Hawker culture is one that makes Singapore unique and homely. It is the smell of familiar wok hey or the late night hokkien mee that you dabao (takeaway) home to eat after a long day. However, with most hawkers in their retirement age, the new generation must step up to continue the culture.
In this story, we want to highlight some of the local hawkers that have now been overtaken by a new generation of young people, as well as arising and aspiring young generation hawkers that are starting out in this industry. We hope you’ll support them to preserve the local flavours our pioneers have built.
Dragon Curry
Location: 505 Beach Rd, B1-01 Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583
Hainanese curry rice is the rich supper meal many people love to indulge in occasionally. With the dish being one that is not easily spotted in Singapore, there is a humble store located at Golden Mile Food Centre that is operated by a young man who was a previously a chef for the famous Jumbo Seafood. Perfecting this dish in multiple tries through food science, his Hainanese curry rice is slightly different from the usual.
Choose either from Chicken, Pork Cutlet or Sambal Fish, all are well marinated to bring out the flavour he desires to portray. Moreover, instead of fried eggs that are often spotted in curry rice, he replaces them with lava egg instead to make the dish less overbearing and greasy. A well-thought out dish that hits home, yet innovated to suit a new generation of diners.
Botak Cantonese Porridge
Locations:
Our Tampines Hub Hawker #01-65
One Punggol Hawker #02-14
217 Bedok North (Foodloft)
This family-owned porridge business has taken the Internet by storm because of a rising young hawker who used to be the bodyguard of Singapore’s President. Serving different variation of porridge (or congee), you can choose from Chicken, with the choice of including cuttlefish, or Pork and Seafood, featuring century egg, fish and more. All of their porridge also comes with you tiao (dough fritters) to provide that additional crunch.
Starting at only $3.50, this porridge store is a must-try when you’re near their 3 hawker centers.
Butter Town
Locations:
Holland Drive Market
CT Hub 2
Owned by 2 sisters who love to bake, Butter Town has evolved from a home-based business to an iconic brand known by many now. Being the first to jump on the Shio Pan bandwagon, Butter Town is known for their shio pan, having carrying many different flavours. On top of that, they also launched a shio pan vending machine where you can get fresh shio pan with a few clicks!
Their stores can also be found in popular Hawker places like Holland Drive Market. So head down now and taste some of their best creations.
Grandma’s Taste Ipoh Claypot
Location:
42 Clementi Ave 3, #01-121 Bistro 8, Singapore 120442
623 Elias Road Pasir Ris S510623 - Coffee United
978 Toa Payoh North S319001 - The Space Foodcourt
148 Silat Ave S160148 - Kopi Haus
Grandma’s Taste Ipoh Claypot is run by young owners from Malaysia whose goal is to bring a taste of home to fellow Malaysians here in Singapore. Try their iconic Pork Trotter With Black Vinegar ($7.80) that has won the hearts of many, including the NEA team through the Incubation Stall Programme (ISP) by NEA. This dish is a must-try when you visit, alongside a variety of bubbling goodness like Eggplant with Salted Fish & Minced Pork ($5.80), Traditional Curry Chicken ($6.80) and many more.
Cha Mulan
Locations: Multiple locations across Singapore
Cha Mulan was opened by 2 men whose aspiration was to hop onto the bubble tea bandwagon but make it healthy. Their drinks include ingredients you can find from your local TCM stall, such as Peach Gum, Snow Fungus, Goji Berry and more. Most importantly, these drinks are not just unhealthy sugar bombs, but they are packed with health benefits like collagen.
The next time you’re having that sugar craving, find them in your nearest hawker center and satisfy that BBT urge with their healthier tea option!
Rolina Curry Puff
Location: 6 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, Market and Food Centre, #02-15, Singapore 081006
Rolina, originally pronounced as Novena, was a small curry puff store located in Novena and it has stolen the hearts of many. The story of becoming Rolina goes back decades when the grandfather first opened this store. Now, it is run by the 3rd generation, a 20+ year old girl whose dream is to carry on her family’s curry puff legacy. So the next time you’re planning to get a box of snacks for family or friends, why not try Rolina Curry Puff and get them in boxes of 10 or 20 pieces.
So Lemak
Location: 217 Bedok North Street 1 #01-77 S460217
Innovative and a love for fried chicken, Shanice is the brain of So Lemak. She has fused this iconic Malay dish with one of Singaporean’s favourite chicken wing – the Har Cheong Gai Chicken. Her love for making Nasi Lemak has evolved over the years and she is often creating new variations of Nasi Lemak such as Grilled Nasi Lemak, where Coconut rice, sambal chilli, peanuts and ikan bilis are wrapped in the banana leaf then grilled over charcoal fire.
Whether you’re craving a quick breakfast fix or want the ultimate indulgent, head down to So Lemak and try their innovation and enjoy a twist in traditional Nasi Lemak!
Tea Inn Bak Kut Teh
Location: 93 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 Market & Food Centre
Herbal goodness with tenderised meat, Tea Inn Bak Kut Teh is for the herbal BKT lovers who often travels to Malaysia. Now, you can enjoy them at Toa Payoh Market. This store is man by a young who had 5 years working in F&B before selling his own claypot BKT. If you’re visiting, remember to order not just their claypot Bak Kut Teh, but try some of their other specialties like braised pork trotters, sesame oil chicken and braised pork large intestines.
These are some of the new generation hawker stores that we should support to keep our culture and flavours alive. Let’s always support our locals by dining there and ensure that their dreams are kept alive with our patronage.