Hajmeer Kwaja Muslim Food

Started more than 35 years ago right in Maxwell Food Centre (then called Maxwell Road Hawker Centre), Hajmeer Kwaja Muslim Food dutifully dishes out stacks (yes!) after stacks of roti prata even before first light comes, as the early birds of office workers queue up to fuel up for the day ahead.

Likewise, nothing much really beats a fluffy double-egg prata in the morning, with some tangy curry at the side, and a cup of teh tarik to wash it down after. Mr Kumar, the owner affectionately known just as ‘uncle’ by just about everyone, remembers his regulars so well that all it takes is just a mutual nod to get the order taken! After ~~pledging my first child~~ patronising them for close to 5 years now, sometimes ‘uncle’ does the flipping and folding personally just for me, something pretty rare as his head cook does most of the work *Aww*

Apart from roti prata, they also sell some really good bryani (not pictured) in the afternoon, but for them it also means that they stop the roti prata orders until late night so that they are not overwhelmed by demand.

Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”2.5″]
It’s a hawker stall in a popular food centre; so the vibe isn’t that strong of what you will expect.

Price: [star rating=”5″]
With my double egg prata at $2 being near the top of the prices, it’s sure affordable!

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
I can attest that although there’s no prominent blog review (I tried) to recommend this, it’s definitely a delightful experience (come on, it’s prata leh) even if you don’t eat the roti prata here.

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
Bored of your tasteless sandwiches from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, or just done with clubbing nearby at Neil Road? Come get your prata fix right in the heart of the CBD!

More Information

Hajmeer Kwaja Muslim Food (Halal)
1 Kadayanallur Street
#01-103 Maxwell Food Centre
Singapore 069184
Opens 24/7, but roti prata is not available in the later morning till night.
p.s. It’s the corner-most stall nearest to the zebra crossing along the street

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Cooking is about passion, so it may look slightly temperamental in a way that it’s too assertive to the naked eye

– Gordon Ramsay

Roti John is a peculiar dish. A product of the diasporic nature of early Singapore, nobody really knows its true origin. Except that it is a MacGyver-esque concoction in the 1960s, where an anonymous Malay hawker was asked by yet another anonymous Caucasian for a hamburger. Given the obvious lack of hamburgers, the hawker slathered a mixture of minced mutton, onions, and fried while coated with scrambled eggs (Source).

There are many places with long and famous history of selling Roti John, but today brings me to somewhere close in my childhood: Haig Road.

Rosy & Nora

Named after the two eponymous stallholders, this stall has been up and running for at least 35 years. Even ‘Kak’ (Sister) Rosy, who usually runs the show herself nowadays, cannot put an exact date to their long-running enterprise! Situated in Haig Road Market & Food Centre, most first-timers can easily miss their bright orange signboard in the glittering array of tasty Malay and Indian Muslim cuisine.

The Roti John

Roti John is usually made with a local variant of the French baguette that is shorter and supposedly softer in texture. I’ve been to quite a few Roti John stalls (including those that you find at the Pasar Malam here in Singapore), and always felt that their bread is still quite tough and chewy, perhaps due to overcooking as well.

However Rosy & Nora’s take on the iconic dish has always made me feel at home, as it is very much fluffier and has a generous layer of scrambled eggs and onions. Coupled with their secret chilli gravy dip, it’s a good balance of sweetness, acidity and savouriness coming from the spiced minced mutton and egg spread.

Rosy & Nora don’t just sell Roti John of course. Drop by during dinner and you will see unwavering lines of people coming in waves ordering the popiah (spring rolls;), burgers, and ball kentang (potato) served with soup as well. At just tree-fiddy ($3.50) per half-loaf of delicious bread, you can hardly get better value elsewhere. The Popiahs come in two options: Goreng (deep-fried) or Basah (“wet”, otherwise just the usual spring roll we know)

One more to note: although various other food guides state their opening hours as 2pm-10pm, it often sells-out as early as 7:30pm!

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4″]
It’s a hawker stall, come on! However, it is very popular among the regulars and during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, be prepared for Mcdonald’s-hello-kitty-toys magnitude of queuing nearing dinner time!

Price: [star rating=”5″]
At tree-fiddy, it’s hard to beat.

Quality: [star rating=”3.5″]
Some may discount the quality for the lack of intense mutton flavour compared to other popular Roti John stalls, but the combination of the chilli dip with the generous egg and onion spread more than makes up for it!

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
Come and try it one day!

p.s. More Haig Road hole in the wall reviews coming up!