Food prices may be going up, but it?s still possible to get a good meal without burning a hole in your pocket

5 Best

1. THAI NOODLE HOUSE

5 Coronation Road, 01-03 Coronation Arcade, Tel: 6467-0104
Open: 11.30am to 9.30pm daily except Mondays

Jostle with students from nearby Hwa Chong Institution at this friendly little eatery run by Madam Achara Siripong, 51.

She lavishes lots of tender loving care on her Thai beef noodle soup ($7), a bowl brimming with oomph.

A deep, nuanced stock, silky rice noodles and generous amounts of beef brisket and beef balls all combine to make a very satisfying meal.

2. THE SWEET STONE PARAD'ICE

 01-67/01-76 Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Roa
Open: 11.30am to 9.30pm daily
except Mondays and Wednesdays, when the stall closes at 6pm

In the middle of this bustling, hot and stuffy hawker centre is one very sweet spot. The Sweet Stone Parad'Ice, opened by Belgian Sebastien Lhode, 27, and Singaporean James Lee, 32, serves "ang mo desserts".

Order up the Royal set for two ($14.80), which comes with two scoops of gelato, a claypot of rich, dark chocolate and yummy stuff to dip into the chocolate.

There are pieces of Liege waffles - round, a little dense and with a crisp sugar coating - and an array of fruit, including strawberries, bananas and grapes.

Just the thing after a spicy bowl of laksa.

3. TEO HENG PORRIDGE STALL

Block 531A Upper Cross Street, 01-125 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre
Open: 8am to 1.30pm, closed Saturdays and Sundays

Who would have thought fish poached in a huge boiling pot of kiam chye (salted mustard greens) could reel you in and make you come back again and again?

The secret of the star fish dish ($5 and up) at this stall?

Just fresh fish and salted vegetables soaked in water so that it retains some, but not too much, of its saltiness. Rest assured, there's no fishy business here.

4. HON NI KITCHEN

Block 216 Bedok North Street1, 01-76
Open: 7.30am to 1.30pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays

It is possible to eat nasi lemak every day and not tire of it if you are talking about the coconut rice at Hon Ni Kitchen.

Very little coconut milk and oil are used and virtually everything is cooked from scratch - including the silky-smooth chicken (yes, chicken) otah and yummy chilli that goes with it.

For $2, you can choose any three ingredients to go with the rice, including the heavenly fried long beans, chicken otah and brinjal skilfully fried with haebi (dried shrimp).

5. LUCKY PRATA

01-42/43/44 Lucky Plaza Tel: 6235-5223
Open: 8am to 9pm

Lucky Prata in Lucky Plaza? It's the customers who are lucky because this is a rare find in Orchard Road.
Imagine, you can get a delicious chicken briyani set for just $5.50 in an air-conditioned restaurant. At 8am, if that's when you want it.

The pratas here are a little doughy but you cannot go wrong with the chicken briyani, with its fragrant almond-studded rice and tender, spicy chicken.

3 Worst

1. DEER IN HEADLIGHTS SYNDROME

So you read a review and head out to try the food, only to find the stallholder wringing his hands at the hordes that have descended.

Waiting time goes up and tempers are frayed all around.

Tip for food sellers: If a newspaper is going to write about you, rope in all the extra hands you can find. You have one shot at winning over customers, so use it wisely.

2. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING PORTION

Yes, food prices are going up, but stop trying to fool us with smaller portions. We know all the tricks - thinner slices of luncheon meat, smaller fish, shrinking otah and less chicken.
It's a sly way of increasing prices. Why not just be upfront?

3. IT JUST DOESN'T TASTE THE SAME

Nothing is worse than raving about a dish, then returning some months later to find that standards have dropped.

Some places cut corners to deal with increased business, others do so because they get complacent. All are short sighted because when quality drops, customers vanish.