Maxwell Road Food Centre

Feast (pun intended) on the sights of locals from all walks of life frequenting this famed hawker centre. Well dressed executives from nearby offices, artsy types dwelling in conserved shophouses of a post-war era, students, aunties and uncles converge here simply for one reason - cheaply priced quality food served in a large variety to drool over.
 
Hawker centres are a common sight in Singapore with main dishes costing from a cool S$2 to snacks from as low as 40 cents per piece. Maxwell Food Centre located at the rustic and lively Chinatown is perfect to indulge in local food in between sightseeing that is easy on the wallet. 
 
Have an authentic Teochew (one of the major dialect groups in Singapore) porridge meal (Teochew Rice and Porridge, Stall 98). Piping hot porridge that slides down your throat paired with sides dishes from homecooked vegs, seasoned fried minced pork, steamed fish garnished with slices of chilli and ginger and more. Or tender Chicken Rice (Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, Stall 10) that’s lip smacking good when dipped in spicy garlicky (family’s secret) chilli sauce piled upon fragrant rice.
 
If you are feeling ballsy, end off your meal with a sweet potato snack (Fried Sweet Potato Dumpling, Stall 76)! Pop-into-your-mouths ping pong sized balls of sweet potato that comes in an array of fillings from sweet lotus paste to finely chopped vegs or simply settle for the au-naturel sweet potato ball that costs a mere 40 cents. Sweet and savoury, it’s darn addictive.  
 
Grab a seat and a cuppa Kopi-gao (thick milk coffee), mingle with the locals and as they say food bonds people. Bon Appétit!
 
 
 
 

A stall that reinvigorates and tantalizes even the most cynical Singaporean tastebuds when it comes to piping hot chicken rice. Add a dash of sinfully sweet black sauce and a chilli/ginger mix that's so addictively spicy and tangy that it's not hard to find the locals heaping copious amounts over the dish. Couple with this the friendly and chatty (when there aren't peak lunch hour queues) staff and a hop away from bustling Chinatown, you won't find another chicken rice dish of a similar league anywhere else in this sunny island.

And at a paltry, ridiculously value-for-money S$2.50, you'll definitely be calling for encores.

The food centre provides a wide range of delicious food as the vendors compete with one another for business. Prices of the food are generally reasonable.

I would recommend

1. Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
It's served with a large portion of rice which is fragrant and delicious. The chicken meat is also very tender and tasty with the smooth skin. It's a little cool when served as they dipped the chickens into cold water. The chilli is also spicy enough complementing well with the rice and chicken. 

2. Fuzhou Oyster Cake
The oyster cake is wrapped with fillings including oyster, prawn, minced pork and peanut. However, the taste of the oyster is still strong with the other ingredients complementing one another, giving it an unique taste of its own. The oyster cake is definitely worth a try though it's oily. 

3. Zhen Zhen porridge
There's a wide variety from fish to century egg porridge. Generous servings of century egg. Fresh fish which goes with the porridge. In addition, the porridge texture is also good. Though there will always be a long queue, it's still worth the wait.

This food centre is definitely worth a visit!