Home / Lifestyle / Places / Neighbourhood Eats: Top Treats In Toa Payoh

Toa Payoh, one of Singapore’s oldest housing estates, is also home to lot of delicious food. Whether you’re new to the town or a long-time resident, these yummy picks will have you craving for more!

Chey Sua Carrot Cake

Awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand, this unassuming stall at Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre has been in operation since 1950. The stall is fronted by sisters Shirley and Grace, who upon mastering their father’s culinary skills, took over the stall from him in 1991.

Photo Credit: DanielFoodDiary

The carrot cake is perfectly crispy on one side and lightly fried on the other. The stall offers only the white version of carrot cake.

Photo Credit: DanielFoodDiary

As the stall only operates till 1:00pm and waiting times can stretch up to 1 hour, be sure to get in line early to beat the lunch crowd for this heartland favourite!

Address: Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Lor 1 Toa Payoh, Block 127 #02-30, Singapore 310127

Uggli Muffins

Located at the same food centre as Chey Sua Carrot Cake, Uggli Muffin specialises in—you guessed it—muffins. The store started out as Bliss Haven Restaurant, a zi char stall that sold muffins on the side. Despite muffins being the only item on its menu today, owner Mr. Tan chose to retain the store’s original signboard.

The muffins are available in a variety of flavours, ranging from chocolate to mushroom. What they lack in aesthetics, the muffins make up for in taste. If you’re lucky, you might even find a fortune slip in your muffin, which allows you to exchange it for a free muffin if you answer the question correctly. If you’re unsure about which flavour to go for, Mr. Tan may even oblige with a sample!

Photo Credit: Serene’s Blog

As with all good things, the muffins sell out fast and are usually all gone by lunchtime, so be sure to head there bright and early to snag a share! Uggli Muffins is closed on Mondays.

Address: Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Lor 1 Toa Payoh, Block 127 #02-30, Singapore 310127

The Larder Café

Just a short walk away from the Toa Payoh MRT station is The Larder Café.

Photo Credit: DanielFoodDiary

Featuring industrial-inspired décor, The Larder Café is the perfect place to chill after your key collection or to hang out with your friends.

Photo Credit: DanielFoodDiary

Photo Credit: DanielFoodDiary

While the menu has an extensive selection of main courses, their signature dish is one of their starters – The Dowager’s Fingers. Each ‘finger’ is a prawn wonton delicately rolled into the shape resembling the eponymous finger guards worn by Chinese noblewomen before they are fried. The dish is served with a honey sesame mayo sauce and is a must-try!

Address: Toa Payoh Central, Blk 177, #01-124, Singapore 310177

Ah Chuan Fried Oyster Omelette

Ah Chuan Fried Oyster Omelette has been serving up one of Singapore’s local favourites for over 40 years. Previously featured on Makansutra, this stall was listed as a Hawker Legend in 2005.

Photo Credit: Miss Tam Chiak

The dish comprises Korean oysters, mixed with the perfect amount of flour and egg to get the right consistency of crispy and chewy, and topped off with fresh coriander leaves.

Photo Credit: Miss Tam Chiak

If you’re not a big fan of oysters, the stall also sells the fried prawn version of the omelette too. Do take note however, that the stall is only open past 3:00 p.m. and is closed on Tuesdays.

Address: Toa Payoh Lor 7, 22D,Singapore 314022

Dove Desserts

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What better than a bowl of ice-cold chendol to beat the warm weather? Dove Desserts at Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre is the ideal place to get your next treat.

Photo Credit: DanielFoodDiary

The crushed ice is topped with sweet gula melaka and chendol jelly that’s homemade by the stall. The ingredients are also sourced directly from Malacca, where the owner visits every three months to stock up. For durian lovers, there’s also an option to add durian puree to your chendol – we can’t think of a heartland dessert better than this.

If you’re not much of a chendol fan, the cheng teng, made the traditional way with ingredients like dried persimmon and winter melon, is also a great choice.

Address: 22 Lor 7 Toa Payoh, #01-21, Singapore 310022

Chef Kang Prawn Noodle House

Newly-opened Chef Kang Prawn Noodle House is the third eatery set up by Michelin-starred chef Ang Song Kang, with only two items on its menu.

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The first item is, of course, the prawn noodle. Served with a king prawn and a crispy deep-fried prawn paste pork chop, the soup stock itself is simmered for 16 hours with prawn heads and prawn shells to produce a rich, flavorful stock.

Photo Credit: DanielFoodDiary

The second dish on the menu is the Hot Stone Prawn Paste Spare Ribs Rice. The dish features a crispy prawn paste pork cutlet, served on a bed of white rice, egg and crunchy pork lard, topped with green onions. The rice, heated in a hot stone bowl reminiscent of a claypot rice, is nicely crispy at the bottom.