For those who grew up in the West side of Singapore, Ng Kim Lee Confectionery would be a name familiar to you. A family-run bakery situated along Chun Tin Road, Ng Kim Lee Confectionery is known for selling Teochew-style pastries and traditional Western cakes at affordable prices.

Here’s why you should pay a visit to this bakery the next time you are in the Upper Bukit Timah area.

Step back into time once you reach the doorstep of Ng Kim Lee Confectionery. From traditional patterned tiled floors to the blue Bostwick collapsible gates (aka shophouse grilles), these are just some reasons why this humble bakery has stayed popular with many Singaporeans for more than 60 years.

Pastries always taste best freshly baked, and this is exactly what you’d get at Ng Kim Lee Confectionery. One of their top-selling bakes is the mini butter muffins.

At just S$0.70 per piece, you’d be able to sample many of their flavours without feeling the pinch. As we arrived rather late in the day, we only managed to pick up a couple of their Strawberry Muffins and Jam Muffins. These mini butter muffins had a balanced taste and was not overly buttery.

Other popular pastries that we sampled were the Honey Chicken Siew Pao (S$1.60 per piece) and Portuguese Egg Tart (S$1.50 per piece). The crust of the Honey Chicken Siew Pao was crispy and when cut, revealed tasty chicken chunks enveloped by a buttery flaky crust. The filling of the Portuguese Egg Tart had a slight milky flavour and its pastry was not overcooked.

If you fancy something sweeter, Ng Kim Lee Confectionery offers a decent spread of traditional Western cakes for your picking. We were told that the Durian Mousse Cake (S$3) and the Yam Mousse Cake (S$3) were their most popular flavours. Though you’d expect these ingredients to have strong flavours, both cakes were soft, slightly sweet, and light in flavour.

You can also pick up childhood snacks (such as Iced Gems, Pig Ears at S$3 per packet), Tau Sar Piah (S$4.50 per packet) and Walnut Biscuits (S$3 per packet) here. A tip: As their freshly baked pastries sell out quickly, we recommend visiting the bakery earlier in the day. Elsewise, drop by to enquire about their daily baking schedule so that you can pick up your favourite bakes fresh out of the oven.

Ng Kim Lee Confectionery
4 Chun Tin Road
Singapore 599591

Thanks to the downtown line, it is easier for us to explore other parts of Singapore in search of hidden food gems. And when it comes to hidden gems in Singapore, who can deny that Beauty World is amongst the top of most foodies’ lists? A secret food haven brimming with cosy cafes and eateries that serve tasty, affordable nosh, this enclave has it all.

We have here a list of great places that sell mouth-watering food. These places are located 5 minutes away from the MRT, so all you need to do is hop on the train, get off at Beauty World and then walk there!

Photo Credit: Buta Kin

BUTA KIN RAMEN 

Never would you expect to find good quality ramen in Singapore for under S$10. However, Buta Kin has managed to do just that. They sell restaurant-quality ramen in generous portions for S$6.90 a bowl, and we love how they are not stingy with their ingredients. Each bowl comes filled to the brim with thick slices of chashu, black fungus, nori, and a soft boiled egg.

144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #04-28
Singapore 588177
Daily: 11.30am – 8.30am
(Closed on Mondays)

CARPENTER & COOK

This is probably the most popular at Lorong Kilat that is both a vintage home store and cafe, with some of the prettiest cakes. This is the ideal spot to rest and relax with a nice warm cup of coffee and a book.

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19 Lorong Kilat, #01-06,
Singapore 598120
Tel: +65 6463 3648
Mon to Fri: 10am – 10pm
Sat: 9am – 10pm
Sun: 9am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Beauty World

G7 SIN MA CLAYPOT LIVE FROG 

To some, the idea of eating frog porridge may sound a bit squeamish. However, don’t dismiss it too quickly because frog porridge is actually really delicious! If you’re a first timer looking for a good place to try frog porridge, this would be a great place to try. The frog here is very sweet and tender, and tastes just like chicken — if not better!

5 Cheong Chin Nam Road
Tel: +65 64677317
Singapore 599730
Daily: 12pm – 3am

Photo Credit: Eatalltheyumz

HE ZHONG CARROT CAKE 

Tucked away in Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre is He Zhong Carrot Cake, which hands down sells some of the best white carrot cake in Singapore. For just S$2.50, you get an incredibly generous portion of chunky, springy and fragrant carrot cake that is great to chow down by yourself or to share around. For an extra kick, you can dip it in their tangy homemade chili sauce.

Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre
#02-185, Upper Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 588215
Thu to Tue: 6am – 8.30pm
Wed: 6am – 1am

Photo Credit: Jew Kit

JEW KIT CHICKEN RICE 

This place sells some really great chicken rice, and is a great place to go to when the chicken rice cravings hit you hard. The chicken served here is incredibly tender and silky, and it goes really well with their fragrant rice. Order a whole chicken to share around if you’re planning on going in a big group!

Bukit Timah Shopping Centre
170 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #B1-16/17/18
Tel: +65 64632637
Daily: 10am – 9pm

Photo Credit: Limpehtakemeto

JOO SENG TEOCHEW PORRIDGE AND RICE 

Joo Seng Teochew Porridge is one of our go-to places when we need to have our Teochew porridge fix. They have a plethora of ingredients to choose from, and it’s all very affordably priced. This place is great for a gathering with family and friends as you can order and try more dishes to share around.

14 Cheong Chin Nam Road
Singapore 599738
Tel: +65 64630768
Daily: 10am – 4am

KINDRED FOLK 

Tucked away in the new KAP Residence Mall is Kindred Folk, a charming double-storey ice cream cafe that serves a decent selection of unique homemade ice creams such as Roasted Rice Milk Tea and Wasabi. Besides ice cream, they also sell mains such as pasta and chicken drums.

9 King Albert Park
#01-09, King Albert Park Shopping Mall
Singapore 598332
Tel: +65 69283043
Daily: 12pm – 10pm

Photo Credit: Remintheeatingplace

PROSPERITY SEAFOOD WHITE BEE HOON 

Seafood White Bee Hoon is becoming a popular food item for a lot of Singaporeans these days, and it’s not hard to understand why. There is something incredibly satisfying about a steaming plate of white bee hoon that’s accompanied by a copious amount of seafood. Prosperity Seafood Bee Hoon does this job well and sells must-try white seafood bee hoon.

Bukit Timah Hawker Centre
51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-182
Singapore 588215

Photo Credit: Jessalynnnhoe

SIN CHEW SATAY BEE HOON 

Satay Bee Hoon is one of the less raved about dishes here in Singapore, and we feel like it deserves more attention because it’s so sinfully good! Sin Chew does a good job of making a plate of satay bee hoon, and its hard to resist their plate of rice vermicelli smothered in a copious amount of sweet and savoury satay sauce.

Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre
51 Upper Bukit Timah Road #02-162
Singapore 588215
Wed and Thu: 5pm – 10pm
Sat and Sun: 11am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 10pm
(Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Friday)

Photo Credit: Kianzoid

XIE KEE HOKKIEN MEE  

Xie Kee Hokkien Mee is hands down one of the best Hokkien mees we have ever tried in Singapore, and its never-ending long snaking queues can attest to that! What makes them special is that they use flat noodles instead of the usual yellow noodles. The noodles soak up the gravy really well and have that satisfying touch of wok hei to it.

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-174
Singapore 588215
Daily: 11.30am – 11pm

Photo Credit: Platgal 

ZHONG ZHONG FINE SPICE  

If you’re looking for a stall that specialises in ngoh hiang, this is the place to be at. They have a decent variety of ingredients here such as crispy prawn fritters, you tiao, yau kwa, whole stuffed squid and pink sausages. We love dunking it in the pink sweet sauce for a sweet touch!

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-149
Singapore 588172

Photo Credit: The.coolbean

ZHOU PIN PORRIDGE  

We feel that Zhou Pin porridge does not get as much credit as it deserves. This humble stall sells a wide range of porridges that are great for a rainy day or if you’re looking for some comfort food. Each bowl comes with a long, crunchy stick of you tiao, and the owners are very generous with their servings of porridge. 

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-149
Singapore 588172

Read: Beauty World Food Centre Guide – 8 hawker gems to try