1. 58 Minced Meat Noodle

It is not easy to find decent food portions going at $2.50 nowadays, but cheap food at Taman Jurong Market and Hawker Centre are aplenty. Like this bowl of minced meat noodles, which had a queue even in between the breakfast and lunch hours.

Springy noodles, with a splash of vinegar and plenty of pork lard make this dish tasty. The chilli was the star for me though; it was not only savoury but fragrant, and went very well with the noodles.

2. Feng Zhen Lor Mee

The thought of slurping down this bowl of Lor Mee‚ ($3.00) makes my mouth water. Of course, the main character of this dish would be the gravy. Thick and smooth, the gravy coated the noodles well and had a pleasant, garlicky taste. The vinegar gave it a nice sourness to it. The great thing is that you get to adjust the dish to your own taste by scooping less or more of the garlic, vinegar or chilli provided at the counter.

3. Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa

Even the heat could not deter me from trying out this bowl of laksa. The gravy was just nice, not too thick and was very fragrant. The taste the coconut milk was very much present yet did not make me feel gelat. The chilli added a good amount of spice to it. Served with thick bee hoon, to which the gravy clung on nicely, this is quite the well-balanced bowl of laksa.

4. Lu Fang Zhou Pin

I have to hand it to the stall owners, who managed the queue by cooking so many pots of congee at the same time. But it is no wonder that people flock to the store for congee even in the appalling weather. I tried the Sliced Fish Congee ($3.50), which was very appetising and aromatic. Every spoon was delicious, and the fish slices were fresh and cooked perfectly.

5. Xing Yun Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice

This well-loved dish here features and oily rice, which was tasty and fragrant. The chicken was smooth and cooked quite well without any red and raw meat. Other than that, the queue at the stall speaks for itself.

6. He Jia Huan Ban Mien Mee Hoon Kway

It was mixed in a bit of the eggy broth the kway was cooked in, some dark sauce and chilli. The result was a slightly, watery gravy which kept the kway moist, and I really liked how the bits of egg were mixed into it.

7. Joo Siah Bak Koot Teh

The soup here is extremely peppery but very shiok. I would suggest first-timers to have a small sip of the soup to condition themselves so they do not end up getting a shock. So strong the soup is that it easily seeps into the meat, which is full of flavour. Also, the pork is surprisingly tender. Needless to say I sucked the bones clean.

8. Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak

Even people who live in the East or Central would have heard of this Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak. Open until 2am in the morning, this stall is quite a famous supper place. Good-sized portions and reasonable pricing, coupled with fragrant coconut rice, sweet chilli and crisp chicken wings ‚ all are clear reasons for their popularity.

9. Soon Huat Cooked Food

Sesame oil is one of my favourite condiments and if you are like me, you will love Soon Huat‚s Sesame Oil Chicken ($3.50 w/o rice). The dark gravy of the dish is savoury and fragrant, perfect for pairing with white rice. The chicken was extremely soft and fell apart easily when I prodded the meat with my chopsticks. This dish would make for great comfort food material, especially on a rainy day.

10. Nam Kee Fried Prawn Noodle

This Fried Prawn Mee ($4.00)‚ is the drier style, but wow the gravy packs a punch. It clings to the noodles very well and makes the dish nice and savoury. I was also pleasantly surprised by how fresh the prawns and squid rings were. My only woe is the small portion of chilli they gave. More of that tasty sambal please!

11. Yong Fa Hainanese Curry Rice and Curry Fish Head

Besides offering curry fish and curry fish head, you get to have a huge ladle of curry poured over your rice when you order their rice and sides (cai fan style). The curry is just thick enough, with a nice, spicy kick and something in the aroma I cannot quite name, but was very delicious indeed.

12. Fried Carrot Cake

This stall, very simply named, sells the old-school version of carrot cake, all chopped up. The carrot cake there has a nice bite to it, slightly crispy with bits of salted radish and omelette all mixed together. So popular is the carrot cake here that the stall is only open in the mornings.

13. Xin Sheng Gor Hiong Prawn Crackers

Popular as it is, the service from this stall is still efficient. So no worries about having to wait too long for some good food. The Ngoh Hiang is a signature, but besides that the prawn fritters are crispy and not overly oily. Dip them into the chilli sauce for an added buzz and eat it with a plate of their bee hoon for a complete meal.

14. Zai Shun Curry Fish Head

Zai Shun is a great place to go for this dish, as their fishes are extremely fresh. You can even pick the kind of fish you want. Beware though, if you plan to go during the weekend. Go early or risk a long wait!

15. Fei Fei Roasted Noodles

Try to avoid peak hours at this amazing Wanton mee ($3) in Jurong East, touted as one of the best in Singapore. The char siew and duck are charcoal roasted in store everyday, and have that taste of nostalgia you won‚t find anywhere else in Singapore.