As Easties, my friends and I enjoy hanging out in Paya Lebar on weekends. While we normally stay around the surrounding malls, we changed things up on our recent visit and cycled around the quiet industrial park located just behind the bustling SingPost Centre. That’s when we stumbled upon Thye Hwa Heng Canteen: an old-school canteen hidden amongst a sea of red-brick warehouses, serving up wallet-friendly eats.
We were greeted by a row of makeshift planters with colourful Chinese lanterns swaying gently above them.
Stepping through the small doorway, we were wowed by the large dining area. It was huge, with more than enough space to fit over 100 people.
The open-air space was cool and breezy, thanks to the giant ceiling fans.
There are 12 stalls to choose from, offering a variety of cuisines—Chinese, Malay, Indian and more.
Being huge fans of prata, our first stop was Indian Muslim Food.
While their storefront includes photos of several rice and noodle dishes, they only offer prata in two flavours: Plain ($2 for two) and Egg ($3 for two). Each plate also comes with a bowl of Fish or Dhal Curry.
Despite being loaded with eggs, the Egg Prata was crisp and flaky, serving as the perfect vessel for soaking up the spicy-tangy fish curry.
While waiting for our prata, we noticed a “Makansutra Two Good” award proudly displayed by the Kim Kee Noodle stall next door. Turns out, they’ve been selling wonton mee for nearly three decades, so we had to give them a try!
We loved their signature Dry Wanton Mee ($4), featuring firm yet springy mee kia topped with tender slices of char siew, crispy fried wonton, and choy sum, tossed in a delicious sweet-savoury soy sauce, served alongside a bowl of soup with pork and prawn-filled dumplings.
Following the crowd a few stalls down, we joined the queue for Nur Padang Selera next, which offers several Malay dishes, including Nasi Lemak Fish ($2.50) and Mee Rebus ($3.50).
Being the cheapest item on the menu, we had our eyes on the Nasi Lemak, but sadly, the friendly makcik told us it had sold out earlier in the morning. Instead, we were recommended the Mee Rebus.
For just $3.50, we were more than satisfied with our plate: a load of yellow noodles cooked to a perfect al dente, coated in a thick, sweet-savoury sauce, and garnished with springy tau pok, green chillies, tau gay, fried shallots, a hard-boiled egg, and a squeeze of lime.
Another popular option is the Stewed Soup stall, serving up individual soup pots from just $4.
The Bak Kut Teh ($5) was a banger: meaty pork ribs, carrots, scallions, and dates in a herbal broth.
Thye Hwa Heng Canteen is located along Eunos Avenue 6, a nine-minute walk from Paya Lebar MRT Station.
For more hidden food courts, check out Changi Airport T2 staff canteen or Billion Food Point in Jurong East.
Address: Thye Hwa Heng Canteen, 29 Eunos Avenue 6, Singapore 400029
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7am to 8:30pm, Sat 7am to 8pm
Tel: 6747 9645
Thye Hwa Heng Canteen is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Jordan Ong.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.