SINGAPORE: Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre consists of two levels. On Level One, you will get the hawker fare at an affordable price and Level Two consists of some hipster stalls. However, most food reviews tend to talk about level two as it is more IG worthy food, and it tends to overshadow the rest of the hawker centre on Level One.
Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre opened with much fanfare in 2018, but its glitz and glamour have since declined. Nevertheless, if you are in the area cycling or jogging by the beach, there are still fantastic food that can satisfy your hunger pang, including a Michelin Bib Gourmand 2021 winner.
To read about what Level Two got to offer, click on this link. 5 Surprises at Fareground, Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre! (burgernbacon.com)
Here are the stalls I will recommend on Level One, Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre.
Uncle Penyet
Uncle Penyet is known for their amazing Ayam Penyet, but their chicken curry with rice is the one that makes me ecstatic. It is only S$2.8, and the return of satisfaction is very high. In this bowl of curry, there are three pieces of chicken and half a potato. There are enough here for you to get a second serving of rice. Besides curry chicken, their Ayam Penyet (S$6.3) is very good too. Mainly, I love their sambal, very spicy and umami over the rice covered in curry gravy. It is an excellent complement to their crispy Ayam Penyet. If you want to try their curry chicken, I recommend that you get there before noon as that is when they usually sell out.
Jun Yuan House of Fish
Jun Yuan House of Fish sells traditional Teochew Fish Soup and is a winner of Michelin Bib Gourmand 2021. Started in 2014, two young siblings run the main stall at Old Airport Road Food Centre, and this stall in Pasir Ris is run by their father, Steven. They have quite an extensive menu which includes Sliced Fish Soup, Fried Fish Soup, Chinese Spinach Soup, Sliced Red Grouper Fish Soup and Herbal Seafood Soup. If you fancy eating the fish head, they have Fried Fish Head Soup too. Jun Yuan House of Fish is practically a fish soup paradise.
We have tried three of their excellent soups.
Herbal Seafood Soup (S$6) consists of 2 fresh prawns, four meatballs and slices of fish. The light soup is both refreshing and flavorful for those who love the Chinese herbal taste. This is the soup that got them on to the Michelin Bid Gourmand.
Double Fish Soup (S$6) comes with both sliced fish and fried fish. The fried fish is a sure win for those who can't take the fishy taste of fish. The broth has a lot of fried garlic which compliment it very well.
Sliced Red Grouper Fish Soup (S$10) consists of fresh Grouper slices and a lot of bitter gourd. I will recommend this to those who love bitter gourd, and I suggest you start with it first. Firstly, you want a bit of crunch from the bitter gourd, and you don't want it to continue to cook in the hot soup. Secondly, finish the bitter gourd first not to change the broth's taste too much.
Uncle's Lee Wanton Mee
Uncle's Lee Wanton Mee used to be located at Elias Mall for many years before they shifted to Pasir Ris Central Hawker Centre. You can usually see a queue in front of the stall during lunchtime. I wouldn't say this is a mind-blowing Wanton Mee, but I like the al dente noodles they made. The flavour tends to be light, and I will usually ask for more chilli to suit my taste better. I do hope they have lard and season their noodles more. I have to let the noodles sit for a while so that they can absorb all the seasoning. Nevertheless, if you happen to be in this hawker centre and you need to have wanton mee, Uncle's Lee Wanton Mee is there for you.
Yon Ho Hainanese Cuisine
I think Yon Ho Hainanese Cuisine deserves more attention than what it has now. I was there for their herbal mutton soup (S$6), and I wasn't disappointed. Their mutton soup is filled with ginger and has a light herbal taste. It is surprisingly refreshing.
Hainanese Mutton Soup is a herbal soup made with mutton and herbs. Traditionally, it is made from goat meat and other must-have ingredients such as black fungus and tofu skin. Usually, it comes with julienned ginger to balance out the gamey taste of the mutton. The soup is served hot with rice.
Besides the mutton soup, they have pork soup too, which comes with pork tenderloin, pig's stomach and meatballs. These savoury soups are ideal on a cold day.
家 Authentic Hakka Yong Tau Foo
If you walk further into the hawker centre, you will see 家 Authentic Hakka Yong Tau Foo. Here, you can get some affordable Yong Tau Foo. For S$2.8, you can get three pieces with bee hoon. The Yong Tau Foo is S$4.8 for six pieces and S$5.8 for eight pieces. They also have fantastic shrimp paste fried chicken wings which are made-to-order. Usually, it will take up to 10 minutes, guaranteeing the wings to be hot and crispy.
Hakka Yong Tau Foo is traditionally tofu stuffed with minced meat that is usually deep-fried or braised. However, when the dish is introduced into South-East Asia, the minced meat starts to be replaced by fish paste, and it gets stuffed into other ingredients such as bitter gourd, chilli and eggplant. So now, the fish version of Yong Tau Foo is more commonly in Singapore and other parts of South-East Asia.
家 Authentic Hakka Yong Tau Foo, Jun Yuan House of Fish and Yon Ho Hainanese Cuisine are the three stalls I will go to when I want to avoid having carbohydrates.
Address: 110 Pasir Ris Central, Singapore 519641