Joo Seng Food Place – Incredible Hawker Dishes In An Unassuming Coffeeshop

Joo Seng Food Place is a hidden gem we stumbled upon while sussing out new food places around the Tai Seng neighbourhood that caters to the lunch crowd for office workers in the area. Situated along Joo Seng Road, the coffee shop is pretty out of the way and you probably wouldn’t give it a second glance if you walked past it.

However, if you do end up at Joo Seng Food Place, you will find a plethora of delicious food that is mostly only known to residents, office workers and the Gurukas who live in the vicinity. So if you happen to be around the area, here are the top five dishes that are seriously worth travelling to Joo Seng Food Centre for.

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#1 SEAFOOD FRIED RICE 

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The Zi Char stall here is admittedly one of the best parts of the entire food centre. Besides a wide variety of seafood, rice and noodle dishes that are perfect for communal dining, they also serve food such as steamboat and black pepper crab.

A highlight here would be their Seafood Fried Rice which comes in S$4, S$5 and S$6 portions. Even the smallest portion is extremely substantial and should satisfy even the heartiest of eaters. The fried rice is doused in black sauce and comes with generous servings of fresh prawns, squid and fish.

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#2 SEAFOOD FRIED BEE HOON

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Another dish from the zi char stall to try is the Dry Fried Bee Hoon (S$5) which features bee hoon tossed with a variety of sauces and ingredients creating a burst of flavours. The dish comes with crunchy cabbage, steaming hot bee hoon and generous servings of squid, prawns and fish.

Have it with their chilli padi for a spicy kick!

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#3 SEAFOOD MEE GORENG

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Another highlight at the zi char stall is their Fried Mee Goreng (S$5), a dish popular with many diners. The cook creates his own version of this classic dish by serving it just slightly wet with the yellow noodles coated in spicy gravy. Patrons can also expect it to come with crunchy vegetables, succulent prawns, tender squid and fish for a wholesome meal.

We love how the noodles are cooked perfectly and have a delicious bite to them. If you’re a fan of spicy noodles, this dish will surely hit the spot!

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#4 FRIED COMBO CARROT CAKE

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One of the best dishes in this food court is the carrot cake. The shop–which also sells Kway Chap, Fried Kway Teow, Oyster Omelette and more–specialises in carrot cake.

They sell traditional white and black carrot cake and you can also get the Fried Combo Carrot Cake (S$4/S$5) version which is basically half a plate of white carrot cake and the other half comprising black carrot cake. The carrot cake is soft without being too mushy and came with packed with flavours from the cai poh.

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#5 LAKSA

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Just beside the zi char stall, you will find a fishball noodles stall that also offers minced meat noodles and laksa. A hearty bowl of laksa (S$3) there is served with fresh cockles, fish cakes and tau pok that soaks up the gravy and crunchy bean sprouts.

The broth is spicy and aromatic, so every mouthful is flavourful–just like how a good bowl of laksa should be. For those who enjoy spice, we recommend adding extra chilli to your dish for that added oomph.

If you’re in the area, Joo Seng Road Food Place is certainly one to try out. Aside from our top picks, the food centre also has Chicken Rice, economical rice, Indian food, a mini bakery and more.

Joo Seng Food Place

1 Upper Aljunied Lane
Singapore 360001
Nearest Station: Tai Seng