Guan Kee Fried Carrot Cake 源记正宗菜头粿 - Black or White? Doesn't matter as long Uncle frying it.

• Operating Hours: 7 AM - 7 PM
• Operating Days: Closed on Mondays
• Address: Albert Centre Market & Food Centre, #01-091, 270 Queen Street, S 180270

Bugis fried carrot cake? Definitely, any locals will tell you this is the stall to come for, but be prepared to queue for at least half an hour.

One fine afternoon when I walked passed this stall and there was no queue! So decided to try them to see if it was really that great. To my disappointment, I would rate it average at best, so much for a queue?! But next thought came to my mind "Is that why there was no queue?"

So I came back later and saw a long queue! And I looked, it was an old spectacled uncle frying the carrot cake, so I have decided to trust the queue and ordered it again. It was satisfying!

As this market is much of a more touristy place, and the aunty was not very good at explaining to the customers what's available, they have decided to make a simple yet clear menu. You could choose between the white (salty) or black (sweet) or half portion of each if you could not decide which to have.

After I took a bite, I could totally understand why the long queue. The Carrot Cake was softer and smoother, the carrot cake haven crispy edge wok hei sesame oil and fish sauce on every bite. Love that it's not too broken up with generous chunks of egg and preserved turnip aka chai po. 

What really makes their carrot cake good is the uncle with his skill and years of experience manning the flames. 

Be sure to only patronize them when you see spectacled uncle frying them, or when you do see a long queue. 

I'm sure to visit them again for more!

Loong Fatt Tau Sar Piah 龍發豆沙餅 - Non-stop queue for Bean paste biscuit

• Operating Hours: 8 AM - 4.30 PM
• Operating Days: Closed on Sundays
• Address: 639 Balestier Road, S 329922

Balestier Road is well known for one snack thanks to Loong Fatt 龍發 - Tau Sar Piah (豆沙饼) translated as Bean Paste Biscuit.

On 1948, Mr Li Fan long opened Loong Fatt Eating House & Confectionery). They only sell cakes until 1972 when they invented this famous Tau Sar Piah.

Within a few hundred meters from this shop, you can find quite a few shops selling Tau Har Piah too. But this shop still stands out from the others. Nothing beats the original!

The shop takes you back in time with all old decorations, even their faded signboard. 

Before entering the shop, there was a strong smell of freshly baked pastries inviting you in.

Full stack of empty boxes ready to be filled with Tau Sar Piah. 

At the shop, they have an open concept kitchen where you can see the bakers at the kitchen where the fresh pastries are freshly baked.

They only serve 2 types of Tau Sar Piah - Sweet & Salty. If you buy more than 5 Tau Sar Piah, you will get them packed in a box, else it will be packed in a plastic bag. 

It's not difficult to separate the sweet from the salty, the sweet version has sesame seeds on the top.

When I brought home my box of 5 sweet and 5 salty tau sar piah, they were still fresh and warm.

The filling was similar to a mooncake’s lotus seed paste filling. They were thick but not too overly thick that will irk you after you ate half of it.

Besides the savoury bean paste, the key feature that sets Loong Fatt apart from the others is the buttery and flaky yet not fragile pastry skin. Normally from other shops, the whole piece will start to fall apart after the first bite.

When it was left out for few hours, the skin was still very crispy. 

Do note the shop do not operate on Sunday and they might close early when the tau sar piah is sold out as early as 3 PM!

I would recommend buying at least a box of 10 for sharing with the family or for pleasing your mother-in-law! Never knew traditional biscuits could be so addictive. 

You Yi Fish Soup 友谊鱼汤 - A nostalgic taste of old school fried fish

• Operating Hours: 10.30 AM - 6 PM
• Operating Days: Closed on Sundays
• Address: Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre, 22A/B Havelock Road, #01-30, S 161022

Havelock road, or old Havelock road to be exact, is a hidden gem with lots of great food. Located within walking distance from Tiong Bahru MRT station, it is not unusual to see many office personnel/students from PSB Academy around this area.

It was lunch hour when we visited this place, and look at the queue! There were at least 10 people in front of me, and a many of them were actually packing more than 1 portion - probably back to their office. 

After waiting for about 25 minutes, it was finally my turn. Most of the people in the queue ordered the signature - Tom Yum Fried Fish, even though the stall offers other items, such as ban mian (板面), sliced fish soup and seafood clear soup, tom yum fried fish soup is the most popular dish that people always order.

There are many combinations you can have when you don't feel like eating rice. Just look at the board and tell the stall owner what you want, and you are done!

Auntie busy cooking my tom yum fried fish noodle.

This portion only cost me $4.00! Look at the generous amount of food given!

The fried fish is the star of this stall. Using an old school type of batter on the outside layer, this bowl of fried fish is golden crispy -- almost as crispy as what you eat at long john silvers! The stall owner insists using fresh fish daily, which means she needs to be at the store from 6 am onwards. Cooking the soup base daily without fail, we were really surprised to know that she is one of the earliest who would open her stall, and leaves only when everyone has left.

Most of the people were queueing for their tom yum soup, and that's no exception for me. Instead of eating rice, I chose ee mian. There are many types of noodle you can choose to mix into the soup. They have bee hoon, ban mian, you mian, Mee Hoon Kuey, Mee sua and of course my favorite ee mian.

That's a mouthful of ee mian with fried egg infused with the tom yum soup. Every mouthful is worth your calories, and the spicy- sour taste from the tom yum soup will make you want to eat more without stopping. 

One bite on the fried fish, you will be amazed by how crispy the crust from the batter is, without comprising the soft and fresh taste of the fish. There is a good balance of flour used and the amount of fish given, which is definitely worth to mention. 

All in all, You Yi Fish soup has won many hearts from people staying/working nearby. It is also frequently patronized by taxi drivers who wanted a nice and filling lunch during their break time.Though they do not operate on Sunday, the stall owner still opens her stall on Sunday to start preparing for the week ahead to ensure every bowl of quality food is served.