Berseh Food Centre: 12 stalls to try at this local favourite in Jalan Besar

1. Kelantan Kway Chap • Pig’s Organ Soup

Why visit? A Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, Kelantan Kway Chap Pig’s Organ Soup has built a name for itself in the local food scene over the years and remains one of the hawker centre’s most popular stalls. 

It serves Teochew-style kway chap (flat, broad rice noodle sheets) alongside pig’s organ soup. While it’s a rather odd combination — since most stalls do one or the other — the stall somehow manages to do both equally well, drawing regulars to brave the long queues. 

Crowd favourites: Most people opt for the kway chap (S$5.50). Its broth is herbaceous, piled with braised pork belly, skin, trotters, intestines and duck. It’s a generous plate, and arguably the stall’s most value-for-money meal. 

The pig organ soup (from S$5) is the more underrated of the two offerings. You get a robust and peppery broth with just enough heat to warm you up, and it’s filled with pig’s liver, stomach and bouncy meatballs. Don’t skimp on the homemade chilli as it’s a favourite among regulars. 

2. Fu He Delights

Why visit? Known mainly for its turtle soup, Fu He Delights serves up this dish that’s rooted in Chinese culinary tradition, as turtles are seen as a symbol of longevity. It’s a dish that few restaurants, let alone hawker stalls, offer.

The stall’s menu was once far more extensive, but since Berseh Food Centre’s renovation, it has been whittled down to a handful of adventurous options for diners willing to branch out beyond the usual hawker fare. 

Crowd favourites: Its claypot-stewed turtle soup (from S$25) remains Fu He’s claim to fame. According to traditional Chinese medicine, this aromatic, faintly sweet herbal soup is believed to nourish the blood and support kidney health. 

For something bolder, the XO crocodile soup (from S$25) is worth trying, while a newer addition, the mutton soup (from S$8), offers a lighter option for less adventurous diners.

For more exotic dishes around Singapore, check out this guide.

3. Fatt Noodles

Why visit? Arguably a touch lesser-known compared to its popular neighbours, Fatt Noodles has still managed to build its own steady stream of loyal customers, helped by the fact that it’s one of the few stalls at Berseh Food Centre serving fishball noodles.

Everything on the menu, from the fishballs to the dumplings, is handmade in-house daily, a detail that ensures each ingredient has the perfect texture.

Crowd favourites: Don’t leave without trying the fish cake (from S$2). While pre-packed versions are easy enough to find at any supermarket, nothing matches the fresh, springy bite of the ones made here, with a subtle sweetness that’s hard to replicate. 

For a fuller bowl, the fish cake fishball noodles (S$6.50) brings together fishballs, meatballs, a fried dumpling and a fish cake in one serving, with noodles and a light broth on the side. The noodles won’t wow you, but everything else more than makes up for it.

4. Hot & Cold Dessert

Why visit? A nostalgic stop for old-school hawker desserts, Hot & Cold Dessert’s name may seem unassuming but it’s carved a small following for keeping old-school hawker desserts alive at Berseh Food Centre. 

While some dessert stalls have an icier, almost crunchy consistency, the ice at Hot & Cold Dessert is fine and fluffy, which makes it a good base for many of the sweet and refreshing desserts it serves. The stall is also generous with its portions and toppings across the board, which explains why it keeps drawing regulars back. 

Crowd favourites: At a S$2 price point, the ice kacang is hard to beat. The soft ice is piled high and drizzled with the colourful syrups and toppings. There are different variations in flavour such as durian ice kacang and honeydew ice kacang (S$2.50 each), though nothing on the menu goes past S$3.50.

Prefer something without ice? The bo bo cha cha (S$2) swaps in a fragrant, coconutty base, loaded with chunks of yam, sweet potato, and tapioca cubes. Do note that the stall only accepts cash.

5. Sheng Kee Curry Chicken Noodle

Why visit? Sheng Kee Curry Chicken Noodle flies under the radar compared to Singapore’s more famous curry noodle stalls around the country and while it doesn’t boast snaking queues, it certainly doesn’t lose out on flavour.

Behind the wok is a hawker uncle with over two decades of experience as a chef, including a stint at hotels such as Marina Bay Sands. He chose to specialise in curry chicken noodles because so few stalls at Berseh Food Centre, or hawkers in general these days, still serve it, and he wanted to help keep the dish’s tradition alive for a new generation.

Crowd favourites: There’s only one item on the menu here — curry chicken noodles. Prices range from S$6 for the smallest bowl to S$9 for the largest bowl. Pick your noodles from thick bee hoon, normal bee hoon, kway teow or yellow noodles. 

The curry base is brewed from chicken bone and chicken fat stock with no added MSG, giving the base a nostalgic old-school character. It’s finished with the stall’s own housemade hae bee hiam paste, which the owner spent years tweaking, just to get the flavour right. 

6. Hui Ji Local Delights

Why visit? Hui Ji Local Delights built its name on its strong wok hei, turning out fried hawker staples such as char kway teow and carrot cake with a distinctly smoky kick. It may not have as big a following as some of the other stalls around the centre, but it still pulls a steady stream of regulars so expect waits of up to 20 minutes during peak hours. 

Crowd favourites:  Go for the fried prawn Hokkien mee (from S$6), tossed with a good char and a generous handful of prawns, or the seafood fried kway teow noodles (from S$5), flat rice noodles wok-fried with a mix of seafood and a similarly smoky edge.

We’re particularly partial towards the black fried carrot cake here (from S$4). The radish cake cubes are nice and chewy, pan-fried with eggs and chye poh (fermented daikon radish) that gives the dish its signature savoury flavour. Though pan-fried to have a slight crisp, the carrot cake remains moist.  

7. Beef Kway Teow Mee (Sungei Road)

Why visit? Tucked towards the side on the first floor at Berseh Food Centre, Beef Kway Teow Mee (Sungei Road) keeps its menu narrow — it serves only the soup version of its namesake dish, with a light but flavourful broth. 

That broth comes from hours of daily simmering with bones and spices, giving it real depth. It’s the kind of bowl that hits hardest on a rainy day, ladled out by the warm auntie who runs the stall.

Crowd favourites: The beef noodle soup (from S$4) is hard to beat for the price. It comes with a choice of kway teow, yellow noodles, or thick rice noodles. Add 50 cents if you prefer to have a bowl of rice.

For the full experience, you can opt for the mixed bowl, which includes beef, soft tendon, and tripe. Prefer something simpler? The beef slices version skips the extras but keeps the same broth. The stall is cash only, so come prepared. 

8. Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake

Why visit? A traditional Fuzhou snack that’s rarely seen on menus today, Fu Zhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake wraps a savoury mix of oysters and minced meat in a crisp, deep-fried batter. It’s an old-school fare that’s become increasingly hard to find in the hawker scene. 

Everything is made to order so expect a short wait during peak hours. The upside is you’re handed a buzzer after ordering, so you’re free to explore the rest of Berseh Food Centre while your cake is being made and fried fresh.

Crowd favourites: The oyster cakes are available in regular (S$3) or upsized (S$3.50) versions. Both are generously filled with oysters, prawns, and minced pork, with the latter simply piling on more of the same ingredients.

Every component of the oyster cake holds its own, from the plump prawns to the well-seasoned minced pork — all of them come wrapped in a batter that turns golden and crisp outside but stays soft and fluffy inside. Dab on the stall’s housemade chilli for a little extra heat, too!

9. Mei Xiang Black & White Fish Soup

Why visit? If you’re the indecisive sort, Mei Xiang Black & White Fish Soup might be right up your alley. It offers just one thing on the menu — fish soup, and you don’t even get to choose between sliced or fried fish, since it only comes as a mix of both.

The stall also has a strict list of house rules: no takeaways, no asking for less rice, and no free extra chilli. Despite the fuss, the queue rarely lets up, and it’s not unusual for the stall to sell out well before its stated closing time.

Crowd favourites: The fish soup set (S$6.50) comes with a fixed bowl of rice. The broth itself isn’t the thick, milky kind, but leans light and clean, laced with sweet cabbage and a scattering of egg floss, with enough ginger in the background to give it a fiery kick.

While the service at this place can be a little brusque, there’s one thing customers can agree on: Mei Xiang’s chilli is what makes the stall stand out. Sharp, tangy, and packing real heat, it’s the one thing regulars agree makes the stall worth the trip. Approach with caution, though, if you don’t take too well to spice.

10. Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang

Why visit? Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang puts a spin on the usual coconut rice, pairing it with ayam Taliwang (grilled or fried chicken served in a spicy, sweet chilli marinade), a Sasak speciality from Lombok. 

As a chain, it keeps later and more consistent hours than many of its neighbours at Berseh Food Centre. It also stands out as one of the few halal stalls in the hawker centre. If you need even more reasons to try this, the brand has also been featured in the Michelin Guide before and the service here is attentive and prompt, too.

Crowd favourites: The menu is quite extensive, but the namesake nasi lemak ayam Taliwang (S$7.80) is the one to order. Fragrant coconut rice is accompanied by a sunny-side-up egg, a scoop of ikan bilis and peanuts for crunch, sambal, and a chicken thigh topped with its signature taliwang sauce. The sauce itself has just enough heat without overpowering the plate.

If you want something spicier, go for the nasi lemak ayam balado (S$7.80). The plate is built in the same way, but swaps in a sour, fiery sambal balado in place of the Taliwang sauce — it’s one for the spice lovers because its deep red colour itself shows you what you’re in for.

11. Northern Thai Tom Yam

Why visit? There’s a telltale sign a stall’s food is good — it’s when it only serves one thing, and Northern Thai Tom Yam is just the case in point. Its specialty is a northern Thai-style tom yum that leans on chilli oil and fried shallots for tang instead, resulting in a smokier, less acidic bowl. 

The stall itself has been a fixture around the Jalan Besar area for a while, having previously operated near Jalan Besar Stadium before settling into Berseh Food Centre and building up a loyal following along the way. PS: The stall is cash only so make sure you head to the ATM before you pop by.

Crowd favourites: Its menu keeps things simple: a northern-style tom yum and a clear version, both loaded with fried and steamed fish, deshelled prawn, and tofu. Go for the N.T. tom yum soup (S$5.50) for the creamier option — rich and well-balanced, but gentle enough for tom yum beginners, too. 

Add rice, noodles, or bee hoon for an extra 60 cents, though the thin bee hoon tends to hold up better in the soup than the stall’s Koka noodles.

12. Jalan Besar Mutton Soup

Why visit? Run by an elderly couple who’ve spent years perfecting their herbal broth, Jalan Besar Mutton Soup’s recipe has built a devoted following for its rich and aromatic broth, with a faintly minty aftertaste, yet still tastes really balanced overall.

The popularity does come with a trade-off, though, expect fairly long waits during peak hours as the stall’s competitive pricing and variety have earned it many regulars. Depending on what you order, you can expect to pay anything from S$6 to S$35 for your soup. 

Crowd favourites: A quick visual survey around the stall shows tables filled with its signature claypot herbal mutton soup (from S$15) and diners often pair it with the taro rice (S$1).

For something simpler but with plenty of variety, opt for the mutton meat + tripe + meatball + tendon (S$10). You get a taste of the different cuts the stall offers to help you determine your favourite for your next visit.