Grab Full House Mission: Two kinds of dining in Jalan Besar
Newly crowned Singapore’s coolest neighbourhood for 2026, Jalan Besar has always rewarded hungry diners. Long before its cafes, bars and hip restaurants arrived, the neighbourhood was already known for local favourites, including pork organ soup stalls and Henghua cuisine.
Today, the area brings those worlds together. Traditional restaurants sit near cocktail bars; coffee and ice cream are an easy stroll from decades-old eateries.
Jalan Besar’s old and new dining identities are best reflected by both Ming Chung Restaurant and Habibi-san. One restaurant preserves generations of Henghua cooking, while the other brings a Japanese-Mediterranean izakaya and its live-fire menu to the neighbourhood.
Behind these stalls and restaurants, you’ll find real people who live for their food, their craft, their diners. We tell their stories and their dreams, brought to you by Grab Full House Mission.
Ming Chung Restaurant
Ming Chung’s story harks back to the 1930s, when late founder Ho Ah Tong sold white lor mee (known then as rickshaw noodles) to rickshaw riders. The family-run restaurant later moved to Jalan Besar in the 1980s and has remained closely tied to its Henghua roots.
For Vivian Ho, the founder’s great granddaughter and Ming Chung’s marketing executive, carrying that family legacy comes with weight. “It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s also nice to share Henghua cuisine with the younger generation who are not familiar with it,” she says.
The neighbourhood around the restaurant has changed noticeably. Growing up, Vivian remembers more traditional restaurants serving Henghua cuisine, as well as pushcarts.
Today, she sees more cafe businesses alongside the older establishments. “It’s a good mix of modern versus traditional foods,” she observes.
That mix shapes a meal here. Vivian brings friends to the family restaurant for traditional Henghua food, then heads out for coffee or ice cream nearby.
When it comes to Ming Chung’s offerings, first-time diners should start with Ming Chung’s white lor mee (from S$6.20). Its white noodles are braised and cooked in a seafood broth. The noodles traditionally used in Henghua cuisine also stand out for being thicker than usual.
Another highlight is the fried bee hoon (from S$6.20). The fried bee hoon is much finer than the version many Singaporeans may be used to, and is stir-fried with seafood broth and includes ingredients such as prawn and squid. As Putian (where the Henghua people are from) was a coastal city in China, seafood is a key feature of Ming Chung’s dishes.
A fried batang fish (from S$12), paired with the restaurant’s signature chilli sauce, rounds out Vivian’s three recommendations. The deep-fried fish stands out for its crispiness and freshness.
Vivian adds that the restaurant’s food also incorporates a lot of thick wholesome broths. This is a nod to Henghua culture, where such broths filled up the stomachs of rickshaw riders who needed a lot of fuel to go about their day.
When asked to describe Ming Chung’s food in three words, Vivian chooses “home, wholesome, and heritage”.
The people are as important as the cooking. Long-time customers have formed friendships at the restaurant, and often run into one another when they return. “The restaurant has created a community that we really enjoy having,” Vivian says.
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Habibi-san
Habibi-san represents a newer side of Jalan Besar. It is a Japanese-Mediterranean izakaya with a huge focus on live-fire items, drawing inspiration from the food cultures of the Mediterranean and Japan.
The restaurant opened in 2020 at Haji Lane, and relocated to Jalan Besar in 2024. While Haji Lane was an important part of its journey, the team chose Jalan Besar because they wanted the restaurant to become more of a destination for the community.
Habibi-san’s general manager, who goes by Kalai, describes Haji Lane as a vibrant and nightlife-driven tourist spot, while Jalan Besar feels “very neighbourhood-like, cosy and family-oriented”.
Habibi-san now serves a diverse mix of local guests, nearby residents, tourists who make a trip specifically for the restaurant, and regulars who work in the area.
Kalai sees that variety reflected across the neighbourhood.
“You can have a kopitiam, cocktail bar, new restaurants, and cafes all within walking distance of each other,” he says. “There’s something for you to do at 10am, 4pm or even 2am.”
For first-time guests at Habibi-san, Kalai recommends the “Feed Me” omakase-style tasting menu, which runs to roughly eight to 10 dishes depending on the night.
The tasting menu moves through the restaurant’s dips, small plates, proteins, and dessert, showcasing what Habibi-san is all about.
Several signatures have stayed on the menu since the restaurant’s early days. The chickpea hummus (S$14) folds Japanese touches into a Mediterranean staple with macadamia nut tahini and Japanese ikura on top.
The babaganoush, or roasted eggplant (S$13), uses Japanese sesame paste in the tahini, topped up with sakura bits for texture. Both dips are also best paired with the warm pita bread (S$3).
Habibi-san’s Brussels sprouts (S$25) are a crowd favourite, paired with jalapeno, red cabbage pickles, and shredded bonito.
As for the Atlantic sea bass (S$54), it is paired with yuzu, beurre blanc, miso butter and ikura. The fish is cooked skin-side down over charcoal to achieve that crispy texture.
The drinks are worth exploring, too. The LSM (S$24), Habibi-san’s take on a lychee martini, combines sake, aloe vera, lychee, and lemon. The Levant (S$23) is a zesty twist on the classic mojito, with fresh mint, lime, and a whisper of whey.
Supporting Jalan Besar businesses
Ming Chung Restaurant and Habibi-san are part of Grab Full House Mission, an initiative launched to strengthen small F&B businesses in a fast-changing dining landscape.
In partnership with Enterprise Singapore, Grab Full House Mission enables these businesses to stand out — online and in person — while inviting diners like you and me to discover them through Grab’s delivery deals and Dine Out promotions.
Until October 31, diners will enjoy up to 15% off their total bills at Ming Chung Restaurant, Habibi-san and other participating Grab Full House Mission businesses. Diners can apply promo code “JB20” for an extra 20% of the total bill, at lunch and dinner only.
It is an invitation to make a day or night of the neighbourhood: Begin with a meal at a long-standing heritage restaurant, try something cooked over live fire, then stay for coffee, ice cream or a late-night drink nearby.
Check out the full list here.
This article is in partnership with Grab and Enterprise Singapore.
For more ideas on what to eat, check out Second Thoughts, a chill bar in Jalan Besar, or the first instalment of Grab Full House Mission in Tanjong Pagar.
Rebecca Wong is an experienced freelance writer whose work has been featured in The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia, to name a few. She gravitates towards topics like food, travel and human interest stories, and cannot resist a hearty plate of chicken rice or freshly kneaded pizza.
Read more stories from this writer.
