SINGAPORE: Having breakfast at a Hawker Centre is a unique experience in South East Asia. Some of these hawkers are more than half a century old, and most of them only specialise in one dish. So a lot of fond memories can be found in these old hawker centres, and Pek Kio Market & Food Centre is no exception.
Pek Kio has a very long and interesting history. It is also known as Little England, with so many streets in the area named after English counties and towns. This area is also where the first horse race was held back in February 1843.
Pek Kio Market & Food Centre was opened in 1984, almost 40 years ago. Located near Tekka Centre in Little India, Pek Kio Market has predominantly non-muslim and non-Indian food stalls. Some of these stalls have been around for a long time.
Here are the top 6 stalls we love for breakfast.
Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun
If you only have stomach space to eat one thing from this hawker centre, you got to get Chee Cheong Fun from Pin Wei. Their Chee Cheong Fun is made fresh when you order, and it is in Hong Kong Style. There are four options to choose from: plain, char siew, prawn or scallop; priced at S$3, S$4, S$5 and S$6, respectively. It is not the cheapest freshly-made Chee Chong Fun around, but it is one of the best we have tasted. The savoury soy sauce and the umami chilli with dried shrimps make the Chee Cheong Fun complete. However, be prepared to queue as it can take up to 30 mins wait to get these.
Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles
Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles is a well-known institution in Prawn Mee in Singapore. They are famous for their large prawns, which also make them be on the expensive side. Their cheapest bowl starts at S$5, the next price up is S$10, follow by S$15, S$20 and S$25. This stall caters to huge prawn lovers who don't mind spending the extra buck getting the huge crustaceans. Once we tasted the soup, we could immediately tell they used prawns to make it. By the way, using prawns to make prawn soup in a prawn mee stall is not a given; some stalls don't do that. At Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles, we even spotted dried shrimps ("虾米") in our soup. The noodles are tossed in lard which is a must for a noodle dish. Infamously, the stall has some bad reviews from the service. However, my experience is nowhere near what I read online. The attentive auntie took my order with a huge smile, and she even followed up if I enjoyed the noodles at my table. I will be back.
Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee
There is another Prawn Mee stall in the next aisle of the hawker centre with a constant long queue. If Wah Kee Big Prawn Noodles is Rolls Royce of prawn mee, Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee might be a Toyota. It is an efficient prawn mee that is most likely to fulfil most people cravings. Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee prices start at S$2.5, followed by S$3 and S$5. I can't spot any lard in my noodles; instead, the flavour is from the scallion oil. Here I got the S$5 bowl which comes with five prawns and a small bowl of soup. I find that the soup has more pork flavour than prawn flavour. Overall, this is an efficient bowl of prawn noodles that might be more attractive to general diners.
Good Spice Carrot cake
There are two Fried Carrot Cake stalls in this market, and both are popular. Even though my preference is Good Spice Carrot Cake, you will see that the other stall has a longer queue. I do suspect it is the way orders are taken and the time taken to prepare each order. Good Spice Carrot Cake is a traditional fried carrot cake, minus the spring onion. The caramelised bits are simply delicious.
Heng Leong Carrot Cake 兴隆菜头粿
Heng Leong Carrot Cake is the other popular carrot cake. The cake is made in-house, and it is on the mushy soft side. Each order is prepared individually, so expect to wait. There is this gooey texture, which I don't like, but it has its following. Priced at S$2/S$3, it is very affordable.
Sin Kee Nasi Lemak
Almost everyone in the queue will get the economical bee hoon from Sin Kee Nasi Lemak. The amazing fragrant fried bee hoon is full of wok hei. It is only S$2 for a plate of bee Hoon with a fried egg and fried tofu. The sweet and spicy chilli goes very well with the noodles. This simple fried noodle is ideal for breakfast on the go.
Address: 41 Cambridge Road, Singapore 210041