While Yishun is known for making strange news headlines regularly, some good does exist in this bizarre neighbourhood.

Nestled amongst HDB flats in Yishun, Heng Hua Restaurant is a hidden gem which serves authentic Heng Hwa delights and a wide variety of zi char dishes at pocket-friendly prices. You can expect to find mouth-watering Chinese food that is perfect for your family.

A stone’s throw away from Yishun MRT Station, this eatery is one great destination you must visit if you are ever in the vicinity.

The Stir-Fried Yam Slices (S$10) is a classic Heng Hwa dish that we hardly see in Singapore. These bite-sized delights are coated in a sweet-savoury sauce and then deep-fried to a slightly golden colour. The yam was extremely soft and it would simply melt away in your mouth in a matter of seconds.

The one dish that you must order is the Heng Hua-Style Fried Bee Hoon (S$4.50). This popular dish features vermicelli stir-fried with clams, topped with beancurd puffs, peanuts and dried seaweed. Not only did the vermicelli had hints of the seafood flavour from the clams, the crunchy peanuts and seaweed made the dish even more addictive.

If you prefer a dish with more ‘soup’ or gravy, try the Heng Hua-Style Lor Mee (S$4.50) instead. Served in a rich pork broth, this dish was packed full of umami flavour that had us slurping down everything. Pair this with some Stir-Fried Yam Slices to balance out the savoury flavour with some sweetness.

Another must-order item is the Deep-Fried Tenggui Fish (S$10). Deep fried to perfection, the fish is moist on the inside and golden brown on the outside.

Dip your fish with some of their special homemade soy-based sauce and chopped garlic to highlight that sweet fish flavour.

The eatery gets pretty packed during the weekends and we highly recommend calling in for reservations. Nevertheless, service here is very efficient so you will never have to wait that long for a table.

Heng Hua Restaurant
748 Yishun Street 72
#01-212 Singapore 760748
Tel: +65 6756 1762
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest station: Yishun MRT

Putian Flavor Food—not to be confused with the Putien chain of restaurants—is a small, humble restaurant hidden in Lorong Ah Soo which serves authentic and delicious Heng Hwa food from the Fuzhou province in China at a fraction of restaurant prices.

In a nutshell, what you can expect to find in this hidden gem is comforting, light and tasty food at its best. The one dish that you surely must order is the Fried ‘Hing Wa’ Bee Hoon, an umami-packed noodle dish that brilliantly encapsulates the qualities of Heng Hwa cuisine—light, healthy but packs serious flavour.

The eatery itself is rather small and can probably only seat 20 people on the inside and 10 to 15 people outside at a time. Nevertheless, service here is pretty efficient so, despite a crowd, you will never have to wait that long for a table.

Boasting an extensive menu of authentic dishes from Fuzhou—from cold and warm starters to comforting mains—this is the perfect spot for a casual family dinner.

A simple dry noodle dish, the Fried ‘Hing Wa’ Bee Hoon (S$5 for small) is a common staple in many restaurants dedicated to Putian-style cooking. The strands of bee hoon were springy and soaked up the briny flavours of the clams and prawns well. The addition of dried seaweed and peanuts added nice umami and textural quality to the dish as well.

For those who find this noodle dish a tad bland or dry, we highly recommend that you add in a dollop of their homemade chilli sauce that you can find in the condiment tray—it really heightens the dish tenfold!

The ‘Putian’ Lor Mee (S$5 for small) was an absolute showstopper. Served in a rich and creamy broth, the noodles were cooked till soft and the aroma of the soup alone was enough to get us salivating. Besides the noodles, this dish comes chock full of other ingredients such as clams, prawns, mushrooms, pork belly and vegetables.

For a real treat, stir in some of their chilli sauce.

For a decent tummy filler, consider the Fried Oyster Egg (S$10). The oysters are plump and fresh and the egg is expertly fried without being oily.

When it comes to pig innards, it is either you adore it or regard it with disgust. For us, we absolutely love it to bits and the Halogen Large Intestine (S$8) served here did not disappoint. Braised in a sweet and lightly spiced gravy, the pig intestines were tender and oozing with delicious porky flavours.

Putian Flavor Food
121 Hougang Avenue 1
#01-1350
Singapore 530121
Tel: +65 9225 9418
(Closed on Wednesdays)
Mon to Sun: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Kovan