The Original Vadai Opens At Boon Lay MRT Station With $1.20 Prawn Vadai And More

The Original Vadai opens at Boon Lay MRT

Image credit: @y_lyn

Since launching its first-ever physical store in Century Square just last year, The Original Vadai has rolled out seven more outlets, with its latest one located in Boon Lay MRT Station.

The popular family-run business used to be a regular fixture at pasar malams AKA night markets around the island since the 2000s.

Image credit: Maslinda Ariffin FB

The newest Boon Lay branch officially opened its doors on 4 November 2022, where patrons were treated to a free Prawn Vadai (U.P. $1.20) each.

Each round is painstakingly prepared by hand: a small amount of batter is hand-shaped, and then topped with prawn or ikan bilis. It’s then thrown into the hot oil and deep-fried till golden brown, with some rounds of light tossing in between.

Image credit: @bobo.fooddiary

The result is a light, crispy, and savoury fritter that’s full of flavour, amped up with a natural sweetness from the prawns. It’s served fresh and best eaten warm with green chillies for added spice.

There are other flavours available too, such as Ikan Bilis ($1.20), but the prawn topping seems to be the most popular pick.

Image credit: @theoriginalvadai

We’ve also seen a unique Chocolate Vadai ($4.50) making its rounds on social media last year, but there’s no telling if this sweet flavour will be available at the newest kiosk.

The Original Vadai’s queues can get rather long during peak timings, so do avoid the rush hours when residents in the area leave for work and return from the office.

If you’re in the hood, head down to the newly opened Wen Li Taiwanese Food in Boon Lay for $3.50 lu rou fan and hearty oyster mee sua! Otherwise, travel a little further for more food options in Jurong East, including cheap Teochew kueh and Din Tai Fung-style fried rice.

Featured image adapted from