Hong Lim Food Centre is one of the most established hawker centres in Singapore and some of Singapore's most well known hawkers can be found here. It occupies two floors of the Hong Lim Complex and is situated in the heart of the Chinatown-Central Business District. Hence, lunch time sees the place flooded with office workers from the surrounding buildings. The food centre is slated to close for renovation in November 2009 and that might mean that some of the older hawkers might take this opportunity to hang up the wok for good.  So be sure to check out the stalls before that happens!
 
                                                  
Cantonese Delights
Opening hours: Mon-Fri: 9am-3pm, closed: Sat & Sun
Rating: 4.25/5
If there is one combination of flavours that really triggers my taste buds, it must be that of the fragrant fried chicken soaked in classic Hainanese style chicken curry or fragrant laksa gravy. The contrast between the savoury crispy chicken and the sweet creamy coconut gravy really hit the spot. In terms of flavour, the dish definitely rivals foie gras and matsuzaka beef. And the great thing is that it is much more affordable than those dishes and you can eat until you collapse, and still have change from a $10 note.

The chicken was fragrant, freshly fried and the curry gravy simply delicious. You could tell that they actually made their own "rempah" (spice paste) as the gravy had those gritty bits of ginger, tumeric and other spices. It's one of those things that would really "retox" you if you have been forced to take a "detox" diet for a week.

Actually I went there with the intention of trying the wanton mee recommended by someone, but when I got there, I just found the chicken chop and curry noodles too hard to resist. I'd probably try their chicken chop with yong tau foo laksa the next time I drop by!


Fragrant Hong Kong Pork Rib Rice
Opening hours: Daily: 9.30am-7pm
Rating: 4.5/5
I think the use of the word "fragrant" is apt to describe this dish. The pork ribs were lightly seasoned, tender and savoury while the rice was surprisingly satisfying. It wasn't that the sauce was "shiokadelicious", it was just that the rice was perfectly steamed such that the grains were nicely separated and firm to the bite. There was minimal oil in the rice and every mouthful felt just right. The rice was first steamed and the meat was later added on top and placed in a steamer. When you order, they would first remove the meat from the bowl, then mix the rice with the sauce and put everything onto a plate.

The second dish I would recommend is the minced meat with mei chai (preserved vegetable) which was very tasty. It's the kind of thing I love to have with a bowl of piping hot Teochew porridge but the dish also goes equally well with rice. The taste of the mei chai was subtle and lent a bit of sweetness to the minced meat
 

Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee
Opening hours: Daily: 9am-7pm
Rating: 4.5/5
I happened to chance upon this stall which had a big "Makansutra Legend poster stuck on the front of the glass display. I knew about this really good bak chor mee (minced pork noodle) stall in the food centre, but I didn't know that it was a Makansutra Legend. I have been hunting these legends down one by one to post them up on my food blog. Ah, the joy of unexpected discoveries!

The one characteristic of good minced pork noodle is the freshness of the ingredients and this bowl of piping hot noodle was really fresh. Those who like their noodle dish with a bit more vinegar will appreciate their unbridled use of black vinegar which was reportedly a special brand of traditional black vinegar from China. The noodles were springy and were complemented very well by the sauce. The stall was generous with the ti po (crispy fried sole) which was a bonus because I love them. As far as I am concerned, this was an excellent bak chor mee dish.

 
Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Ho Fun
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-3pm, closed on Sun
Rating: 4/5
Tuck Kee is another one of those legendary stalls where everyone talks about. Where else in Singapore can you get a plate of Ipoh hor fun with two half crayfish and some big prawns (shrimps) for $4?  Hence, I was elated when I found it at Hong Lim Food Centre. However, I found the crayfish meat somewhat less succulent and sweet compared to the prawns. The hor fun came as one matted mass and I would have preferred it to be more loose and soft. Maybe it was because it was left out a little too long as I was taking pictures of it before I stirred it into the sauce. However, you must try the sui gao (dumpling). The stall was very generous with the serving of prawns in each sui gao and it cost only $3 for about eight of them.


Reproduced with permission from Dr Leslie Tay. He is the author of the popular food blog ieatishootipost.sg which chronicles his quest to eat, shoot and post Singapore's best eats.