Five must-try food places in Katong

This summer I went back to Singapore and stayed in a quaint little neighbourhood called Katong. I love staying here, because the area is well-known for the abundance of food choices. Here are five food locations you must try out on your next visit to Singapore!

Roland Restaurant

Located behind the Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre, this restaurant is known as the creator of Singapore’s most famous seafood dish: chili crab. Tucked away in an unassuming HDB* building, Roland restaurant is very popular among the locals.

The sauce of their chili crab is different than the version I had at Jumbo Seafood restaurant. It’s more tangy, it has stronger flavours of tomatoes and it’s slightly sweeter. I liked it! The crab meat was juicy, sweet and worked so well with the sauce. It was literally finger-licking good!

Other dishes I tried at Roland’s were the kailan in garlic sauce and the deep-fried baby squid. The perfect side dishes to the chili crab!

Roland Restaurant
📍89 Marine Parade Central, #06-750
Singapore 440089

Kok Kee Wonton Noodles

With several outlets dotted across the island, Kok Kee Wonton Noodles has made a name for themselves serving the traditional style of wonton noodles.

I visited their outlet in Katong, which is a very comfortable little restaurant located across the I12 shopping mall. The flavours of the wonton noodles reminded me of the version I had when I was growing up in Singapore back in the 70s and 80s. The noodles were super springy and “QQ” as the locals would call it (al dente in Italian cuisine). And the char siu meat was nicely flavoured, soft in texture and the wontons perfectly seasoned.

I liked everything on my plate! And because they had it on their menu, I ordered the Chinese fritters mix as a side dish too, which included my favourite: ngoh hiang - a Hokkien and Teochew dish which is pork meat wrapped in beancurd skin. I highly recommend a visit!

Kok Kee Wonton Noodles
📍119 East Coast Road
Singapore 428806

Katong Mei Wei Chicken Rice

I waited an hour for a plate of chicken rice and didn’t regret it! Famous Katong Mei Wei Chicken Rice didn’t let me down when my number was finally displayed on their waitlist screen.

There were about 40-50 orders infront of mine at the time of ordering one plate of chicken rice. But when my number was called out, I did a happy dance in my head and started munching on the attractive-looking plate of grilled chicken.

Juicy, deliciously grilled chicken, served with rice which had been cooked in chicken broth and a side dish of pickled veggies. My food day couldn’t have gone better. It was a Saturday afternoon and around lunch time, the mini food court was packed with people waiting for their chicken rice order.

So my tip for visiting Mei Wei Chicken Rice: come on a week day, come early and be prepared to wait before you can start eating your chicken rice meal!

Katong Mei Wei Chicken Rice
📍865 Mountbatten Rd,
Located in Katong Gourmet Centre level B1, Katong Shopping Centre

328 Katong Laksa

If you haven’t already tried a bowl of laksa, you are missing out! How to describe it….laksa is a hearty bowl of noodles which tells you everything you need to know about Singapore, in a few slurps! It’s coconutty, it’s seafoody, it’s spicy, it’s delicious!

Now, there are many versions of laksa served across South East Asia, but I have to say, the Singapore version is the one closest to my heart and the place to go to eat laksa is at 328 Katong Laksa!

This chopstick-free dish is served in a bowl and if you’re adventurous, try it with a side of otak-otak, a spicy fish cake. I am literally salivating as I’m writing this….laksa is a must-try dish!

328 Katong Laksa
📍51 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428770

Mr. & Mrs. Mohgan Super Crispy Roti Prata

With its Indian origins, roti prata is a popular breakfast dish served across South East Asia. This delicious flat bread is served with a bowl of curry and can be made with eggs, eggs and onion or “kosong” which means plain - without anything in it. These days, you’ll find all kinds of roti prata, filled with banana, cheese, Nutella and even durian! My personal favourite is a prata with eggs, because that’s what my dad used to buy for me when I was a kid.

Mr. & Mrs. Mohgan’s roti prata food stall is located in an area called Joo Chiat, which neighbours Katong. Set up in a cosy “kopi tiam”**, this food stall is known amongst the locals for serving one of the best roti pratas around.

I ordered my favourite, a roti prata with egg and an additional order of coin pratas. These are smaller sized roti pratas, coated with sugar – perfect for a dessert!

The roti prata was delicious. Slightly crunchy on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. The curry sauces that I could choose from were mutton or fish – I chose the fish because I’m not too keen on mutton, and it was yum. Slightly tangy and not too much of a ‘fishy’ flavour, I could taste the fresh vegetables and herbs that were used to make the curry sauce coming through strongly.

Perfect for a breakfast, after a morning stroll through the colourful Joo Chiat neighbourhood!

Mr & Mrs Mohgan Super Crispy Roti Prata
📍300 Joo Chiat Rd, Tin Yeang Restaurant
Singapore 427551

Katong has lots and lots more food to offer. But these five are my favourite food stops everytime I visit Katong and a great introduction to get to know the food in this colourful neighbourhood.

Glossary

*HDB – Housing & Development Board. The Housing & Development Board is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development responsible for the public housing in Singapore.

** Kopi Tiam – local coffee house