Cheap AND good food? You know you want to read this.
1. HamBaoBao
Address: 144 Upper Bukit Timah, Beauty World Centre, #04-49, Tel: 9667 5254, Opening Hours: 12pm – 8pm, Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays, Price Range: $4.50 – $5
As its name suggests, HamBaoBao dishes out burgers – and some pretty amazing ones at that. Behind the grill are owners Ryan and Claire, a young couple that believes in good and affordable food. The menu only has five burger options to choose from (The Classic Burger, Broiled Dory Fish Burger, Crispy Pork Belly Burger, Spiced Pull Pork Burger and Ayam Buah Keluak), but it’s clear that each and every one was carefully thought out.
The Crispy Pork Belly burger is as indulgent as it sounds – tender and juicy meat with glistening crispy skin. Something worth mentioning is that the crispy skin was cut into smaller pieces and spread all over the burger, as opposed to leaving a huge chunk of meat in the middle of the burger. This way, you get a mouthful of crispy skin with every bite. It’s all in the details my friends. All in the details.
The Fairy Fries are also worth a mention, especially if you love your burgers with a side of good ol’ carbs (who doesn’t right?). The fries were thick, tasty and just the right texture – a little moist on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.
Crispy Pork Belly Burger & Fairy Fries – $4.50 and $1
If you’re feeling especially hungry, you can also add an extra portion of meat to your burger. Or just get another one – we won’t judge.
2. Nakhon Kitchen
Address: Blk 212 Hougang St 21, #01-341, Tel: 6286 8785 | Address: 136 Bedok North Avenue 3, #01-166, Tel: 6245 5548 | Address: Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, #01-2371, Tel: 6451 1332 | Address: 87 Pasir Panjang Road, Tel: 6473 3396 (Opening Hours: 12pm – 2:45pm & 5:30pm – 9:45pm) | Address: 27A Lorong Liput Holland Village, Tel: 6469 6862 (Opening Hours: 12pm – 3pm & 5:30pm – 10pm, Closed on Wednesdays), Price Range: $4 – 12
It’s no secret that Thai food is a favourite among Singaporeans, and Nakhon Kitchen is one of the better places around here to get your Tom Yam fix.
The dishes are not only delicious, but cheap too – comparable to most HDB zi char stores. With five outlets located in different parts of Singapore, it’s also a pretty convenient option for Thai food.
The price of dishes range from $4 to $12.
Nakhon Kitchen’s tagline is ‘Serving you authentic Thai cuisine’ and indeed, this is as authentic as it gets here. If you’re not convinced yet, its a fact that most (if not all) of their staff members are Thai.
Mango Sticky Rice – $5
3. Ru Ji Kitchen
Address: 44 Holland Drive, Holland Drive Food Centre, #02-28, Opening Hours: 6:30am – 1pm | Address: 51 Old Airport Road, Old Airport Road Food Centre, #01-37, Opening Hours: 7:30am – 1pm (Closed on Mondays), Price Range: $3 – $5
If you’re a fan of fish ball noodles, then Ru Ji Kitchen is the place for you. Known for their huge and juicy fish balls, Ru Ji Kitchen makes theirs fresh every morning. Seriously guys, after having some of these magical fish balls, you’ll never want to go back to regular frozen fish balls ever again. You’ll be able to tell the difference even with just one bite.
Fishball Noodles, $3 to $5
For just $3, you’ll get a (slightly bigger than average) portion of noodles, with three huge (and we mean huge, like a ping pong ball) fish balls and some fishcake slices. The soup is flavourful and goes ever so well with the juicy fish balls.
Although the line to order can get quite long, service is quick and efficient. Definitely worth a try if you’re in the Holland/Ghim Moh area.
4. Immanuel French Kitchen
Address: Blk 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-40, Tel: 9297 3285, Opening Hours: 12pm – 2:30pm & 6pm – 9:30pm, Closed on Mondays, Price Range: $8 – $20
Immanuel French Kitchen is located in unlikely coffee shop Salut in Bukit Merah. For the uninitiated, Salut is an atas kopitiam that houses several affordable gourmet stalls, including Two Wings, Seasalt and of course, Immanuel French Kitchen.
Chef Immanuel Tee, who has worked with well-reputed restaurants like Jaan Par Andre, Restaurant Andre, Keystone and Pastorale (a 2 Michelin Star restaurant in Belgium), has a solid background in the food industry – so the food here has a certain finesse. Basically gourmet food, at wallet-friendly prices.
The signature Pork Belly is a must-try as it is full of flavour and texture. Braised using the Kakuni method, the fat simply melts in your mouth. Even the lean bits of the meat are soft yet firm. The accompanying potato foam was light as mousse, but also rich and creamy.
A generous sprinkling of bacon bits add texture to the potato foam, while small slices of mushroom add a nice earthy flavour. To top it all off, an Onsen egg – so beautiful I could cry – hidden under the potato foam, like treasure waiting to be found. I could wax lyrical about this all day, but you should really just try it for yourself.
Pork Belly – $16.90
5. Druggists
Address: 119 Tyrwhitt Road,Tel: 6341 5967, Opening Hours: 4pm – 11pm (Tues to Thurs) 4pm – 12am (Fri) 2pm – 12am (Sat) 2pm – 11pm (Sun), Closed on Mondays, Price Range: $8 – $16
Next to popular cafe The Tiramisu Hero is another hero, but in beer form. With a total of 23 different types of craft beers (and at affordable prices too, mind you), Druggists is the perfect place to catch up with friends over some good beer and food.
The beer here ranges from $8 to $16 for a ½ pint. Not too bad right?
Even if you’re not a beer connoisseur, the friendly staff behind the counter are more than happy to find you a drink that suits your tastebuds (and size of your wallet). The wall behind the counter is lined with shiny golden taps, gushing out everything from artisan ales to double oatmeal stout.
The side dishes here are also worth a mention – think coffee pork ribs, chicken wontons and sambal fish. Oh, and not forgetting their incredibly delicious potato salad of course.
Cream Ale & Barley Wine – $8 and $16
