A stall selling dishes such as nasi lemak and mee rebus for a mere $2.50 may seem too good to be true. But for a neighbourhood like Jalan Kukoh, known for its rental flats, The $2.50 Shop can mean a lot to its residents.
You’ll find The $2.50 Shop tucked away in a small Jalan Kukoh coffeeshop, an eight-minute walk away from Chinatown MRT Station. Manning the stall is Hani Isnin, 40, who along with her 70-year-old parents, offer a wide variety of Malay dishes, with most priced at just $2.50.
We recommend you try a plate of their Mee Rebus ($2.50), which we reckon will certainly warm the soul.
We liked the sweet-savoury gravy, with a mild spiciness that made the yellow noodles extra slurp-worthy. The boiled egg, shallots, sliced green chilli, and squeeze of lime rounded off this classic dish.
While their Nasi Lemak ($2.50) doesn’t knock it out in park flavour-wise, having nasi lemak priced that low is simply a great bargain.
Joining coconut rice are fried chicken, roasted peanuts, ikan bilis, cucumber slices, and a pile of sweet sambal chilli—all the components you’d need for nasi lemak.
Other dishes worth checking out include Mee Soto ($2.50), Nasi Goreng ($2.50), Bakso ($2.50) and more. The last of these is particularly good on a cool day, as its hot, beefy broth and Indonesian meatballs make it quite the comforting treat.
You can even get some house-made Kueh-Kueh as well, with a single piece starting from $0.80.
For more affordable eats in Singapore, read out stalls with dishes that are $3 or less guide. For fresh $1 dim sum in Bishan, read our Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao review.
Address: 1 Jalan Kukoh, #01-16, Singapore 161001
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 3:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 9097 2420
Website
The $2.50 Shop is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Photos taken by Paula Formantes.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.