Have Some Healthy Food in and Near Chinatown, Singapore

Foodies from all over the world come to Chinatown looking for a good meal, and with good reason. There are several places to find healthy food in Chinatown which allow you to enjoy the flavors of Hakka, Vietnamese, and other cuisines while losing weight sustainably. 

True to the district’s cultural and historical character, the following restaurants serve traditional recipes and ingredients with multiple health benefits. This makes it easier for you to eat healthily even during a busy working day.

Image Source: Ralff Nestor Nacor, Singapore Chinatown, August 2023, crop by anonymous, CC BY-SA 4.0

1. Hakka Fun HamCha & Yong Tou Fu

Image Source: Hakka Fun HamCha & Yong Tou Fu

Opened in 2018, this popular Chinatown Complex hawker stall serves authentic family recipes which were carefully preserved by Malaysian couple Alan Kok and Michelle Yee. Originating from the cuisine of the Hakka people in Taiwan, one of these family recipes is for the classic Yong Tau Fu which is served here in eight varieties.

Popular among customers following a personalized nutrition plan, these Yong Tau Fu varieties contain bean curd stuffed with garlic, green onions, fresh fish paste, minced pork, and fresh vegetables. Apart from the fish paste and pork which are marinated overnight, all the ingredients are freshly prepared every morning. Customers also have the option of eating Yong Tau Fu with soup or homemade chili sauce on the side.

Ideal for vegetarians, their Hakka Ham Cha Bowl contains no mushrooms or pork and uses brown or puffed white rice to allow the flavors to stand out. This is characteristic of Hakka cuisine which focuses on the original flavors of the ingredients instead of adding seasonings.

Their tea soup uses vegetarian ingredients and toppings except for the optional dried shrimp. Hakka Fun HamCha & Yong Tou Fu also serves ovo-vegetarian and lacto-vegetarian options.

2. Lei Cha Loves Bee Hoon

Image Source: Lei Cha Loves Bee Hoon

If you’re looking for lunch along South Bridge Road, look for the bright green sign of Lei Cha Loves Bee Hoon whose Thunder Tea Rice comes with multiple health benefits. The main ingredient of the tea soup itself, basil has many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants including beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

These antioxidants combat free radicals that cause cell damage and increase the risk of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Research also shows that basil may lower high blood sugar levels. Its high vitamin K content also contributes to healthy bones. 

Lei Cha Loves Bee Hoon’s Thunder Tea Rice likewise contains firm tofu, long beans, stir fried cabbage, toasted peanuts, and chye sim. It also has ikan bilis or anchovies, sweet chye poh or radish preserves, and mani cai or sweet leaf. 

Chye sim or cai xin is rich in potassium which is essential for muscle and nerve function, as well as fiber for a healthy digestive system and vitamins A and C for a healthy immune system. Studies show that sweet leaf is effective against anemia, diabetes, and obesity. 

Other entrees on the menu include fresh lemon fish, dried meat noodles, beef noodles with tomato, vegetarian rice noodles, and Yunnan traditional rice noodles. 

3. Zhen Wei Handmade Noodles Fish Soup

This handmade noodle stall at People’s Park Food Centre on New Market Road has served a wide variety of soup, rice dishes, and dumplings for more than 20 years. Handmade noodles are healthier than factory-made noodles because they are more likely to be made with natural instead of artificial ingredients and without preservatives or taste enhancers. 

Zhen Wei Handmade Noodles Fish Soup serves Ban Mian, U-Mian, Mee Hoon Kway, Century Egg Lean Meat Congee, Fish Congee, Seafood Congee, and the popular Heng Hua Lor Mee. Other soups include Red Wine Chicken Mee Sua, Hot & Spicy Noodle, Stewed Meat Noodle, and Fuzhou Fishball Soup.

Also on the menu is their Sliced Fish with Bitter GourdBittergourd Soup, with the bitter gourd contributing several health benefits. Bitter gourd or bitter melon is a good source of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins A and C. It also provides folate, iron, potassium, and zinc. Research also shows that bitter gourd can help you lower your blood sugar level.

Zhen Wei Handmade Noodles Fish Soup also offers their signature dry noodles as well as Saba Fish Rice and Fish Cutlet Rice. Made fresh every day without preservatives, their Chives/Pork and Celery cum Cabbage/Pork dumplings are cooked in noodle soup, steamed, or fried. 

4. Long Phung Vietnamese Cuisine

Image Source: Long Phung Vietnamese Cuisine

Having made a name for themselves since 2009 in Joo Chiat, Long Phung Vietnamese Cuisine started serving healthy food in Chinatown in early 2023. Opened by a Vietnamese immigrant, the restaurant’s mostly Vietnamese team makes sure each dish remains true to its original recipe and flavors.

The perennial customer favorite, phở, comes in several varieties including the special or Phở Đặc Biệt which includes brisket, egg, flank, meatballs, and tendon. Phở Gà has chicken, Phở Heo has pork, Phở Nam has beef slices, and Phở Tai has rare beef slices.

Phở is a good source of protein and its nutritional content from the vegetables and herbs in the broth may contribute to healthy joints and lessen inflammation. These vegetables and herbs include ginger, green onions, cilantro, chili peppers, and Thai basil.

The restaurant also serves Chạo Tôm or prawns and Bò Tái Chanh or underdone beef with lemon juice. Bò Kho Bánh Mì is beef stew served with French bread, Cánh Gà Chua Ngọt is sweet and sour chicken, and Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm is vermicelli with shrimp paste rice noodles. Gỏi Xoài is green mango salad, while Gỏi Cuốn is rolled salad with pork and shrimp.

5. Sousfully

Image Source: Sousfully

For a healthy build-your-own-bowl experience, Sousfully at the Hong Lim Complex on Upper Cross Street gives you a choice of bases, supplements, toppings, dressings, and one or two sources of protein. Bases include cold soba, romaine lettuce, and a mix of brown and red rice. 

Charred broccoli or corn, and roasted pumpkin, okra, or zucchini are among the range of supplements on offer, while furikake and a mix of “superseeds” are on the list of toppings. For dressings, you may choose gochujang vinaigrette, roasted sesame, or wafu yuzu among others. Protein options include curry rub chicken breast, turmeric dill sea bass, and baked cajun tofu.

If you’re in a hurry, you may pick up one of Sousfully’s signature grain bowls with ingredients that were carefully selected for their nutritional content and freshness. Their Morning Roost bowl, for instance, contains chicken breast, shredded cabbage, roasted pumpkin, edamame, garlic fine beans, and roasted chickpeas.

To round off your meal, their range of healthy beverages includes coconut water, soda with probiotics, orange pu-erh tea, and Kyoho Grape Oolong Tea. Oolong tea contains polyphenols that lessen insulin resistance as well as lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

6. Supergreen

Image Source: Supergreen

Like their outlet in Tanjong Pagar, Supergreen at the Cross Street Exchange offers freshly made salads such as its teriyaki chicken bowl with cherry tomatoes, oven-baked broccoli, cucumber, purple cabbage, and roasted sesame dressing. 

While it tastes almost like its green counterpart, purple cabbage has more plant compounds and antioxidants that contribute to heart, gut, and bone health, reduces inflammation, and lowers the risk of some cancers. It contains vitamins A, B6, C, and K as well as riboflavin, thiamine, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, phosphorus, and magnesium.  

Sesame seeds are rich in fiber which is good for the digestive system and may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes as well as obesity, heart disease, and some cancers. They likewise lower your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and may lower your blood pressure. These seeds are also a good source of plant-based protein, especially when hulled and roasted. 

Supergreen’s Veggie Bowl also contains purple cabbage as well as sesame tofu, cucumber, sweet corn, broccoli, and honey lime dressing. Their Vegan Bowl includes silken tofu, edamame, roasted potato and pumpkin, chickpea relish, and raisin & balsamic vinaigrette. They also serve their own bottled blends of ABC or apple, beetroot, and carrot juice and honey yuzu. 

7. Wrap Up

Image Source: Wrap Up

For Mediterranean healthy food in Chinatown, Wrap Up at Chinatown Point on New Bridge Road offers a range of wraps and fries. Customer favorites include the Grilled Chicken Wrap and Chicken Tikka, the latter being a popular hors d'oeuvre in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Wrap Up focuses on unique flavor combinations such as its Adobo Hot Mexican Chicken Wrap, Cheesy Chicken Wrap, Meatball Spicy Marinara, and Falafel Veg Delight Wrap. Loved by vegans and vegetarians, falafel is a Middle Eastern patty made out of chickpeas, dough, onions, herbs, and spices. Though it can be eaten on its own, it is often eaten with flatbread. 

Falafel has a high nutritional content which includes copper, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, thiamine, and zinc. It’s also especially rich in vitamin B6, with 100 grams of falafel providing 94% of the daily value. Chickpeas or fava beans, the main ingredient of falafel, may even help to control blood sugar levels and keep your digestive system healthy.

Other items on the menu include wraps with butter chicken, Korean spicy chicken, Beef Rendang, Peri Peri chicken, over roasted turkey ham, and chili paneer, as well as chili cheese and parmesan fries.

Eating healthy food in Chinatown is one way to address the nutrition component of a holistic approach to weight loss. Research shows that people who follow a healthy diet coupled with regular exercise are better able to shed kilos and maintain their desired weight. Discover how NOVI Optimum Plus combines digital coaching and support for diet and fitness with doctor consultations and GLP1-RA medication to help you lose weight sustainably.