I usually go hiking in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and will lunch at Beauty World Food Centre after the hike. Most of the food in the food centre are nice but I can't list all of them here. So, I will highlight the stalls that I frequent most. Do try the other stalls of your choice when you are there.
1. Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice (香港玫瑰油鸡面饭)
This soya sauce chicken noodle rice stall is lesser known to many people but for people who have tried it, they will definitely go back again — including me. During lunch time, the stall is never without a queue, so go early.
I will always order the soya sauce chicken noodle added with barbecue pork. Both the chicken and barbecue pork are tender and juicy. The springy noodle is accompanied by soya sauce that has a distinctive rose flavour.
Another of my favourite here is the shrimp dumplings noodle or soup (usually with 3 pieces of big shrimp dumplings). Wrapped in each dumpling is generous number of whole shrimps with minced meat. Savour the crunchiness on each bite!
Location:
#04-48
Operating Hours:
12pm to 7pm | Closed on Wednesday
2. Penang Home-Made Beef Ball (槟城自制牛肉丸)
I have eaten at this stall several times, trying each of its different styles of beef noodle. Other than its homemade beef balls noodle, I have also tried the mixed beef noodle, braised beef hor fun (white flat noodle) and beef fried rice.
My usual pick is the braised beef brisket and tendons noodle. The soft tendons have became a must-have in any of my orders at the stall ever since I tried it the first time. For those who love collagen-rich food, go for the tendons.
Location: #04-43
Operating Hours: 10am - 7pm | Closed on Thursdays
3. Feng Ji Shu Shi Char Kway Teow (豐記熟食炒粿條)
Traditional char kway teow with cockles has always been my soft spot and Feng Ji Shu Shi (or Feng Ji Cooked Food) is one of the few char kway teow outlets that I usually go to when I have cravings for fried noodle.
Feng Ji char kway teow is surprisingly not oily and the sweetness is just nice. The cockles are usually slightly cooked to make it less raw although I will like it slightly raw. To be on the safe side of food safety, it is always better to serve the cockles slightly cooked.
Location: #04-45
Operating Hours: 12pm - 7:30pm | Closed on Mondays
4. Jin Li Satay Bee Hoon (锦利沙爹米粉) - CLOSED
Jin Li Satay Bee Hoon stall is a new stall of few months in Beauty World Centre but has attracted attention of diners who frequent the food court. Always eager to try new stuff, I tried their signature satay bee hoon with pieces of fresh cuttlefish and prawns. The peanut sauce is not too thick, not oily and just right without the overpowering peanut flavour.
Jin Li serves laksa dish too. As laksa is also one of my favourite, I went for it several times. The laksa noodle is topped with tau pok (tofu puff), prawn, half a hard-boiled egg and slices of fish cake. I like the smooth coconut-curry gravy that does not induce choking when drinking it. Laksa is available on weekends only.
5. Hong Wen Mutton Soup (红炆羊肉汤)
For many years, Beauty World Food Centre is one of those few places to look for good Chinese mutton soup to warm the body. Today, Hong Wen is the only stall in the food centre that sells it. And fortunately, it does not disappoint. I have eaten the mutton soup here for more times than I can remember.
I will usually order mutton soup although I will go for a mix of mutton and lamb stomach for more textures on some occasions. The mutton is tender and the stomach is chewy. And I just love the herbal soup. It is not oily as compared to Indian-Muslim's sup kambing.
Location: #04-20
Operating Hours: 11am - 8pm | Closed on Mondays
6. HamBaoBao - CLOSED
The name "HamBaoBao" is a mixed of English and Chinese pinyin for "hamburger", and the stall serves none other than just hamburgers. The western stall is a hot favourite among youngsters and foreigners who visited Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. A waiting time of 15-20 minutes is minimum if you are not the first few customers of the day.
HamBaoBao has just a few items on its menu: classic beef burger, dory fish burger, crispy pork belly, spiced pulled pork burger and buah keluak minced chicken burger with additional options of thick fries and bacon.
After checking with the stall owner on the mysterious "buah keluak" burger, I went ahead to try the bitter-spicy chicken burger — bitterness is never an issue for me as a bitter-coffee drinker. And I like the special-taste burger. I have also tried the beef burger and will be back again for the others.
7. Ah Song Noodle House (亚松卤面家) - CLOSED
For several months, Ah Song Noodle House closed its stall and I thought they had retired. But it re-opened for business a couple of weeks ago. Is this a sign that Beauty World Food Centre may be continuing operation for longer term?
I like Ah Song's lor mee because the gravy is not too starchy and it's full of flavours. The amount of vinegar, garlic and sambal chili are well-balanced without either one overpowering the others — I usually let them add the condiments so I will not upset the balance myself. To have more ingredients, ask for lor mee without the fatty pork and they will replace it with other stuffs like fried dumpling or more slices of 5-spice sausage roll, whichever available.
Updated: 4th August 2018
8. Victory Thai Boat Noodle
Apart from the food centre on the 4th floor, there is also a Thai food shop on the first floor that we visited several times since it started operations. Victory Thai Boat Noodle is a nice place to go for Thai boat noodles and other Thai food at reasonable prices.
Victory's signature dishes are beef or pork boat noodles. Other Thai dishes include varieties of rice dishes, salads, curry dishes, etc, and also desserts like mango glutinous rice and iced red ruby. I like the beef boat noodle and have ordered it almost every time I visited the shop.
Location:
#01-09
Operating Hours:
11:30am ~ 3pm, 4pm ~ 8:30pm | Daily
Try more local food in Chinatown: