The Singaporean love for affordable and delicious hawker grub is matched only by our enthusiasm for queues. There’s plenty of both at the newly-opened Senja Hawker Centre in Bukit Panjang, with almost all of its 580 seats packed with diners during 8days.sg’s Friday afternoon visit five days after its grand opening on December 11.

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Curious crowds

Prices across the 28 stalls in the social enterprise hawker centre (operating under the FairPrice Group) average at around $3 to $5 per dish. But all stallholders here are also required to sell an affordable main dish priced between $2.80 to $3.50.

These reasonable prices – and the usual hype surrounding new hawker centres – might account for why the breezy food centre was heaving on a weekday. It was most crowded at peak lunch hour at noon till around 2pm.

In typical kaypoh Singaporean fashion, we checked out the three stalls with the longest queues. 

1. Amoy St Lor Mee (longest queue!)

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Amoy St Lor Mee was the stall with the most impressive queue during our visit, stretching almost 20-people deep along the corner of the hawker centre. 

The popular brand’s history stretches back to the ’60s, where it was run by owner Lee Kian Huat’s father from a push cart along Keppel Road.

It later moved into Amoy Street Food Centre before relocating to Whampoa Drive Food Centre where it currently resides. It also has three other outlets in a Jurong East and Ubi coffeeshop, as well as Fernvale Hawker Centre.

Verdict: Can queue

Was our $3.20 bowl of yellow noodles, prawn fritters, fish nuggets and braised pork belly slices swimming in a thick gravy worth the 25-minute wait? We think so: the gravy is nicely seasoned and countedpoint by a sharp pungency from a good amount of minced raw garlic (though our foodie photographer feels that it would be even better with a stronger hit of vinegar). 

The toppings pass muster too, with pleasantly crisp fish nuggets and fritters contrasted with tender pork belly slices.

2. Heng Gi Goose And Duck Rice

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Heng Gi Goose And Duck Rice is another well-known name at the hawker centre. The brand, which has operated for more than 60 years, is popular for its Teochew-style braised duck (they no longer sell geese due to import restrictions). The new Senja branch is their only other outlet apart from their HQ stall at Tekka Centre.

Verdict: Can consider

The $5.50 duck rice set comes with fishcake chunks, half an egg and braised peanuts alongside sliced duck breast on lor-drenched white rice. We dig the salty-savoury Teochew-style braise of the duck, though we find the lean breast meat somewhat dry. If you’re going to queue, maybe fork out a bit more for the juicier drumstick ($6) instead.

3. Shi Nian Pig Leg Rice

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Shi Nian (which translates from Mandarin to ‘stone years’) is a rebranding of well-loved Lin Ji Pig Leg Rice, which was first established in Albert Centre Market & Food Centre in 2019 (by the family behind also-popular Bai Nian Niang Dou Fu and Nic & Tom Eatery). It quickly expanded to nine outlets across Singapore (about half of which are franchises) with stalls at Bedok, Lavender and Chong Pang Food Centre.

The queue is similar in length to Heng Gi's and moves quickly as well – we get our food within 10 minutes.

Verdict: Can queue

The stall sells both a trotter and shank rice bowl for $5.90. We opt for the latter, which comes with gelatinous slices of unctuous, fatty pork soaked in a mellow soy sauce braise. Delish dipped into their piquant chilli, between spoonfuls of rice and crunchy pickled mustard greens.

Honourable mention: Munchi Pancakes

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While mod min jiang kueh stall Munchi Pancakes doesn’t have the longest queue when we first arrive – we spot about 10 people waiting for their pancakes at noon – it maintained a consistent line throughout our visit. By 3pm, it was one of the few stalls that still had a longish queue.

The stall is popular for its charcoal or matcha-tinged pancakes topped with everything from classic peanut to strawberry cheese or Belgian choc (from $1.30). It also sells smallish stuffed pancakes from $1.40 each. 

Although we didn’t have the time to sample it during our visit, we enjoyed their fluffy, crisp-edged peanut pancake the last time we last had it at their original stall in Yishun Park Hawker Centre. Munchi Pancakes also has outlets in Fernvale Hawker Centre and Lau Pa Sat.

Honourable mention: Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun

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The branch of family-run Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun also boasts a decent queue of around five to six customers, similar to its original stall at Pek Kio Market & Food Centre (operating since 2009). 

You can also get their cheong fun – featuring thin hand-made rice sheets with prawn or char siew slathered in a savoury soy sauce – at their other outlets in Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and The Marketplace @ 58 in new Upper Changi Road.

Senja Hawker Centre is at 2 Senja Close, S677632. 

Photos: Alvin Teo, Alvin Lim

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