Tucked away in an unremarkable area, Alexandra Village Food Centre is somewhat of a hidden gem, boasting Michelin-rated hawker stalls and long wait times. This guide to the best food at Alexandra Village Food Centre should help diners navigate this culinary powerhouse.
Alexandra Village forms part of the Queenstown neighbourhood and is surrounded by an industrial estate of car workshops and well-worn sundry shops. Built during the 1970s, the hawker centre houses around 90 stalls today.
Despite the ignominy, Alexandra Village brims with culinary delights. Several hawker stalls have been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand over the years, including Hong Kong Yummy Soup, Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Laksa, Xiang Jiang Soya Sauce Chicken, and Lien Fa, well-loved for its crystal skin dumplings.
From Star Yong Kwang BBQ Seafood, tze char classics like salted egg pork ribs and barbecued stingray, as well as a feel-good story about someone overcoming the odds. From AJ Delights, delightfully moist muffins, and xiao long bao from Zhang Ji.
Other hawker stalls at Alexandra Village Food Centre include Ashes Burnnit, a halal-certified burger joint, Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Noodles, and Chef Goo, who serves Hokkien noodles with a creamy stock. Thirsty? Finish off with an indulgent avocado shake.
Alexandra Village Food Centre is located at 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1, Singapore 150120.
(Hero and featured images credits: @jxportia / Instagram; Ashesburnnit / Facebook)
12 hawker stalls for the best food at Alexandra Village Food Centre
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AJ Delights
Muffin tops are a good thing at AJ Delights, which bakes fresh muffins every morning. Founded by home bakers Amy and Jerry, the halal-certified pastries come in flavours including green tea, cookies and cream, apple streusel, blueberry, and peanut butter.
What to order
The streusel muffins, which come in guises like banana, mocha walnut, apple, and raspberry are well loved. So is the Green Tea Monster: green tea-infused batter, topped with walnut cookie crumble.
Tuesday – Saturday, 2pm – 5pm (or until sold out)
Closed on Sunday & Monday
(Image credit: AJ Delights / Facebook)
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Ashes Burnnit
Ashes joins the dark side by making its burger buns with charcoal and cooking its smashed patties until they are well charred. Besides the signature Ashes cheeseburger, other variations include Mexican pulled beef, truffle mushroom, and chipotle fried chicken. The halal-certified stall also serves mac and cheese, truffle fries, and coleslaw.
What to order
The Ashes double cheeseburger with sees two smashed beef patties with melted American cheese, sauce, and lettuce stacked between two charcoal sesame buns.
Daily, 11.30am – 8pm
(Image credit: Ashesburnnit / Facebook)
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Chef Goo
Chef Goo specialises in Hokkien mee made with Red Sea prawns, which are significantly larger than regional varieties. Flavouring comes from a stock simmered for 12 hours with pork bones, old hen, prawns, clams, and dried scallops, accompanied by pork belly slices, lard, and squid in a claypot.
What to order
Goo’s hallmark dish is of the wetter kind, making it easy to savour the umami-rich stock.
Daily, 11am to 8pm
(Image credit: Red Sea Prawns Fried Hokkien Mee / Facebook)
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Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Laksa
This Michelin Bib Gourmand laksa stall was founded in 1995 and is currently manned by second-generation hawker Zhang Ji Lin. Although they have dropped the claypots for regular bowls, it is still worth a visit.
What to order
Zhang’s rendition leans heavily on coconut milk, and a dollop of laksa paste spooned over the dish makes it indulgently rich.
Monday – Friday, 9am – 3.30pm
Saturday, 9am – 2pm
Closed on Sunday
(Image credit: @mechilim.guide / Instagram)
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Dover Road Kai Kee Wanton Noodles
Originally from Dover Road Market, this wanton noodle stall keeps the Cantonese tradition alive with lighter seasoning and spritely noodles. The loosely wrapped wontons are packed with ingredients, and the char siu is thinly sliced and delicately flavoured. Don’t miss out on the sambal, which has a briny, spicy kick.
What to order
Diners mainly come for the dry wanton mee, and the dumpling mee is also highly popular.
Wednesday – Monday, 7am – 3pm (closed on Tuesday)
(Image credit: @@foodieuncle / Instagram)
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Hong Kong Yummy Soup
For a meal that’s flavourful yet light on your stomach, this Bib Gourmand stall delivers the goods. They have broths of pork rib and lotus root, cordyceps flower with chicken, and cereus with spare ribs, all made without MSG. Just as healthy are the non-soup options of steamed pumpkin and minced pork, and steamed pork spare ribs.
What to order
The spare rib soup with winter melon is light, cleansing, and just what the doctor ordered.
Monday – Friday, 12pm – 8.30pm
(Image credit: @iris.nihao / Instagram)
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Hor Fun Premium
The exceptional thing at Hor Fun Premium is how the chef wields the work to pervade every part of the dish with wok hei. Generous both in portion and flavour, options include beef, sliced fish, or mixed hor fun, as well as mui fan and pork rib rice.
What to order
The beef hor fun is heady with smoke permeating everything from the noodles to the thick gravy.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10.30am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 8.30pm
(Image credit: @matildalim / Instagram)
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King Avocado
King Avocado may not be the original stall that started the avocado shake trend (that would be Mr Avocado a few stalls down), but their version is creamier, fruitier, and not as sweet as the competitors. They also make fruit juices with buah long long or soursop.
What to order
Anything with avocado, which can be flavoured with gula melaka, milk, honey, aloe vera, and lemon.
Thursday – Monday, 9am – 10pm
(Image credit: @sen028 / Instagram)
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Star Yong Kwang BBQ Seafood
When Chris Eng was a mere teenager, he dropped out of school to help his parents run this tze char stall at Alexandra Village Food Centre. After a decade, he took over the business and made it successful while finally graduating from secondary school. While the menu does not deviate from staple dishes, Eng has refined them.
What to order
The salted egg pork ribs are one of the stall’s signature, as well as the BBQ stingray and sambal sotong.
Daily, 3pm – 9.45pm
(Image credit: @g27erald / Instagram)
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Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Pau
Lien Fa is a Michelin-recognised hawker stall run by twin brothers who have been making shui jing pau, or crystal dumplings, by hand since 1968. Using tapioca starch dough, the translucent dumplings are filled with generous amounts of red bean, yam, or turnip, and steamed until soft.
What to order
The tapioca (yu ni) dumplings walk the line between sweet and savoury, backed by a chewy, stretchy texture.
Tuesday – Saturday, 8.30am – 3pm
(Image credit: Tiong Bahru Shui Jing Pau / Facebook)
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Xiang Jiang Soya Sauce Chicken
Xiang Jiang serves soy sauce chicken backed by Michelin. It has an alluring sheen and tender bite, and comes with either rice or noodles, the latter which has a lovely springiness to them. The shrimp wantons are beautifully done too, with fresh prawns and a delicate skin.
What to order
Xiang Jiang’s dumplings and wantons edge out its famed soy sauce chicken by just slightly, so get the dumpling and wanton noodles.
Wednesday – Sunday, 8am to 1.45pm (closed on Monday & Tuesday)
(Image credit: yippi312_eatdrinklove / Instagram)
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Zhang Ji Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao
The line is usually long at this stall, but the waiting brings gorgeously made xiao long baos. The skin is slightly thicker than Din Tai Fung’s, and it holds oily, meaty pearls of pork. For something crispier, go for the pan-fried dumplings, while the Szechuan chilli oil wontons bring a fiery punch.
What to order
Definitely the namesake xiao long bao with a side of pan-fried dumplings.
Wednesday – Sunday, 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 8pm (closed on Monday & Tuesday)
(Image credit: @george.kooi / Instagram)
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Jethro enjoys wine, biking, and climbing, and he's terrible at all three. In between them, he drinks commercial lagers, and eats dumplings and ice cream.
