SINGAPORE: Adam Road Food Centre, with only 32 stalls, is one of the smallest hawker centres in Singapore. Built in 1974, this 40-plus years old hawker centre has been well known for Nasi Lemak and Mutton Soup. Located at the junction of Adam Road and Dunearn Road, it is directly opposite the Bukti Timah Entrance of Singapore Botanic Gardens, making it a popular spot for lunch after a nice morning walk in the gardens. The nearest MRT station is the Botanic Gardens Station.
I can vaguely remember this is where I used to bring my date for the prawn noodles. This place brings back fond memories.
Here are the top favourite stalls in Adam Road Food Centre.
Adam Road Noo-Cheng Big Prawn Noodles
Adam Road Noo-Cheng Big Prawn Noodles has been around for more than 30 years, and today it is helmed by the 2nd generation. Back when I was younger, it was one of few prawn noodles stalls with large prawns. It is also the only prawn noodles stall I know that sells Boiled Crab (S$40/S$45) together with the noodles.
At Adam Road Noo-Cheng Big Prawn Noodles, you have the usual option of having pork ribs and also not-very-typical pork belly with your prawn mee. Prices are between S$5 to S$7. However, if you like to have more enormous prawns, the prices start at S$10.
When you get a bowl of big prawn mee with a crab, it can easily set you back by S$55. It's not a cheap dinner, but it is a very satisfying one.
Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak
Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak needs no introduction in the Nasi Lemak scene in Singapore. Before it has branches dotted all over Singapore, many will head down to Adam Food Centre to satisfy their Nasi Lemak craving. I can remember the longest I have ever queued is more than an hour, which gives me about 5 mins of joy. There were four people in this tiny little stall churning plates after plates of Nasi Lemak.
However, on my last visit on Sunday morning, it only took me 15 mins to get it. This might be due to the dining restriction because of the pandemic or simply because customers go to their other branches. Personally, I do find a difference between getting the nasi lemak from the original stall vs elsewhere. The fragrance of the rice permeates through my mask, whetting my appetite. The chicken wing is crispy and the Ikan Bilis is crunchy, nothing can beat the original Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak at Adam Road Food Centre.
Adam's Indian Rojak
Adam's Indian Rojak claims to be the "one and only best in town". It is also rare to see a hawker stall dedicated to only selling Indian Rojak. This shows how confident they are with their food.
Indian Rojak is a uniquely Singapore and Malaysia dish. It is a plate of cut-up deep-fried prawn fritters, potatoes, eggs, cuttlefish, beef lung, tofu, fish cake and other items. You pick what you want, and it is then thrown into the hot oil. The dish comes with a sweet and spicy red sauce. It is quite a visual treat seeing how fast the hawker sliced up the cucumber and onion.
I am not disappointed at all as I dig into this visually colourful dish. Here is a list of other Indian Rojak we love in Singapore. Best Indian Rojak in Singapore (burgernbacon.com)
Cheng Ji (成记)
If you love canned pork, you will love Pork Leg Fried Bee Hoon from Cheng Ji. Many often overlook this unassuming stall as other items it sells are also available in other stalls. However, this is the only stall that sells Pork Leg Fried Bee Hoon. One might wonder why you want to buy this when you can cook at home, but I simply say the wok at home will not get the same wok hei. Moreover, there are pieces of pork lard that give this dish an extra porky flavour. There is nothing not to like for this plate of five-dollar noodles.
Selamat Datang Warong Pak Sapari
In my opinion, Mee Soto from Selamat Datang Warong Pak Sapari is serving one of the best Mee Soto around. This spicy noodle soup dish combines the Indonesian chicken broth, made from homemade spice paste using ground peppercorns, coriander, garlic, turmeric and others, known as Soto Ayam, with thick yellow Hokkien noodles. Their Mee Soto is so good that they are selling the spice paste separately. You can get their pre-pack spice mix to cook the dish at home. Don't forget to add the chilli to give this dish a spicy upgrade.
Bahrakath Mutton Soup
Sup Kambing, or Mutton Soup, is a Southeast Asian mutton soup commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is prepared with goat meat using spices such as coriander, cumin, black pepper, turmeric etc., giving it its signature yellowish-green hue. The soup is garnished with crispy fried shallots and fresh coriander.
At Bahrakath Mutton Soup, the soup is thick and hearty. I got the S$13 mixed bowl with both lean meat and mutton ribs. The mutton is soft, not gamy and very flavourful. A spoonful of soup should chase every bite of the ribs. You then round it up with a piece of the bread dipped into it. This is a perfect dish during cold weather.
If you are adventurous enough, you can also try Mutton Tripe, Mutton Brain and Mutton Tongue.
Adam's Delight
There are quite a few bad reviews on Adam's Delight on the internet. I can understand some of the comments, but regardless, Adam's Delight does sell a delicious plate of Mee Goreng. Adam's Delight has the standard fried noodles and combination plates that will consist of noodles, cheese fries, and a choice of meat. If you see the size of the stall, you can understand that it will be a challenge to prepare all the items simultaneously. Therefore, it is not realistic to expect everything on the combo plate to be hot.
I went for the Mee Goreng, and it is incredible. The bright red might scare away the uninitiated, but once you get past that, you will be able to enjoy the smokey fried noodles. It has pieces of mutton, cabbage with a fried egg on top. This is comfort food that the locals enjoy.
Address: 2 Adam Road, Singapore 289876