Newton Food Centre

Everyone in Singapore has an opinion on Newton. Most of them were formed before the carrot cake arrived.

Newton is worth an evening if you treat it as a shortlist rather than a buffet: a handful of stalls with real history, surrounded by a reputation it has spent decades earning. It suits a first-timer, a late supper after Orchard or a visiting friend who wants the film set. The main compromise is the seafood, where pricing is vague and touts are not, so agree a price and a weight before anything goes in the wok.

Both sides of the argument have a point. Complaints about overcharging go back to the 1980s, and in a 2009 case six American tourists were billed S$491 for one meal. Yet when Michelin published its 2025 Bib Gourmand list, Newton had five stalls on it, more than most food centres can claim. The trick is knowing which counters earned which.

A little history explains the place. Newton opened on 1 January 1971 as Newton Circus Hawker Centre, one of the government's first two purpose-built homes for street hawkers who had been cooking along Bukit Timah Road. It survived a 1990s plan to knock it down, closed in 2005 for a S$4.8 million rebuild and reopened in 2006. Then Crazy Rich Asians put it on screen in 2018, and the visitors' shortlist wrote itself.

So head for the names with history. Heng, at #01-28, has been frying carrot cake since 1971 and was on the 2025 Bib list; order it black, white or mixed, and go early if you dislike queues. Kwee Heng (#01-13) does Teochew braised duck over rice or noodles, also Bib-listed; come before the dinner rush rather than late in the evening. Kwang Kee Teochew Fish Porridge (#01-20), run by the second generation after more than 60 years, is the lighter counterweight to all the evening grease: get the fried fish soup or the dual-fish version.

After dark, Hup Kee Fried Oyster Omelette (#01-73) is a one-dish stall that has never needed a second dish. Alliance Seafood (#01-27) is the Bib-listed chilli crab stop, sold at seasonal prices, so ask before you order. Song Kee Teochew Fish Porridge (#01-37) joined the Bib list as a newcomer in 2025. For something Muslim-owned and earlier in the day, Hajah Monah Kitchen (#01-83) does nasi padang with beef rendang for breakfast and lunch.

How to do it well: go after sunset, when the heat has eased, and split up – one person on carrot cake, one on oyster omelette, one guarding the table. The hawker plates cost more than in the heartlands but not wildly so (the fuss is mostly about seafood, which is where to keep your wits about you). Newton MRT is a short walk away. Order from the list, check the bill, and you will leave wondering what the argument was about.

What to order

• Carrot cake (black, white or mixed) · Heng · #01-28Frying carrot cake since 1971 and on the 2025 Bib Gourmand list. Go early if you don't want to queue.
• Teochew braised duck rice or noodles · Kwee Heng · #01-13On the 2025 Bib Gourmand list. Come before the dinner rush, while there is still duck to be had.
• Fried fish soup or dual fish soup · Kwang Kee Teochew Fish Porridge · #01-20On the 2025 Bib Gourmand list; over 60 years old and now run by the second generation. The light option at a heavy hawker centre.
• Fried oyster omelette · Hup Kee Fried Oyster Omelette · #01-73A single-dish evening stall. Order it as your second plate, not your only one.
• Chilli crab · Alliance Seafood · #01-27On the 2025 Bib Gourmand list. Crab is sold at seasonal prices, so ask for the price and weight first.
• Nasi padang with beef rendang · Hajah Monah Kitchen · #01-83Muslim-owned breakfast-and-lunch stall; the beef rendang is the one to order.

Good to know Newton MRT is a short walk away. Seafood stalls price by weight or season, so confirm the cost before ordering, and check individual stall hours, which vary.

Newton Food Centre | 500 Clemenceau Avenue North, Singapore 229495 | Nearest MRT: Newton