11 best stalls at Holland Drive Food Centre for every craving

You probably know Holland Village as one of the most atas areas in Singapore with cafes, bars and high-end restaurants aplenty. Well, surprise surprise — a meal in the area doesn’t have to cost you a pretty penny, especially not with Holland Drive Food Centre in the vicinity.

Located a stone’s throw away from both Holland Village and Buona Vista MRT stations, this underrated food centre is a convenient spot for you to swing by for lunch in the area. What’s more, it’s home to more than 40 stalls with affordable local eats and international favourites that cater to just about any palate.

Without further ado, here are 11 best stalls at Holland Drive Food Centre for every craving.

1. New Lucky Claypot Rice (#02-19)

It should come as no surprise that New Lucky Claypot Rice is first up on this list. Having bagged the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since 2017, this acclaimed claypot rice stall is easily one of Singapore’s most popular.

You’ll locate the stall with ease, not just because of its location at the food centre’s entrance but also because of the many patrons seated nearby, tucking into smoky pots of their fare.

New Lucky Claypot Rice’s signature dish comes in 3 variations: Claypot Chicken Rice, Claypot La Wei Rice and Claypot Wu Wei Rice, all of which are priced at S$15, S$20 and S$25 for 2 pax, 3 pax and 4 pax portions respectively. Expect to wait for 30 to 45 minutes on average, as they prepare everything to order. We promise it’s worth it.

Get the Claypot Wu Wei Rice for an all-rounded taste of the stall’s best. Nestled in the pot is a hefty portion of lup cheong, salted fish and chicken atop a bed of rice. The rice retains a satisfying smoky flavour, pairing well with the lup cheong and a drizzle of sweet dark sauce. I was also pleasantly surprised by how tender and well-marinated the chicken chunks were.

Of course, don’t forget the crowning glory that is guo ba, AKA those crispy bits of charred rice begging to be scraped off the sides of the pot.

+65 6778 7808
Thu to Tue: 10.30am – 12.30pm & 5pm – 7.30pm
Closed on Wed
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2. Ru Ji Kitchen (#02-28/29)

Seeing double? Ru Ji Kitchen is 2 stalls in 1 — the one on the left sells fishball noodles while its right counterpart doles out bowls of bak chor mee. Why not give both a go while you’re there? That is, if you wake up early enough; they open at 7am and close shop by 1pm.

A classic bowl of Fishball Noodles (S$3.50/S$4/S$5) includes your noodles of choice in soup or dry-tossed, along with their handmade fishballs and fishcakes. These are unlike your regular fishballs and fishcakes; every morsel and slice is soft and very springy, with a pleasant briny sweetness that goes down well with the soup.

Then, get yourself some Bak Chor Mee (S$4) or its All-in Combo (S$5), which includes both meatballs and those winning fishballs. Stellar as the latter is, the meatballs aren’t shabby either. Each piece is hand-kneaded and has a tasty, meaty flavour.

+65 9435 0820
Tue to Sun: 7am – 1pm
Closed on Mon

3. Butter Town (#02-35)

Butter Town has been the talk of the town recently, with the shio pan hype and the launch of their adorable shio pan ATM. Getting that bread dispensed from a vending machine’s cool, but nothing beats having them fresh from the bakery’s flagship store in Holland Drive Food Centre.

The popular bakery prides itself on an array of high quality shio pan in a variety of flavours, as well as sourdough bakes. Sounds tempting? Be sure not to make your visit too late as the stall is said to sell out hours ahead of their closing time.

The O.G. Shio Pan (S$2.20) stands as one of my favourite renditions of the simple bake, with its light, crispy outer crust and fluffy, buttery and bready interior. Go ham on other flavours (rotated weekly) like Scallion (S$2.40), Black Sesame Mochi (S$2.60) and the sweet-savoury Maple Bacon (S$2.60).

Reward yourself with a sweet treat from their selection of sourdough bakes, which includes the likes of the fragrant Gula Melaka Pistachio Pandan Sourdough Cake (S$3.50) and the decadent Triple Chocolate Sourdough Cake (S$4.80) — which I still dream of.

Tue to Sat: 10am – 2pm
Closed on Sun & Mon
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4. The Four-Eyes Zai Fried Hokkien Mee (#02-33)

This one’s for the Hokkien mee lovers. The Four-Eyes Zai Fried Hokkien Mee is a new kid on the block that has recently made rounds on social media for its tasty ‘wet-style’ Hokkien mee. 

Helmed by Damon, a young chap who double-hats as a financial advisor and hawker, it shares a space with Fatty Cat Curry Rice which is run by Damon’s cousin. Fatty Cat operates during the day, while Four-Eyes Zai is one of the only stalls in the food centre that opens for dinner.

The Fried Hokkien Mee is available in 3 sizes: Small (S$6), Medium (S$8) and Large (S$10). You can expect a decent wait of about 30 to 45 minutes with the stall’s decent popularity, so I’d recommend splurging on the Large portion if you’ve got money to spare — you know, to make the time worth.

Each plate of Fried Hokkien Mee features a good mix of yellow and thick bee hoon noodles with eggs, squid, prawns, slivers of pork belly and nuggets of fried pork lard. Each noodle tendril and ingredient is clad in a luscious, flavourful prawn broth, the plate possessing a mild yet noticeable wok hei.

I should probably add that the chilli is definitely not for the faint of heart. Studded with plenty of chilli padi seeds, the bright orange belacan imparts a potent — and aromatic — kick to the dish.

+65 9114 5885
Mon to Sat: 5pm – 8.30pm
Sun: 10am – 2pm
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5. Fatty Cat Curry Rice (#02-33)

I was eager to see if Four-Eyes Zai’s sister stall: Fatty Cat Curry Rice would fare as well. And sure enough, it’s landed a spot on my list.

Despite their title as a curry rice stall, the sheer variety of dishes they have on offer can compare to that of a cai fan stall. They open as early as 5.30am, so all you early birds can have a hearty plate of rice for breakfast.

First, start off with some Rice (S$0.80) and feel free to pile your plate with as many fixings as you please.

Fatty Cat’s array of ingredients are segmented into 3 categories: Meat (S$2), Seafood (from S$2) and Non-Meat (from S$0.60). Take your pick from the likes of crispy battered Pork Chop (S$2), Chicken Cutlet (S$2) and a juicy, meaty Pork Patty (S$2). Seafood options include Fish (S$2) and Prawn Fritter (S$2), while non-meat options include humble Sunny Side Egg (S$0.80) and assorted vegetables like Braised Cabbage (S$1), Eggplant (S$1) and Okra (S$1).

Finally, drench the plate in its entirety with a full ladle (or two) of their luscious curry gravy, which is creamy and aromatic.

Mon to Sat: 5.30am – 2pm
Closed on Sun

6. Cheng Heng Kway Chap and Braised Duck Rice (#02-05)

Start your day right with a piping hot bowl of kway chap from the Michelin-approved Cheng Heng Kway Chap. Run by 2 friendly aunties, this humble stall has been around for over 5 decades and is seldom seen without a queue.

Their signature Kway Chap (S$4.50) includes a bowl of kway and a platter of ingredients that includes pig intestines, pig skin, tau pok and a hard-boiled egg. Many customers recommend opting for a serving of their tender braised duck for an additional S$2.

The best part of the dish has got to be the kway, which is complemented wonderfully by the aromatic herbal broth. The sheets of slurp-worthy goodness are light and velvety smooth — a true testament to the lady bosses’ incredible skills.

Tue, Wed & Fri to Sun: 7am – 2.30pm
Closed on Mon & Thu

7. Yap Kee Wanton Egg Noodles (#02-04)

Few things speak of comfort like wanton mee does, and Yap Kee Wanton Egg Noodles offers exactly that. Run by a cheerful middle-aged couple from JB, this popular stall whips up a mean plate of wanton mee made with 100% egg noodles from their motherland.

Their signature Wanton Egg Noodles (S$5/S$6) is a definite must-try. You get to choose the sauce you’d like your noodles tossed in from a selection of 4 types: Original, Chilli, Black Sauce and Chilli + Black Sauce, the latter of which is more commonly found in Malaysian-style variations. There’s a Soup option as well.

Made with only eggs and flour, the noodles are firm, chewy and possess none of that unpleasant alkalinity found in run-of-the-mill mee kia typically used in wanton mee. Well-coated in my choice of Chilli + Black Sauce, mine were moreish and bore a nice heat. They were also complemented well by the sweet char siew slices silky wantons stuffed with tasty meat. The epitome of fuss-free goodness.

Mon, Tue & Thu to Sat: 6am – 2.30pm
Closed on Wed & Sun
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8. Gaziantep Delight (#02-13)

Restaurant-quality Turkish food may be far from a common sight in hawker centres, but Holland Drive’s Gaziantep Delight stands as one such gem. This unique stall boasts an extensive menu of Turkish classics, with the likes of tombik, döner, pide, falafel and a lovely range of sweets — all made fresh in house.

You can’t go wrong with a hefty kebab from the Döner selection. These wraps are packed to the brim with your choice of Chicken (S$6), Lamb (S$8) or a Mix (S$8.50) of both. The Chicken in mine was incredibly juicy and thoroughly well-seasoned, balanced out by the creamy white sauce and the refreshing mix of crunchy lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes.

If you prefer something heavier, opt for a pita-wrapped Tombik (S$7.50/S$8.50/S$9) or a loaded Burrito (S$7.50/S$8.50/S$9), which includes Turkish butter rice, cheese and beans in its filling.

End your meal on a sweet note with some of Gaziantep Delight’s Pistachio Baklava (S$3 for 1 piece, S$5 for 2 pieces). Handmade in house, these delicate morsels star the winning combination of rich, nutty pistachios and sugary filo pastry. Alternatively, get the equally outstanding Kunefe (S$11.50) filled with stretchy cheese, butter and sugar syrup.

+65 8315 3101
Tue: 10.30am – 3pm
Wed to Sun: 10.30am – 7.30pm
Closed on Mon
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9. Madam Lim’s Nasi Lemak (#02-01)

Madam Lim’s Nasi Lemak is a solid nasi lemak stall that sits rather inconspicuously in the far corner of the food centre. At its helm is a passionate couple who once operated a school canteen stall and aspire to leave their mark in the culinary scene.

The menu is straightforward, with just 3 sets of nasi lemak: Beef Rendang (S$7.50), Kunning Fish (S$3.80) and their most popular Ayam Berampah (S$5.50). Each plate of nasi lemak includes your protein of choice on the side of a warm bed of coconut rice crowned by a fried egg, along with cucumber slices, peanuts and fried ikan bilis.

The stall’s take on Ayam Berampah consists of a hefty chicken thigh that’s marinated overnight with a mix of curry powder, turmeric and chilli. It’s then battered, deep-fried to a glorious golden-brown and served with a smattering of fried batter bits. Mine was every bit worth the wait — it was juicy, fragrant and incredibly crispy. Its lightly spiced flavour profile also paired well with the aromatic, fiery sambal.

+65 8910 6726
Sat, Sun & Mon to Wed: 8.30am – 1.30pm
Closed on Thu & Fri
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10. Lin Da Ma (#02-21)

Any fellow lei cha lovers here? Lin Da Ma is a stall that specialises in the delicious Hakka specialty, and it’s the perfect spot for anyone seeking a nutritious lunch. Veggie haters and meat lovers are more than welcome, too, as the stall is touted as one that’s “suitable for meat lovers”.

Each set of Lei Cha includes your choice of White Rice (S$4.80), the healthier Brown Rice (S$5.30) or No Rice (S$5), topped with a medley of finely chopped vegetables, peanuts and ikan bilis, along with a bowl of tea soup on the side.

The tea soup is thick and grainy, giving the dish a creamy consistency when poured in and mixed. It coats the rice and ingredients well and imparts a refreshing herbal flavour to the dish that is balanced out by the crunchy peanuts and earthy vegetables.

Lin Da Ma also offers Lei Cha Handpull Noodle (S$3.60), which features springy noodles, cucumber shreds, peanuts and an onsen egg, all of which are coated in the glorious tea soup. Those who’d prefer a little more protein can fork out an additional S$1.20 for the Specialty Meatballs (3 pieces) or the Specialty Tofu.

Sun to Fri: 7am – 2.30pm
Closed on Sat
Facebook | Website

11. Lao Chen Ji (#02-43)

Lao Chen Ji is the source of one of the longest queues at lunchtime and it’s easy to see why. This humble stall specialises in delicious bowls of Sarawak kolo mee and tasty yong tau foo in comforting broth.

The crowd-favourite Sarawak Kolo Mee (S$4.50/S$5.50) is light yet flavourful, with springy, firm noodles tossed in a fragrant mix of lard oil, shallot oil and dark sauce. It’s savoury, complemented by tasty minced pork, char siew and crispy fried shallots.

Another star of the show is the Yong Tau Foo (S$0.70 per piece, minimum order S$3.50), which includes selections like bitter gourd, tau kwa, wantons and eggplants, all stuffed with tasty meat paste. You can enjoy the pieces in a bowl of light, clean-tasting broth, with Bee Hoon (S$50) or even with Plain Kolo Mee (S$1.20/S$1.80).

+65 8286 9646
Sat to Tue: 7am – 2.30pm
Wed & Thu: 7am – 5pm
Closed on Fri

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