East side, best side?
Bedok is no short of food options, with Bedok 85 (Fengshan Food Centre), Bedok Interchange Food Centre, and many neighbourhood coffee shops all fighting for stomach space.
And Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market has its own steady crowd, especially in the morning.
Located near Bedok MRT and Heartbeat@Bedok, the food centre has a good mix of old school stalls, newer hawker brands, breakfast favourites, and queues that form before you even decide what to eat.
The food centre was recently in the news after tuberculosis clusters were linked to parts of Bedok Central, including Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market.
Some hawkers and merchants reportedly saw reduced footfall after that, and support measures such as rental rebates and service and conservancy charge waivers were announced for affected businesses.
Authorities have also said that eating at the food centre remains safe.
Even though I do not stay anywhere near Bedok, I still made a few trips down to support the hawkers and try the stalls one by one.
(Of course, there is only so much stomach room, so this guide is based on what I managed to eat, plus stalls that stood out during my rounds.)
Here are the stalls you can try at Bedok 216 Food Centre:
Chris Kway Chap
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-80
Opening Hours: 8:30am – 1:30pm (Wed – Sat), Closed Mon, Tues, Sun
Clean-Tasting Kway Chap With Comforting Braised Platter
Chris Kway Chap is one of the stalls that regulars at Bedok 216 would probably point you to, especially if you are there early enough.
The stall opens only four days a week, and the queue can build up quite fast, so this is not quite a “walk in anytime” kind of meal.
The standard plate comes with the familiar kway chap mix of pork belly, intestines, pig skin, tau pok and braised egg, along with a bowl of flat rice sheets in a dark broth.
The braised items are not the most heavily flavoured around, but they are cleaned well, which is probably why the stall works even for those who are more cautious about innards.
Sin Ho 星河
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-75
Opening Hours: 10am – 2pm, 5pm – 8:30pm (Wed – Sun), Closed Mon, Tue
Fish Soup By Day, Zi Char By Night With Popular Prawn Paste Chicken
Sin Ho 星河 is one of the few stalls that keeps Bedok 216 Food Centre lively later in the day.
After 5pm, the stall switches to zi char, with dishes such as prawn paste chicken, red grouper head with bittergourd, sambal lala, sweet and sour pork ribs, and hor fun.
That explains why you may see a quieter hawker centre, but several tables still waiting for food from this stall.
The Prawn Paste Chicken is probably the dish most people would zoom in on. The wings come fried till golden with rough, craggy edges, giving them a good crunch when served hot.
It may not look fancy, but it has that old-school zi char appeal that feels right in this neighbourhood hawker centre.
Prawn & Mee
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-54
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 2pm (Tue – Sun), Closed Mon
Modern Prawn Noodles By Young Hawkers With A Hearty Stock
Prawn & Mee is one of the newer generation hawker stalls at Bedok 216, run by young hawkers Gladwin and Raphael, who previously operated Plum & Rice before switching to prawn noodles.
The stall keeps the menu fairly focused, with Prawn Noodle and Pork Ribs Prawn Noodle available in dry or soup versions.
The dry version comes with noodles tossed in chilli sauce, pork lard, fried shallots, kang kong, peeled prawns and chunky pork ribs, with soup served on the side.
I like that the prawns are already peeled, because that makes the bowl easier to enjoy without the usual finger work.
The soup also has a fuller prawn and pork bone flavour that gives the bowl some depth.
Ah Fu Prawn Noodle 阿福虾面
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-78
Opening Hours: 7am – 11:30am (Mon, Tues, Sat, Sun), Closed Wed – Fri
Old-School Prawn Noodles That Still Pull A Morning Queue
Ah Fu Prawn Noodle is one of the familiar breakfast stalls at Bedok 216, with a queue that can start forming early in the morning.
You can get prawn noodles served in dry or soup versions, and add-ons such as pork ribs, pig tail and intestines for those who want a fuller bowl.
The dry version comes with springy noodles tossed in chilli, bean sprouts and prawns, with a bowl of soup on the side. The chilli gives the bowl more lift, while the soup leans lighter rather than strongly prawny.
Straightforward, old-school hawker taste.
OMMA Chicken Soup
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-58
Opening Hours: 8.30am – 1:30pm (Tue – Thurs), 8.30am – 1:30pm, 5pm – 7:30pm (Fri – Sun) or till sold out, Closed Mon
Korean Chicken Soup From Young Hawkers With Michelin Kitchen Experience
OMMA Chicken Soup is one of the newer stalls at Bedok 216, serving Korean-style chicken soup at hawker centre prices.
The recipes are said to be crafted by two chefs from a one-star Michelin Korean restaurant, and the broth is slow-simmered for eight hours without MSG, pork or lard.
The menu is quite neat, with Ginseng Omma, Collagen Omma and Spicy Collagen Omma, along with mee sua and porridge versions if you prefer something lighter.
I would not expect the richness of a full restaurant-style samgyetang, but for below $10, it is a satisfying option when you want something warm, soupy and a little different from the usual soups.
Char Siew Wan Ton Mee 德明叉烧云吞面
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-08
Opening Hours: 7am – 1pm (Mon – Sun)
Old-School Dunman-Style Wanton Mee With Fiery Chilli
Char Siew Wan Ton Mee 德明叉烧云吞面 at Bedok 216 carries the Dunman Food Centre name on its signboard, which should catch the attention of wanton mee fans.
The stall serves a more old-school style of wanton mee, with springy egg noodles, char siew slices, vegetables, boiled wantons and soup on the side.
You can also choose normal spicy or super spicy, though the latter is probably not for everyone first thing in the morning.
The noodles are slightly thicker than the usual mee kia, with a firm bite that holds up well against the chilli sauce.
Needless to say, the chilli is the ‘main character’ here, bright, punchy and quite assertive, so go easy if you are not used to heat.
Han Kee Fish Soup
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-46
Opening Hours: 10am – 2:30pm (Tue – Wed, Sat – Sun), Closed Mon, Thurs, Fri
Light, Comforting Fish Soup With A Loyal Bedok Queue
Han Kee Fish Soup at Bedok 216 is not related to the famous Han Kee Fish Soup at Amoy Street Food Centre, though the shared name may confuse some first-timers.
This Bedok stall has its own following, with a steady queue that starts before lunch. The owner is said to have been selling fish soup since 1979, and the stall has been at this food centre for many years.
The bowl leans towards the lighter, homely side, with clear soup, sliced fish, tofu and vegetables.
It is not the most intense or rich fish soup around, but the broth has a clean savoury taste, helped by preserved vegetables and herbs.
Joo Chiat Chiap Kee 如切捷記
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-31
Opening Hours: 6am – 1:30pm (Thu – Tue), Closed Wed
Handmade Fishballs From A Stall Around Since 1965
Joo Chiat Chiap Kee 如切捷記 is one of the old names at Bedok 216, with the signboard stating that the stall has been around since 1965.
It is best known for handmade fishballs, served with fishball noodles, mee pok, kway teow soup, and fish dumplings.
The fishballs are the main reason to order from here, with a bouncy bite that feels different from the more generic factory-made versions.
Chai Chee Cai Tou Guo 菜市菜头粿
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-55
Opening Hours: 5am – 1pm (Mon – Fri), Closed Sat, Sun
Crispy Carrot Cake Sticks So Nostalgic
Chai Chee Cai Tou Guo 菜市菜头粿 is one of those stalls you may not notice at first, until you see people walking away with paper packets of fried carrot cake sticks.
Instead of the usual black or white chai tow kway fried with egg, this stall keeps things old-school and simple.
The menu usually includes carrot cake, yam cake, yam cubes and the more eye-catching carrot cake strips, which are cut into thick sticks before being fried till golden.
The carrot cake sticks have a crisp outer layer, while the inside stays soft and slightly chewy.
I would say it is best eaten on the spot, when the edges are still crisp and the paper packet has not trapped too much steam.
What The Puff!
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-27
Opening Hours: 6:30am – 2pm (Mon – Sun)
Handmade Modern Curry Puffs By Young Hawkers
What The Puff! is a young hawker brand that started at Changi Village before expanding to Bedok 216 and other locations.
The stall is run by a younger team, which is still quite uncommon in the curry puff trade.
There is a good range beyond the usual potato curry puff, including sardine, cheese curry, char siew chicken and black pepper chicken.
It is not the punchiest curry puff around, but it makes for an easy breakfast or tea-time snack, especially when eaten freshly fried.
Read more at: What The Puff! (Bedok 216 Food Centre)
Daoxiang Yummy 稻香
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-77
Opening Hours: 6am – 1pm (Mon – Sun)
Old-School Chee Cheong Fun, Yong Tau Foo And Rice Dumplings
‘s menu can look a little confusing at first, but it mainly revolves around chee cheong fun, yam cake, yong tau foo, mock goose and rice dumplings.
There are also combo sets if you prefer not to think too much.
The chee cheong fun is known to be soft and slippery, soaking up the sweet sauce and chilli without turning too mushy.
Add the fried mock goose and you get a useful crunch against the smoother rice rolls, which is probably why this combination works.
Read more at: Daoxiang Yummy 稻香 (Bedok 216 Food Centre)
Generation Coffee
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market #01-32
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 10:30am, 11:15am – 3pm (Mon – Sat), Closed Sun
Hawker Coffee Stall Bridging Kopi And Specialty Coffee
Generation Coffee brings a slightly different kind of caffeine stop to Bedok 216 Food Centre, especially for those who want more than the usual kopi stall options.
The brand was founded by ex-air force engineers who wanted to bring traditional kopi and specialty coffee closer together.
The menu includes espresso-based kopi, white coffee, lattes, Spanish Latte, Dirty Matcha and filter-style options, depending on what is available that day.
The kopi is prepared using an espresso machine rather than the traditional sock method, so you get a cleaner and slightly more controlled cup.
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