Food Economics: Char Kway Teow better than Zion Road Version

With costs escalating through the years and into the future, hawker food culture will be an essential part of our food economics to balance out our finances. I guess many will agree with me that it is more economical to buy out in a food stall than cook in if it is just for yourself or a couple. 

There will be a compromise in terms of a healthy diet as take-away from food stalls are usually more greasy and laden with msg. Nonetheless, we could choose healthier options and make it part of our overall budget to make FIRE viable.

So it leads to this post that will come under my food economics series, where I try to highlight good foods at a reasonable cost which is similar to growth at a reasonable price in stocks analysis.

During New Year day, I went to try the Zion Road Char Kway Teow based on the Instagram post by Lady Iron Chef and many have also deemed it as one of the best. 

I just find it too greasy and overhyped- it was not the first time I have tried it but taken in by the marketing hype and long queues yet again.

I am not sure if many would know it, at just a stone throw from the Zion Road food centre, there is a Havelock Food Centre that has lots of hidden gems tucked away in an old estate with nice greenery en route to it.

So this Char Kway Teow stall, Meng Kee Fried Char Kway Teow, I find it personally much better than the Zion Road version. It is less greasy and overall scores higher in my humble opinion. I leave the in-depth review to the expert which is Daniel from Daniel Food Diary. Here is his review. If you want the healthiest version of Char Kway Teow, head out to golden mile food centre where it comes in with lots of greens.

There are also some notable stalls which I will recommend as I have tried them personally. We have the white bee hoon stall, the turtle and frog-leg soup stall- highly recommended, Nasi Lemak stall- the drumstick is to die for,  Kway Chap stall and Tan's Tutu. 

I find the laksa stall to be overhyped. The chicken rice stall is previously from Margaret Drive.  Lastly, the fish soup stall at the tail end always have a good queue but I have not tried it before.

Hope everyone will enjoy your food hunt at Havelock Food Centre. Most stalls are open till 2 pm so try to check it out during your lunch hour.