The 12 Best Foods to Try at Sims Vista Market & Food Centre
Sims Vista Market & Food Centre might not top the charts for the most famous hawker stalls, but it’s a hidden gem for those who love to explore beyond the usual spots.
If you’ve never visited this awesome place, take a virtual journey with me as I eat my way through Sims Vista Market & Food Centre. We’ll check out the best grub it has to offer and where to get them.
Sliced Fish Soup at Hock Heng Cooked Food
— Media from leskovci_88
Stall: 01-31
Contact: +6562255632
Hours: Daily (except Tuesdays), 5–10.30 AM
Price: $
You can’t go wrong with the sliced fish soup at Hock Heng Cooked Food. It’s comforting and simple, just like how we locals love it. The small seafood noodles are just under S$5 and come with two big prawns and fresh slices of Batang fish (Spanish mackerel).
The fish slices come with the skin on. They’re soft and tender, with a gentle savoury-sweet taste that’s just right. No fishy taste at all!
Pro-tip: Extra patience is required, as the queues can get long and some aunties have been known to queue jump!
Chicken Rice at Green Chilli Chicken Rice
Stall: 01-09
Contact: +6582800096
Hours: Daily, 10.30 AM–1.30 PM
Price: $$
You have to come to this stall for one thing—its signature dish (hint: the shop is named after it!). It might look spicy with all those green chillies but don’t worry, it’s nothing you can’t handle.
The flavours are amazing—a perfect mix of savoury, sweet, spicy, and tangy. The chicken is tender and tasty, and the basmati rice is cooked just right—really fluffy and fragrant.
Pro-tip: Want more of that side soup? It’s self-service, so get as much as you can sip.
Braised Duck at Tai Dong Teochew Duck Rice
— Media from jamietan04
Stall: 01-04
Contact: +65 9476 2449
Hours: Tuesday to Wednesday, 10 AM–5 PM; Fridays, 10 AM–4 PM; Saturdays, 10.30 AM–2 PM; Sundays, 10.30 AM–4 PM
Price: $
As a hungry office-goer in the area, Tai Dong Teochew Duck Rice became one of my top lunch spots. The braised duck meat is tender, and the soy sauce-based gravy is super aromatic.
The real highlight, though, is the vinegary, succulent sauce they pour over the rice and meat. I highly recommend asking for an extra bowl of that braised sauce. It really takes the meal to the next level.
Pro-tip: Don’t forget to try the veggies. They’re a great mid-meal palate cleanser.
Mutton Briyani at Dubai Express
Stall: 01-02
Contact: +6562255632
Hours: Daily, 6.30 AM–3.30 PM
Price: $$
Though slightly pricier, the mutton briyani at Dubai Express is a must-try. The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender with a slightly gamey taste that pairs perfectly with the achar (pickled veggies) and curry eggplants.
The recipe is over 100 years old, and it shows. You get crispy papadum, curry, and plenty of tender mutton with fragrant spiced rice—unlike other stalls that skimp on the meat.
Pro-tip: You can also find neatly packed traditional treats here daily, like lopes (glutinous rice cakes) and puttu mayam (string hoppers).
Duck Rice at Hollywood Braised Duck Rice
— Media from tonyfoodsage
Stall: 01-73
Contact: +6590843407
Hours: Daily, 9.30 AM–3.30 PM
Price: $
The braised duck here is super tender and comes with a thick, gooey, mildly herbal, and sweet-savoury sauce. The stall serves white rice cooked in braised sauce, yam rice, porridge, and kway chap (flat rice noodles with a light herbal stock).
The combo of dark sauced rice, porridge, or noodles with braised duck gives me so many great options, it’s sometimes a real dilemma which carb to pick!
Pro-tip: Don’t forget to add some of the homemade chilli for dipping. It complements the meat nicely.
Nasi Ayam Penyet at Warong HJH Kamisah
— Media from foodiestory_koala
Stall: 01-13
Contact: +6562255632
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 6 AM–1.30 PM; Saturday to Sunday, 6–10.30 AM
Price: $
Warong HJH Kamisah offers Indonesian staples like mee rebus (noodles in a thick gravy), lontong (rice cakes in coconut milk), tauhu goreng (fried tofu), ayam penyet (smashed fried chicken), and ikan penyet (smashed fried fish).
Its nasi ayam penyet set comes with a huge fried chicken thigh, a side of flavorful soup, and two kinds of sambal for spice lovers!
Pro-tip: The stall tends to sell out before closing time, so get there early.
Fish Porridge at Loo Kee Fish Soup Fish Porridge
— Media from miketeh
Stall: 01-71
Contact: +6562255632
Hours: Wednesday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday, 10 AM–5 PM
Price: $
For me, Loo Kee is the perfect stall for a light and guilt-free meal. I can taste the freshness of the tender Batang fish. The soup is extra sweet, thanks to the seaweed the cook adds during cooking.
It’s fresh seafood soup that’ll make your day. For just S$5, you get two each of large prawns, meatballs, cuttlefish, crabsticks, slices of fish, plus some tofu and vegetables.
Pro-tip: The fried fish soup may look milky, but rest assured the stall doesn’t add milk. The milky soup base comes from the emulsified fried fish!
Beef Rendang at Nain Food Stall
— Media from happybateer
Stall: 01-07
Contact: +65 9367 5757
Hours: Daily, 7 AM–7 PM
Price: $
Nain Food Stall is my go-to for nasi padang (Indonesian rice with various dishes) in Sims Vista. The selection isn’t huge, but its staples like beef rendang (spicy beef stew) and ayam masak merah (red-cooked chicken) always hit the spot.
The prices are reasonable, and the service is friendly. Simple, down-to-earth, and tasty—just how I like it, and as a Muslim friend put it: “just like Mama used to make.”
Pro-tip: Another must-try here is the prawn crackers which are unfortunately not available all the time.
Hainanese Chicken Rice at Keng Nam Chicken Rice
— Media from eatwithroy
Stall: 01-15
Contact: +6562255632
Hours: Daily, 9 AM–6.30 PM
Price: $
Though it’s not as popular as other stalls mentioned here, I believe Keng Nam Chicken Rice (since 1958) is a must-try.
The chicken rice here is quite nice. I had half a bowl of fragrant, fluffy rice with a lot of tender, smooth chicken. For S$6.50, it’s a good deal.
The stall only serves steamed chicken, and it’s one of the best. I actually enjoyed eating the skin!
Pro-tip: Go for the chicken drumstick with extra fragrant rice for a satisfying meal.
Mini Mooncakes at Jia Confectionery
Stall: 01-46
Contact: +65 8198 7393
Hours: Daily, 6.30 AM–8 PM
Price: $$
Lots of confectioneries in hawker centres offer resold sweets and pastries made elsewhere. But at Jia Confectionery, most of the products are made in-house.
I swear by its swirly Teochew puffs, which come in different flavours. My favourite is the purple potato one.
During major festivals, the stall also sells seasonal treats like mooncakes and pineapple tarts. The mini crispy mooncakes are cute, delightful, and not too sweet.
Pro-tip: Check out the variety of flavours available aside from the stall’s pineapple tart-based pastries.
Kopi at Heng Wang Coffee Stall
— Media from thesilverchef
Stall: 01-40
Contact: +6562255632
Hours: Daily, 5 AM – 2 PM
Price: $
Really good but really cheap coffee: never the twain shall meet? But oh, at Heng Wang Coffee Stall, they do.
Starting at just 70 cents for a cup, its Nanyang style kopi here has an amazing fragrance and a rich, flavourful taste.
There are plenty of coffee stalls around, but Heng Wang is hands down the most popular, and for good reason. Its black coffee is robust and delightfully fragrant, and the tea is just as good.
Pro-tip: The stall opens at 5 AM, so get your affordable coffee fix at the crack of dawn.
Soybean Milk at Soya Bean Drink
— Media from taroxtaco
Stall: 01-27
Contact: +6562255632
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 7 AM–3 PM
Price: $
The simply named “Soya Bean Drink” stall at Sims Vista is always drawing a crowd. The queue here rivals some of the cooked food stalls, especially on weekends, with regulars coming back for their favourite soya bean drink.
I love its traditional style soya bean milk. It has that nostalgic taste from the sugar syrup and a strong bean fragrance. For a little over S$1, it’s a great price for a taste of kiddie memories.
Pro-tip: You can ask for less sugar if you’re watching your sweets intake.