East Coast Lagoon Food Village

Most hawker centres give you a ceiling fan. This one gives you the sea.

East Coast Lagoon Food Village is the hawker centre to finish a ride at, and the one to bring out-of-town friends to when you want them to see the sea with their satay. Go by bike, late afternoon into evening, when the grills are getting going, and come with a group so you can work the stalls in shifts. The compromise is access: Bedok is the nearest MRT and it is not a short walk, so plan on two wheels, a bus or a car, and check your stalls are open before a special trip.

Why it works

It sits right on the beach and the park connector at the end of the East Coast cycle path, and the sea breeze does what no ceiling fan in the heartland can. You have probably also earned your dinner, which helps. Grab a table facing the water, send someone for sugarcane or a fresh coconut, and split up.

Start with the charcoal

Haron Satay 55 (#01-55), Muslim-owned, grills chicken, beef and mutton to order over charcoal; order more than you think, because you will. Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken (#01-14), going since 1979, does charcoal wings. Then the stingray: Stingray Forever BBQ Seafood (#01-43) wraps it in banana leaf with sambal for its Hottest Stingray, a name we would take at face value.

Then the wok

Choon Hiang (#01-46) has been frying for more than 40 years and is now run by the second generation, doing both char kway teow and Hokkien prawn mee. Song Kee Fried Oyster (#01-15) puts starch in the batter for crisp edges. Lagoon Famous Carrot Cake (#01-40) does carrot cake black, white or mixed, plus a popiah that won the City Hawker Food Hunt in 2015.

If you want a bowl

Han Jia Bak Kut Teh Pork Leg (#01-42) sits between the peppery and herbal styles, which makes it a reasonable compromise for a mixed table. Hwa Kee BBQ Pork Noodle (#01-45) roasts its own char siu for wanton noodles; order a larger size and you simply get more pork, which is the correct use of a larger size. Ahmad Spring (#01-58), which started in Geylang Serai in 1970, is a second option for wings and satay, with tripe and beef liver skewers for the curious.

How to do it well

Many stalls keep their own days off, and some only open in the evening, so check before you ride out for one particular plate. The centre stays open later on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes those the nights for a long, slow session. Order too much satay, take it to a table facing the water and let the sea do the rest.

What to order

• Chicken, beef or mutton satay · Haron Satay 55 · #01-55Charcoal-grilled to order and Muslim-owned. Order more sticks than you planned.
• Hottest Stingray · Stingray Forever BBQ Seafood · #01-43Barbecued in banana leaf with sambal. Take the name at face value.
• Char kway teow or Hokkien prawn mee · Choon Hiang · #01-46Frying for more than 40 years, now run by the second generation.
• Fried oyster or oyster egg · Song Kee Fried Oyster · #01-15Starch in the batter for crisp edges; the oyster egg is the softer option.
• Charcoal BBQ chicken wings · Ah Hwee BBQ Chicken · #01-14Charcoal wings, going since 1979.
• Carrot cake and popiah · Lagoon Famous Carrot Cake · #01-40Carrot cake black, white or mixed; the popiah won a City Hawker Food Hunt title in 2015.

Good to know Bedok is the nearest MRT, but it is not a short walk; most people come by bike along East Coast Park, by bus or by car. Stall days and hours vary, so check before a special trip.

East Coast Lagoon Food Village | 1220 East Coast Parkway, Singapore 468960 | Nearest MRT: Bedok