10 best local breakfasts in Singapore

  If all-day breakfast is the new trend, then we are well ahead of our time. For generations, our favourite breakfast, such as roti prata, nasi lemak and carrot cake, have been enjoyed throughout the day. And if the modern cafes have artisanal bread, we have artisanal chwee kueh and chee cheong fun, all still freshly made to order. 

We love to start our days with our favourite local breakfasts, and soak in the stories of how our immigrant great grandparents (or great great grandparents) came to this land and created such diverse cuisine. Because of them, we are spoilt with eating choices. Here are ten of our most favourite local breakfast fare, including our recommendations on places to get them cheap and, most importantly, good.

 KAYA TOAST, SOFT-BOILED EGGS AND KOPI SET | This default set with a cup of kopi (hawker-style coffee), kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs is considered a national breakfast item. The kaya spread is so popular that outlets like Killiney Kopitiam and Ya Kun Kaya Toast are exporting it all over the world. We like Tong Ah Eating House, where they roast their own coffee beans and make their own kaya. The egg is poached in hot water so precisely that the egg white comes out velvety and egg yolk is creamy and runny. The toast (two pieces, $3.50), done French, crispy or steamed, is of good medium thickness and has perfect texture. The best part of this meal is still the kaya spread, it has strong egg-y flavour, not overly sweet and has rather rough custard like texture. When it's heated, the kaya blends with the slice of molten butter and becomes an instant bread pudding – Singapore style, of course.

  NASI LEMAK | It’s hard not to like nasi lemak. The rice is fluffy, has slight richness from being cooked with coconut milk, and is fragrant with ginger and lemongrass. At Yi Liu Xiang Nasi Lemak the fragrance of the spices and herbs are prevalent. The stir-fried sambal has enough kick to wake us up in the morning with its slightly sweet under-taste. The menu here is kept simple and small. For $2.50, you get rice, omelette and a choice of side – ikan kuning (yellow banded scat), fish cake or crisp imitation fish fillet. The fried fish tastes fresh and sweet with a little touch of turmeric. We also love the topping of fried white bait instead of the usual anchovies – it's cracker-crisp without any bitter aftertaste. You can also purchase a container of these crispy white bait for $5 each.

  
 PORRIDGE | There are several types of porridge that are popular in Singapore. The Cantonese version has very smooth and almost paste-like texture, and is usually served with your choice of protein and crispy you tiao (fried dough stick). There is also Taiwan porridge that comes with chunks of sweet potatoes. Then, there is our favourite Teochew style porridge at Teo Heng Porridge Stall. Their steamed fish (from $5) is always fresh, it's lightly flavoured from being poached in preserved vegetables. The natural sweetness of the fish stands out. Their stewed egg is prepared like the Japanese onsen eggs usually found as an accompaniment of ramen: it is firm on the outside and creamy in the centre. Other simple offerings like fish cakes, stewed pig innards and duck are prepared beautifully. The star, however, is the bowl of porridge, done al dente with every grain still intact, and the liquid, fragrant.

 ASSORTED BUNS | If you like having breads and pastries for breakfast, then steamed bun takes the cake. Bao (buns in Chinese dialect) are tasty and great to enjoy on-the-go. At Home-make Pau Specialist, these buns come in mini sizes, so you get to try more flavours. There are classic stuffings like barbecued pork ($0.60 each), lotus paste ($0.50 each) and red bean paste ($0.50 each). Coffee lovers will love their version of mini coffee buns ($0.50 each), lightly brown skin with lotus paste that has been spiked with coffee. The skin is soft and fluffy, the coffee lotus paste is not overly sweet and has robustness of roasted coffee beans. Try some of these buns with a cup of kopi o (coffee with suagr, no milk). They also offer siew mai ($0.50 each), lor mai kai (glutinous rice with chicken, $1.50) and fan choy (rice with meat and vegetables, $1.50).

CARROT CAKE | Carrot cake is a combination of two of our favourite breakfast items – omelette and radish ('white carrot’ in Mandarin) cake. At Bukit Timah Food Centre, there are a few different carrot cake stalls, but our favourite is from He Zhong Carrot Cake. Their white version ($2/$3/$5) has chunks of soft radish cake with just enough egg to hold them and form a firm outer layer, the generous amount of chai po (bits of pickled vegetables) adds subtle saltiness and crunchy texture to the cake. This family business started in the 1980s. Today you’ll spot the second and third generation changing shifts to man the stall. Don't be fooled by the young granddaughter, she's inherited the skill impressively.

APPAM | This Indian-Muslim delicacy is akin to pancake. The batter is fermented to give it the signature sourish taste, while the addition of coconut milk smoothens the texture and adds richness to it. It is getting harder to find good appam. Our favourite is the one from Heaven’s Indian Curry. The plain appam (two pieces for $2) comes with fresh grated coconut and coconut sugar. The coconut, done three different ways, gives a great combination of flavours and textures: the edges are thin and crisp and the bottom is soft and fluffy. To elevate that, add egg for savouriness or cheddar cheese for a hint of saltiness ($1.80 each). Appam is sweet, salty, sour, savoury, fluffy, crispy, creamy and crunchy all at once.

 CHEE CHEONG FUN | Chee cheong fun (glutinous rice roll) is another popular dim sum item, either served street style with hoisin sauce or upgraded with protein stuffings. The latter is usually found in restaurants, so imagine our joy when we found a stall that still made this delicacy a la minute. At Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun, the Lee sisters have been mastering the craft for over three decades. The rice roll is made with rice flour and water, poured on a square sheet of cloth and steamed for less than a minute. The result is silky, soft and thin rice roll that is so delicate, it melts in your mouth. Choose from the variety of stuffings (char siew, prawns, mushrooms and chicken, $1 per roll, minimum order of $2), enjoy it with the sweet soya sauce and chilli.

 ROTI PRATA | If you think all roti pratas taste suspiciously similar, it’s because the dough has been mass produced to cater to different outlets. However, at Mr and Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Prata the dough is still made in-house, and Mr Mohgan still flips and pan-fries each prata himself, hence the rather short opening hours. The prata is made to order, so the outer layer is crisp upon serving and the inside is soft and fluffy. Go for the plain prata ($0.90 each), it comes with dhal curry that is thick, a lot spicier than it looks and has nice gritty texture to compliment the prata. For $3, get a side of their mutton curry, done well with fork-tender meat that is cooked thoroughly but still pink in colour, the spices mask the gamey flavour, but in a good way. If Mohgan's opening hours don't work for you, check out the winner of Best Roti Prata in the HungryGoWhere Awards 2015, The Prata Place.

CHWEE KUEH | Chwee Kueh is traditionally made with stone-milled rice, though these days they are mostly substituted with rice flour and are made in factories. The family that runs Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh have been keeping the tradition since the 1950s. Their tiny stall is packed with thousands of aluminium moulds waiting to be poured over with the rice mixture. Their cake is firm, soft and has a stickiness characteristic of rice. The simple but good topping with chai po (pickled vegetables), garlic and pork lard. Their version is saltier than their peers, but gives a pleasant sweet aftertaste. The husband and wife who run this stall are both in their 60s, but they still insist on preparing every ingredient from scratch. They do allow themselves to close earlier once in a while when they feel physically tired.

 ECONOMICAL BEE HOON | The economical bee hoon is another breakfast item that is so simple, yet it is getting harder to find. There are very few stalls that proudly specialise in this dish, and Holland V Fried Beehoon is one of them. Their bee hoon ($1) is not the charred and full of wok hei type, but rather light and flavourful with infused stock. We love the addition of crunchy bean sprouts and dry shrimp chilli on side for extra kick. For an average of $2, you get two other sides, from a fried egg and ngoh hiang (deep-fried meat rolled up in beancurd skin) to luncheon meat and stir-fry cabbage. Our favourite side is their chicken chop coated in bread crumbs, flavourful and crisp without being too oily. If you like your noodles softer, ask for a combination of fried bee hoon and egg noodles or kway tiao (flat rice noodle).