the scorched aroma that’s such a defining characteristic of this dish. Do note that the minimum size they offer is a two-person set worth $15.00.
Ru Ji Kitchen
Open from: 7:00am – 1:00pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Dish: Fishball noodles ($5.00)
10 words: Bouncy, tasty, handmade fishballs and fishcakes make all the difference!
NEWTON FOOD CENTRE
Alliance Seafood
Open from : 12.00pm – 10.30pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Dish: Shrimp fried rice ($10.00)
10 words: Fluffy, fragrant rice and bouncy shrimp. Simple but tasty meal.
Heng Carrot Cake
Open from : 6.00pm – 11.00pm (Thu-Mon) | 6.00pm – 12.00am (Wed) | Closed Tue
Dish: Black and white carrot cake ($8.00)
10 words: Eggy, carby, easy-to-eat comfort food. Good for supper after drinks.
Kwang Kee Teowchew Fish Porridge
Open from : 11.00am – 8.00pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Dish: Twin fish soup ($10.00)
10 words: Fresh, flaky fish. Soup tastes clean, healthy and surprisingly veggie-forward.
REDHILL FOOD CENTRE
Fu Ming Cooked Food
Open from : 11.00am – 7.30pm (Wed-Fri) | 12.30pm – 8.00pm (Sat) | 7.30am – 1.30pm (Sun) | Closed Mon – Tue
Dish: Black and white carrot cake ($5.00)
10 words: Artisanal-quality creation by a 50-year master. EAT BEFORE UNCLE RETIRES!
Extra info:
“It’s very easy only!” Uncle Goh replied when we asked what it’s like to make his carrot cakes himself. Not being familiar with his playful sarcasm and confused by his deadpan delivery, we were tongue-tied for a second – we hadn’t prepared a follow-up question to an answer like this.
Auntie’s chuckle quickly broke the awkward silence. Uncle then proceeded to detail what he meant by “easy”. It takes up to ten hours to laboriously process all the ingredients by hand, another four to steam it, and a further eight to let it cool. And all that BEFORE he had to stand in front of a hot cast iron pan all day, stir-frying the carrot cakes to order. It’s a tough job that Uncle’s kids described as “not fit for humans”.
Nonetheless, Uncle Goh has been doing this since 1972 – and his mastery, care and passion shine through in every bite. Compared to his flavourful handmade carrot cakes, the factory-produced ones used by many of his competitors taste bland and boring – clearly full of cheap, tasteless filler instead of quality, hand-selected ingredients.
While most other carrot cake sellers use a $3 dark soy sauce that makes their black carrot cakes cloyingly sweet, Uncle chooses an $8 premium brand that delivers rich, complex, savoury flavours.
But whether black or white, he cooks every order with practiced skill to consistently dish up perfectly seasoned, charred and caramelised platefuls of deliciousness.
As a bonus for the budget-conscious, Uncle Goh’s food is also criminally under-priced. Starting from a mere $3, even our famously stingy colleague from Penang felt a twinge of guilt over paying so little for so much quality and effort.
If you’d like a taste of Uncle Goh’s artistry, we advise you to do it soon and often. His university-educated children have no plans to take over the business, so the stall will cease operations once he retires. Run, don’t walk – you’ll probably find us there!
TEKKA CENTRE
Delhi Lahori
Open from : 9.00am – 11.00pm (Daily)
Dish: Butter chicken ($6.00 for a set with 2 pieces of naan)
10 words: Rich, savoury gravy enhanced by smokiness from succulent tandoor-cooked chicken.
Extra info: Recently reviewed in our last issue for earning Michelin recognition in 2024. The butter chicken was our favourite dish from that visit. To keep to our one-dish rule, we are excluding the naan (which we also loved) from this review.
TIONG BAHRU MARKET
Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee
Open from : 10.30am – 2.30pm , 4.30pm – 6.00pm (Fri-Sat, Tue-Wed) 10.30am – 2.30pm (Thu) | Closed Sun-Mon
Dish: Fried sotong prawn mee ($7.00)
10 words: Warm, saucy, slippery noodles – great comfort food with mellow flavours.
Jian Bo Tiong Bahru Shui Kueh
Open from : 7.00am – 8.00pm (Daily)
Dish: Chwee kueh ($3.50)
10 words: Good chwee kueh. Outstanding chye poh with a strong-yet-balanced saltiness.
Koh Brother Pig’s Organ Soup
Open from : 9.30am – 2.30pm , 5.00pm – 7.30pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Dish: Pig’s organ soup with rice ($5.50)
10 words: Nicely-cooked pig parts. Refreshingly light soup with mild, gentle flavours.
Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice
Open from : 10.00am – 4.00pm (Wed-Sun) | Closed Mon-Tue
Dish: Poached chicken rice ($4.50)
10 words: Decent chicken rice with the interesting addition of tangy pickles.
ZION RIVERSIDE FOOD CENTRE
No. 18 Zion Road Fried Kway Teow
Open from: 12:30pm – 3:00pm, 3:30pm – 9:00pm (Wed-Mon) | Closed Tue
Dish: Fried kway teow ($10.00)
10 words: Sticky, charred, caramelised yumminess. Somehow, even tastier when it’s cooled.
Zhi Wei Xian Zion Big Prawn Noodle
Open from: 11:30am – 3:00pm, 6:30pm – 10:00pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Dish: Big prawn noodles ($8.00)
10 words: Massive prawns. Fall-off-the-bone pork rib. Hearty surf and turf, SG-style!
STANDALONE SHOPS
Hoo Kee Bak Chang
161 Bukit Merah Central #01-3735
Open from : 9.00am – 3.00pm (Mon-Sat) | Closed Sun
Dish: Original chestnut & pork bak chang ($4.00)
10 words: Rice has chewy, tteokpokki-ish texture. Very flavourful, a little sweet.
Margaret Drive Sin Kee Chicken Rice
40 Holland Drive #01-39, Stall 5
Open from : 11.00am – 4.00pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Dish: Poached chicken rice ($4.50)
10 words: Incredibly fragrant rice and tender chicken – deserves a Michelin star.
Extra info: Recently reviewed in our last issue for earning Michelin recognition in 2024. Easily in our top 3 chicken rice stalls of all time.
NOT REVIEWED
We did not visit the following Michelin Bib Gourmand eateries as their per-person prices fall outside our budget limit, but here are their details – do check them out!
Da Shi Jia Big Prawn Mee
89 Killiney Road
Open from : 11.00am – 10.00pm (Daily)
Indocafe
35 Scotts Road
Open from : 12.00pm – 3.00pm, 6.00pm – 10.30pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Kok Sen
Keong Saik Road 4
Open from : 12.00pm – 2.15pm, 5.00pm – 9.15pm (Tue-Sun) | Closed Mon
Muthu’s Curry
138 Race Course Road
Open from : 10.30am – 10.30pm (Daily)
True Blue Cuisine
49 Armenian Street
Open from : 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 9.30pm (Mon-Sat) | Closed Sun
These stalls were not reviewed as they appear to be closed indefinitely.
Shi Hui Yuan
Mei Ling Market & Food Centre
Kwee Heng Braised Duck
Newton Food Centre
How many of these Michelin spots have you tried? What do you think of them? Give us your own 10-word review on our Facebook post about this article!
