Dunman Food Centre: 12 Must-Try Hawker Stalls in Joo Chiat

Dunman Food Centre may not be the biggest hawker centre in Singapore, but perhaps that is precisely part of its charm. Sitting along Onan Road in the Joo Chiat area, this compact two-storey food centre has around 30 cooked-food stalls and has been serving the neighbourhood since the 1970s.

It is the sort of place where you can walk one round, think you have already decided what to eat, then spot something else being fried, chopped or ladled into a bowl and immediately change your mind.

There is also a nice mix here. You have old-school dishes that are increasingly difficult to find, such as tau kwa pau, sitting alongside prawn noodles, chicken porridge, wanton mee, vadai, min jiang kueh and proper family-style zi char.

Here are 12 stalls at Dunman Food Centre that are worth checking out.

01. Lin’s Braised (#02-29)

Signature Dish: Braised Meat Rice — $6
Operating Hours: 11am – 8pm
Closed: Saturday

Sometimes, all you want is a bowl of rice generously covered with braised ingredients, and Lin’s Braised gets the comfort-food formula right.

The Braised Meat Rice ($6) comes loaded with minced meat, pork belly, tau pok, braised egg and dou gan. What I enjoyed most was how the braising gravy had worked its way into practically everything on the plate. The minced pork soaks it up particularly well, giving every spoonful a rich savoury character.

The pork belly carries a good amount of flavour too, while the tau pok is arguably one of the best parts — press it slightly with your chopsticks and you can see how much braising liquid it has absorbed.

Mix the minced meat and gravy into the rice before eating. It might not be the prettiest-looking bowl in the hawker centre, but this is exactly the sort of hearty lunch I would happily finish down to the last grain.

02. Gina’s Vadai (#01-06)

Signature Dish: Prawn Vadai — $1.20
Operating Hours: 9am – 3pm
Closed: Monday & Tuesday

If the smell of freshly fried vadai is drifting through the first floor, there is a good chance it is coming from Gina’s Vadai.

We went straight for the Prawn Vadai ($1.20), and I can see why this simple snack has its fans. The outside has a lovely fried crust, while the centre remains light and pleasantly fluffy rather than dense.

The prawn sitting on top tastes fresh and adds a slight sweetness and brininess to each bite. I would definitely eat the vadai with the accompanying green chilli too. It is not ferociously spicy, so even those with a lower chilli tolerance should consider taking a small bite together with the vadai — it adds freshness and a different dimension to the fried dough.

There is quite a selection if prawn is not your thing. Veggie Vadai costs $1.20, Ikan Bilis Vadai $1.50, Crabstick Vadai $1.50, while the more unconventional Mala Vadai and Cheese Vadai are $2 each.

The friendly service is another reason this stall leaves a good impression. It feels very much like buying a snack from someone who genuinely enjoys feeding people.

03. Rong Ji Chicken Rice (#02-13)

Signature Dish: Chicken Porridge — $3.50
Add Egg: $0.50
Operating Hours: 6.45am – 1.30pm
Closed: Tuesday & Wednesday

Chicken rice may be in the stall’s name, but I would make a beeline for the Chicken Porridge ($3.50).

This isn’t the watery sort of porridge you eat simply because you are feeling under the weather. Rong Ji’s version is smooth and comforting, with an egg adding another layer of richness to the congee for just 50 cents more.

Slices of poached chicken are laid over the porridge, together with pieces of fresh dough fritter. The chicken retains plenty of moisture and has a clean, straightforward flavour that suits the mild porridge nicely.

A generous shake of white pepper wakes the whole bowl up. I particularly like getting a little chicken, porridge and youtiao onto the same spoon — creamy, meaty and slightly chewy all at once.

At this price, it is also a very respectable breakfast. Just remember that Rong Ji finishes relatively early, so this is one stall where arriving at dinner time will leave you staring at a closed shutter.

04. Heng Heng Prawn Mee Soup (#02-12)

Signature Dish: Prawn Noodle — from $4
Operating Hours: 1pm – 8pm daily

There is something reassuring about a bowl of prawn mee that does not try too hard to reinvent itself.

At Heng Heng Prawn Mee Soup, we had the dry yellow noodles with prawns ($4). The noodles are tossed thoroughly with chilli sauce, giving them that familiar savoury-spicy coating that immediately reminds me of the prawn noodles sold at old roadside stalls decades ago.

The prawns are fresh, plump and carry a pleasing firmness when bitten into. Then there is the soup — rich enough to have character, yet still recognisably traditional Hae Mee broth rather than an intensely concentrated seafood bisque.

And that’s probably what I like about Heng Heng.

There are no giant prawns dramatically hanging over the edge of the bowl and certainly no lobster perched on top for social-media purposes. It is simply an old-fashioned bowl of prawn noodles at an everyday hawker price.

For $4, I am perfectly happy with that.

05. Stall 28 (#02-28)

Signature Dish: Fried Carrot Cake — from $4
Operating Hours: 7am – 8pm
Closed: Monday

You will need a little patience at Stall 28, especially when several orders land at once. The uncle operates the stall largely on his own, so your carrot cake is cooked one plate at a time rather than appearing instantly.

Fortunately, the portion makes the wait easier to forgive.

The small Fried Carrot Cake costs $4, but “small” is being rather modest here. The serving is perfectly sufficient for one adult, with a generous amount of egg worked through the carrot cake.

What stood out to me was the texture of the radish cake itself. You can still feel its rice-based body rather than biting into something overly mushy. The egg catches the hot pan in places, adding those slightly browned bits that I always find myself searching for with my chopsticks.

It is simple hawker food, cooked by one uncle standing over a hot wok. Sometimes that is really all carrot cake needs to be.

06. My Pancake (#02-18)

Signature Dish: Traditional Min Jiang Kueh
Peanut / Red Bean: $1.30 per piece
Whole Pan (12 pcs): $14.30
Operating Hours: 7am – 3pm
Closed: Monday

There is something very nostalgic about seeing a whole round pan of min jiang kueh waiting to be sliced.

My Pancake serves the familiar traditional flavours, including peanut, red bean and coconut, alongside other variations if you feel like trying something different.

I am still partial to the classics.

The pancake has a nicely browned outer surface and enough crispness around the edges to contrast against the softer, slightly springy middle. The peanut filling brings nuttiness and sweetness, while the red bean version has that familiar old-school flavour many of us grew up eating.

Both Peanut and Red Bean cost $1.30 per piece, which makes this an easy add-on after breakfast — even when you have already told yourself you are full.

If you are buying for the office or family, they also sell 12 pieces, essentially a whole pan, for $14.30.

The lady manning the stall is polite and friendly too, which somehow makes buying an old-fashioned pancake feel even more homely.

07. Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau & Braised Duck Rice (#01-05)

Signature Dish: Tau Kwa Pau — $4 for 2 pieces
Operating Hours: 7am – 4pm
Closed: Monday & Tuesday

This is probably the stall I would tell a first-time visitor to Dunman Food Centre not to miss, simply because tau kwa pau is becoming increasingly uncommon in Singapore.

Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau has roots stretching back to 1959, when founder Khoo Buck Teck was selling braised duck in Katong. The unusual tau kwa pau was subsequently created and became the stall’s defining dish. Today, the business continues at Dunman Food Centre under the next generation.

So what exactly is tau kwa pau?

Think of a piece of semi-firm fried beancurd turned into an edible pocket and stuffed with chopped ingredients. Say Seng’s version brings together duck, fishcake, egg, cucumber and crispy bits, before everything receives a coating of fragrant braising gravy.

You get 2 pieces for $4.

There is a lot happening in one mouthful. The tau kwa itself is soft inside, the cucumber brings crunch, the chopped fillings keep each bite interesting and the braised duck gravy ties everything together with its savoury depth.

Definitely have it with the chilli. The sauce cuts through the richer braised flavours particularly well and gives the tau kwa pau a sharper finish.

Their old-school braised duck rice is worth ordering too, but if you are only getting one item, make it the tau kwa pau. There are plenty of places to eat duck rice in Singapore; there are far fewer places where you can still eat something like this.

08. Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Noodle (#01-04)

Signature Dish: Wanton Noodle — $4
Operating Hours: 7am – 2.45pm
Closed: Monday

Wanton mee can spark surprisingly serious debates in Singapore.

Do you like yours chilli-style? Dark Malaysian-style? Lots of pork lard? More sauce? Less sauce?

At Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Noodle, you can choose between the traditional chilli version or Malaysian black sauce, so pick your camp accordingly.

At $4, the wanton noodles are easy on the wallet. The noodles have a pleasing al dente bite and carry the sauce nicely rather than becoming soggy halfway through lunch.

The homemade wantons are juicy, while the soup has an identifiable ikan bilis character that gives it more depth than plain stock.

But here’s my suggestion: add the fried wantons.

They come out beautifully crisp and make a great contrast to the noodles. I actually found myself reaching for those crunchy wantons between mouthfuls more often than expected.

Those who regard crispy pork lard as an essential component of wanton mee should remember to request it, as it may not automatically arrive with your noodles.

The stall also serves Chicken Feet Noodles for $4. Queues can form during busy periods, so arriving a little before the lunch rush is probably your safest bet.

09. Long Yuan (#02-21)

Signature Dish: Char Siew & Roast Pork Rice
Operating Hours: 11am – 5pm
Closed: Wednesday

The first thing I look at when ordering roast pork is always the skin.

If it looks pale and rubbery, I start preparing myself for disappointment. Fortunately, Long Yuan’s roast pork arrives with a proper crackling top.

The pork beneath remains juicy, while the seasoning carries enough flavour that you could quite happily eat the meat on its own. That, to me, is usually a good sign — dipping sauce should complement roast meat rather than rescue it.

The char siew and roast pork rice is the obvious choice if you want to sample both.

But Long Yuan also does something a little more unusual: roast meat with curry.

I wasn’t sure whether the combination sounded entirely logical at first, but it actually works rather nicely. The curry gives the rice and meat an extra savoury dimension while the roasted edges of the pork still come through.

Purists may prefer their char siew and siew yoke the traditional way. I would say try the curry combination at least once. Hawker food is more fun when stalls occasionally colour outside the lines.

10. Sheng Xiang Kitchen (#02-16)

Signature Dish: Zi Char
Operating Hours: 10am – 9pm
Closed: Monday

If you are visiting Dunman Food Centre with family or a few hungry friends, Sheng Xiang Kitchen is where you can turn lunch into a proper table full of dishes.

The prices are refreshingly approachable for zi char.

Their Steamed Fermented Fish Head ($20) carries plenty of savoury fermented-bean character, while Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish ($10) has the salty, homely flavour that practically demands another bowl of rice. Vegetable dishes start around $6.

What caught my attention, though, was the fried fish.

There are several stalls around Dunman known for steamed fish, so seeing Deep-Fried Grouper ($22) gives Sheng Xiang a slightly different angle. The fish emerges with a crisp exterior while retaining its natural moisture beneath the crust.

Soon hock is another option when available.

For something less traditional, the Mapo Beancurd ($9) makes a good shared dish, while the Spicy Popcorn Chicken ($12) is the sort of thing that disappears suspiciously fast once placed in the middle of the table.

Sheng Xiang strikes me as the type of neighbourhood zi char stall where regulars already know exactly what they want before sitting down — always a promising sign.

11. Ming Garden Delicacies (#01-07)

Signature Dish: Zi Char
Operating Hours: 11.30am – 10pm daily

Dinner downstairs at Dunman Food Centre can feel decidedly quieter once several daytime stalls have closed, which makes discovering Ming Garden Delicacies particularly useful.

Ask the owner what to eat and you may end up with something better than whatever you originally had in mind.

We tried the Seafood Fried Rice, and this was one dish where the wok made its presence known. Each grain was properly fried rather than damp or clumpy, with the seafood ingredients cooked nicely through and a distinct smoky wok aroma running across the plate.

The stall’s Prawn Paste Chicken is another dish I would put on the table. The coating comes out crunchy and deeply savoury from the fermented prawn paste — exactly the kind of chicken that makes you say, “I’ll just have one more piece,” four times.

Their Sweet & Sour Pork is similarly enjoyable, with a crisp coating beneath the sauce instead of turning immediately soggy.

The owner-chef is friendly too, so if you are standing there unable to decide among the menu’s many options, just ask. Sometimes leaving dinner in the cook’s hands works out rather well.

12. First Delight (#01-08)

Signature Dish: Fried Soon Kueh
Operating Hours: 10am – 4pm
Closed: Monday

Most of us know soon kueh as the steamed, translucent dumpling sitting patiently beside its bottle of sweet dark sauce.

First Delight takes another route.

The lady owner makes the soon kueh herself and pan-fries it for around 10 minutes, transforming the familiar Teochew snack into something rather more interesting.

The filling has plenty of savoury character with a noticeable little hit of pepper. I actually recommend eating your first piece plain before reaching for any sauce. That allows you to taste the filling and handmade skin properly.

And the skin deserves attention.

It has a satisfying bite and structure rather than becoming sticky or overly gelatinous. Pan-frying adds another textural layer to the exterior while the filling stays moist inside.

Since each batch takes time on the pan, this is not fast food in the literal sense. If there are orders ahead of yours, be patient.

Personally, I think the extra few minutes are worth it. Regular soon kueh is easy enough to find; handmade fried soon kueh like this is considerably more memorable.

Small Hawker Centre, Plenty to Eat

Dunman Food Centre is a good reminder that a hawker centre does not need hundreds of stalls to justify a food trip.

Within two relatively compact floors, you can start with chicken porridge in the morning, pick up a vadai or min jiang kueh as a snack, have wanton mee or prawn noodles for lunch, then return later with the family for zi char.

But what makes Dunman especially interesting to me is the old-school character that still survives here.

A stall like Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau preserves a dish many younger Singaporeans may never have tried, while places such as Rong Ji, Heng Heng and Stall 28 continue serving straightforward everyday hawker food that does not need fancy presentation to earn regular customers.

If you’re planning a visit, come hungry. With 12 stalls on this list, one stomach is clearly not enough.

Dunman Food Centre
📍 271 Onan Road, Singapore 424768

Nearest MRT: Marine Parade MRT (TE26) — about 10–12 minutes’ walk

Operating hours and prices are based on information available at the time of writing and may change. It is advisable to check directly with individual stalls before making a special trip.