Old Budget Hotel

This stall has been around for almost 40 years. Kuey Teow is made to order, topped with shrimps, blood clams, pork sausage and bean sprouts, boasting lovely wok hei. For added punch, opt for duck egg and extra chilli sauce.

This famous laksa shop serves lai fun noodles in a sardine broth with exceptional depth and flavours alongside an array of condiments. For those with bigger appetites, order char koay teow with duck egg to go with the laksa.

For over 30 years, the regulars have been returning for its Hokkien prawn mee, loh mee, or a mix of both. The red prawn soup made with pork bones and prawn shells boasts deep umami. Twelve additional toppings are also available.

This casual, relaxing place sports an open kitchen, a long counter table and floor-to-ceiling windows. At dinner, it serves a small à la carte menu of modern dishes made with local ingredients, melding Peranakan and Malaysian cuisines. The signature aged duck breast in a steamed bun appeals to the palate with its crispy skin and a secret sauce. Homemade gelato sees some interesting local twists, with flavours like nutmeg harumanis; and hor ka sai.

The kitchen is helmed by a lady in her 70s, who has been cooking for decades. The menu boasts some 40 à la carte items, covering the greatest hits of traditional Peranakan cuisine. One of the culinary highlights is bouncy asam prawn drizzled in a dark brown sauce loaded with tamarind sweet and sour notes. Mang kuang char, or sautéed shredded yam bean with dried squid and mushrooms, is sweet in taste and crisp in texture.

White curry mee is served in a coconut milk-based broth with a bowl of curry paste on the side so that you can adjust the heat to your liking. The curry paste is available for sale by the bottle; it takes two hours to hand-stir the spices with dried shrimps and chillies. Optionally, pair your mee with deboned steamed chicken, spiced loh bak or Teochew guang jiang. The clear broth noodle soup with chicken meatballs is also worth trying.

Memorabilia in show windows and a 60s soundtrack exude the charm of a bygone era. Chef Gaik Lean has been guarding her secret recipes for decades and she makes no compromises in terms of food quality. Many items are made from scratch, including her heavenly pie tee and gulai tumis that uses over eight ingredients in the curry paste, such as fresh saffron. Also try nasi ulam, an old-time recipe.