15 Best Kept Secret Kopitiam Western Foods in Singapore
Sometimes, all you want is cheap and comforting grilled meat.
‘Western Food’ in Singapore is mainly based on English and Italian dishes that have been adapted to the local palate, and simplified into simply Western food. Yea, back in the days most people wouldn’t understand what aglio olio is would they.
Fish and chips in Singapore were most likely glorified via the prevalence of Western food stalls in Singapore, while the chicken chop has become a well-loved favorite.
Why go to an upscale restaurant when hawker centre western food is half the price of a low-end western restaurants? And they’re kinda like the ultimate comfort food Singaporeans splurged on while you were younger. It was always a treat to eat western food as it was slightly pricier than the usual char kway teow.
There are days when you just want a slab of nice grilled meat, laddled with mushroom or black pepper sauce with a side of fries to match. But you’re not in the mood to go to a restaurant and also there really isn’t any need to.
So here’s a list of notable Kopitiam Western Food there aren’t that known because discovering undiscovered gems and giving these gems a platform to shine is always good no?
15. Wang’s Western
At Toa Payoh Lorong 1 Hawker Centre, Wang’s Western is probably overshadowed by all the other fantastic conventional local food like Chicken Rice, Orh Lua and Wanton Mee.
But should you give Wang’s Western a chance? Definitely.
They serve decent chicken chop, was juicy and not overly tender – just the way I enjoy my chicken chop. The serving is pretty adequate too.
Wang’s Western: Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre, 22 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh #01-23, Singapore 310022
14. 吃 Western
A cute play on words that displays a portion of bilingual Singapore, took the spot Cafe Wok Inn used to take. Their Fish & Chips ($6.50) was okay but then again fish & chips are difficult to be mindblowing. Their pasta, one of their crowd favourites, looked really good though, from not-so-discreetly surveying other people’s plates.
吃 Western: 206 Management Food Court, Unit 5, Blk 206 Toa Payoh North 1, #01-1197, Singapore 310206
13. Rasa Sayang Western Food
Rasa Sayang is an old favorite in Ang Mo Kio that has been around for more than 15 years, even before the S11 was renovated. Prices are a tad higher than usual, and wait times can get pretty long.
The classic Chicken Chop With Mushroom Sauce ($6.50) is a must try, using tender chicken thigh lathered with savoury mushroom sauce, served with the standard sides of fries, baked beans, coleslaw and garlic bread.
The steaks are also of a thicker cut and not your usual thin kopitiam steaks which I usually avoid like the plague. Its actually worth trying.
Stear clear from the fish and chips though, reviews have been pretty bad.
Rasa Sayang: Blk 711 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, #01-07, S11 Food Centre, Singapore 560711 | Tel: | Opens: Daily 1130am to 1230am
12. UNO Beef
The chicken spaghetti was pretty good. Appreciate that UNO Beef uses fried chicken instead of minced chicken.
Before you shame me for ordering chicken at a place that says Beef House, if what the place isn’t known for is good, it says a lot about it, no?
Also, I fancy chicken much more than I do beef, sue me. And don’t worry their beef hotplates are probably good, I see a lot of people eating it.
UNO Beef: 51 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, #01-60, Singapore 310051 | Tuesday to Sunday: 1130-2230, Closed on Mondays | Tel: 9003 3832
11. Block 302 Choa Chu Kang
My go-to place to eat chicken chop plus, the spaghetti here is good. It is interesting to see a hawker centre western food pay attention to spaghetti. In fact their Seafood Spaghetti ($6.90) is their Chef’s Recommendation.
The noodles were done al dente, I’m not even kidding, it’s better than other pasta places like *coughs*pastamania*coughs*. And, the sauce is so much tastier than bottled pasta sauces.
Not to mention, there’s a variety of ingredients no doubt in small portions (only one prawn and some crumbs of meat). It is already impressive that there’s this much variety; it’d be great if the quantity matched up too. Tastes great and looks great.
The Chicken chop ($6.90) here has a pretty decent serving and really tasty mushroom black pepper sauce.
302 Western Food: Block 302, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, Singapore 680302
10. Deli & Grill
Situated in a large hawker centre with so many other stalls and easily 3 other western food stalls, Deli & Grill has to be different. And differentiate they did!
Deli & Grill doesn’t just serve run off the mill kind of hawker western food. Instead, they serve things like smoked duck, bratwursts, curry pasta, sambal mussels etcetera.
Even dedicating a portion of their menu to Asian-Western Fusion dishes that could be as simple yet as comforting as Bratwurst Fried Rice.
Their Fish & Chips ($5) aren’t puffed with greasy batter, instead it is just a thin crispy and aromatic breaded skin. Though again it wasn’t fantastic,I do prefer this much more than those greasy and off-putting batter-induced-coma Fish & Chips.
Call me stupid coz I didn’t expect to be served a slab of this smoked duck that we usually see in those affordable smoked duck pastas. It was a tad overwhelming in its taste and portion perhaps adding a cold salad or more stir-fried vegetables to balance the intensity would be good.
Wouldn’t try this Smoked Duck with Hickory Sauce ($8.90) again but I would try their grilled meats and fried rice that I witnessed many people ordering. I’m sure there’s more to explore in that impressive menu.
Deli & Grill: 115 Bukit Merah View Market and Hawker Centre, #01-15, Singapore 150115
9. Indulgence @ Tanglin Halt
AKA Grumpy @ Tanglin Halt. They have multiple signs requesting for you, the customer, to not bug them to take your order. Instead, you should simply wait for them to ask you. Also did not have a very pleasant interactions with either of the owners.
Their lousy attitudes aside, they have huge menu because you get to pair different meats with different pastas. The pasta choices include – aglio olio, pomodoro, bolognese and carbonara. So now you get to pair your favourite meat be it fish, chicken or lamb with your favourite style of pasta unlike many other places that don’t have such flexibility.
I ordered Chicken Chop Pomodoro ($6.50). The chicken was really flavourful and juicy slathered with a salty sauce. The pomodoro however tasted pretty questionable to me as it tasted oddly smokey and peppery. My father however, enjoyed it. Sooo verdict’s on you I guess?
Some items are tad pricier but for the humongous portions, your penny is worth it. I would go back for the food but the surly service makes me re-consider…
Indulgence @ Tanglin Halt: Tanglin Halt Market & Food Centre, #01-06, 48A Tanglin Halt Road, Singapore 148813
8. Wah Chee Western Food
Fish & Chips ($5)
Wah Chee kopitiam should be no stranger to students studying at ACJC, ACS(I), UWC, SIT or even Fairfield. It is tucked away at an obscure corner, under a block of flats but still, Wah Chee kopitiam is very popular amongst people working, living and studying there.
Apart from a really good zi char stall, they also have a good Western stall that sells commendable Chicken Chop and Fish & Chips.
The fried fish has a nicely-breaded outer skin with tender pieces of succulent fish that tears easily. Goes well with the thickly-cut french fries that are fried to a nice golden crisp and a nice small piece of buttered, sugary bread to balance out the savoury flavours.
Wah Chee Western: 3 Dover Road, Singapore 130003
7. Otto Berlin Haus
Another German inspired place at a kopitiam. Although the menu is not mainly German, they do have the more well-known German dishes like Pork Knuckles, Oxtail Stew, Rosti and a variety of Bratwursts.
Also, this hawker centre, Epic Haus, houses many other international cuisines like Thai, Vietnamese, North Indian and Japanese. To make this place even better, they sell German beer and some craft beers and ciders. Wow.
Otto Berlin Haus @ Epic Haus: Toa Payoh Lorong 8, Blk 211, #01-01, Singapore 310211 | Tel: 9833 7486 | Website
6. Mi Casa
It the midst of rows and rows of local food with an occasional deviation of international cuisines like Western and Japanese, Bukit Timah Market Food Centre rarely has a fully European hawker stall. However, there was the anomaly – Mi Casa – that serves up affordable Spanish food for locals.
Not authentic Italian paella duh because how would anyone have the time to do that at a hawker centre where we expect our food to be cooked in 5 minutes.
Still, the ingredients used, the herb-y, tangy and sticky rice are reminiscent of Spanish paella. Although some may say it just tastes like more smokey, herby and tangy fried rice.
An Ang moh twist on fried rice or Paella, I don’t know. What I do know is that I was stoked to see a Spanish cuisine influenced hawker stall that serves up paella and I was glad I gave it a try. I would definitely eat it again.
P.S Would it also pique your interests to know that the chef graduated from a culinary school in France and worked in Singapore’s hotel kitchens?
Mi Casa: Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre, #02-199, 116 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 588172
5. HAM BAO BAO
‘Ham Bao Bao’ means Hamburger in Mandarin.
Adorable name and interesting initiative by 2 young folks, Ryan and Clare, who love food. Gourmet asian-mod hamburgers in a esteemed hawker centre full of delicious local food. They make their very own burger buns and sauces. The best part? Nothing is above $5.
Before you say that you can get an entire meal at Mc Donald’s for $6, at least at Ham Bao Bao you’re paying for quality (and actual) food, not junk that has been through god knows where from god knows what.
Many seem to shun this artisan looking shop because why would eat there we when they are surrounded by plenty of cheaper more familiar local food. Many older folks also tend to think they’d be better off eating things they’re already used to.
But the thing is, we should give it a try. Because it is the people behind HAM BAO BAO and other similar initiatives that are the ones enriching our hawker and food scene.
A deviation from our traditional local foods – yes, but albeit still contributing to our hawker scene. If they are german food in kopitiams why not burgers?
Give these budding local chefs a try.
Ham Bao Bao: Beauty World Centre, Blk 144 Upper Bukit Timah, #04-49, Singapore 588177 |Tel: 9475 1457 | Website
4. Vie Bistro Bukit Batok
Surprisingly good Salmon Steak ($9.90) complemented with a buttery garlic sauce. Though it might be considered overcooked for some people, I thought it was more than good enough. The sides were a bit charred but the meat still retained its juices.
Presentation was also remarkable for a simple kopitiam western food place. Might be a tad pricey for kopitiam food but hey, you’re having salmon, that’s pretty acceptable price.
Their Chicken Chop is $6.50 while the most expensive pasta goes at $6.
Vie Bistro: Blk 155, Bukit Batok St 11, #01-322, Lee Soon Food Court Stall No 2, Singapore 650155 | Tel: 8514 4792 | Website
3. Il Piccolo
Italian food in a kopitiam? Yes please.
Imagine my surprise when I saw Gnocchi on their menu. Yes, this random kopitiam sells gnocchi! I was over the moon.
So I waited in trepidation because I really missed gnocchi but I don’t know what to expect. Thankfully, the gnocchi was fantastic – both the pasta sauce and the dumpling.
The gnocchi was smooth inside and out with a ‘QQ’ or rebounding texture that makes it highly satisfying to chew on. The sauce was this tangy creamy sauce pack with garlic flavour and tossed with asparagus.
Some of my colleagues tried their tomato-based spaghetti and largely preferred my gnocchi dish.
That aside, I’ll go back for the gnocchi again and perhaps try their more italian dishes. Heard their pizzas are pretty good too.
Il Piccolo Pizzeria: Blk 78C Toa Payoh Central, Singapore 313078
2. The Carving Board
The Carving Board may be the most well-known than any other place on this list but I feel like its recognition pales in comparision to Bukit Merah Block 119 Coffeeshop.
They have quite a substantial menu with 4 types of burgers, 2 types of wursts on top of the usual stuff.
By 8+PM, most of their mains were sold out. So if you want to catch your grub in time, you might wanna go earlier.
Norwegian Salmon Steak ($14)
At first glance the salmon seems to be overcooked in which case, its dry and flakes easily. Instead, the insides remained surprisingly soft. The degree of doneness could be lesser to retain the juices but it was still fantastic nonetheless.
Under the salmon steak is some jalapeno salsa and a bed of quinoa for your carbohydrate source. Thought the quinoa was a great touch I mean having quinoa at a Kopitiam is pretty damn novel to me. Overall, the salmon steak had a swell combination going on and I’d recommend this.
Their Beef Burger ($11) was very satisfying as well. Sufficiently thick succulent patty with juicy pickles and a generous dollop of sauce. Plus caramelised onions added extra smokey sweet flavour that made this burger really enjoyable. Highly recommend the salon steak and cheese burger.
Saw Currywurst ($9) on the menu and got really excited to try it but it was only meh.
They only open for dinner time from 5pm-10pm.
The Carving Board: Blk 252 Jurong East St 24 #01-107, Jurong East, Singapore 600252 | Tel: 9789 8262 | Website
1. Hot Plate Western Food
They pride themselves as Taiwanese-style x Singapore western food as they serve about 3 taiwanese inspired dishes like Taiwan’s famoush fried chicken cutlet.
Not in the mood for deep-fried stuff, we got Pork Chop ($5.50!!) instead and whooop, no ragrets at all.
So good. The pork chop was lean yet tender enough, retaining its tasty juices. Seasoned right and accompanied with great sauce, a sizzling plate of this is power lunch to me.
P.S. there will most probably be a line during lunch hour so you might wanna avoid that.
Hot Plate Western Food: Tiong Bahru Market, #02-54, 30 Seng Poh Road, Singapore 168898
Related Guide: Best Hawker Food Centres in Singapore
This is by no means a comprehensive guide to lesser known Kopitiam Western food so do share your suggestions in the comment below.
Like SETHLUI.com’s Facebook Page for more| Follow us on Instagram: @sethluicious
The post 15 Best Kept Secret Kopitiam Western Foods in Singapore appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
