Checking out the convenience stores in other cities is something that I would definitely do when travelling. It’s just interesting to know and see what range of food offerings each city has because it’s always different in every place.
Convenience stores around the world
America – Fancy some late night snacking on hotdogs, burgers and nachos?
Hong Kong – Dim sum kingdom!
Japan – Who can resist Japanese sandwiches, bentos, onigiri and confections?
South Korea – Instant noodles rule!
Taiwan – Tea eggs and roasted sweet potatoes would satisfy any peckish moment.
And the list goes on.
I used to think Singapore’s convenience stores were boring. Overpriced. Small portions. Nothing interesting. I would only get something from there if I had no other choice. However, in recent years, I could see not just a wider assortment of instant meals, beverages and snacks but there had been a quality makeover too in terms of taste and packaging.
Singapore’s 7-Eleven Hawker Fiesta | Ready-To-Eat Hawker Meals
7-Eleven Singapore has launched a new Hawker Fiesta series of ready-to-eat meals consisting of local favourites like bak chor mee, laksa, ban mian and more.
Let’s check out some of these items.
7-SELECT Satay Chicken Burger ($3.50)
Sauce is redolent of satay spices. Pretty tasty. It comes with a piece of real chicken meat, not some processed patty. Meat is tender and moist. However, the size is quite small – only fills up half of the bun’s surface. After heating up in the microwave, the buns still maintain their fluffiness. Not bad at all!
THE TRAVELLING SPOON X CHEW KEE Braised Soy Sauce Chicken with Hor Fun ($5.80)
I like that the noodles and braising sauce are separated. The noodles are quite springy in texture. Ingredients wise, there are 2 quail eggs, 1 piece of chicken meat, 2 pieces of tau kwa and a very small portion of chilli sauce. Braising sauce is flavoursome and not too salty. Everything is nicely braised – the flavour really penetrates the ingredients. Overall, not bad too but I wish they have a rice version instead of noodles.
THE TRAVELLING SPOON X QIU LIAN Minced Chicken Dry Ban Mee ($5.80)
Ingredients and noodles are also separated in this. There are ikan bilis, meatball, fishcake, mushroom and minced chicken in it. Mix everything up before digging in. It’s vinegary with a slight spicy kick. Noodles are a tad chewy. Overall, its flavour is more like dry bak chor mee (with vinegar). I still prefer Qiu Lian’s fresh soup ban mee, lol.
TASTEASIA Ghim Moh Lao Chao Zhou Satay Bee Hoon ($5.00)
Smells good – just like the fresh version. Ample sauce for the portion. There are kangkong, tau pok, cuttlefish and chicken breast in this. Sauce is very creamy but doesn’t have enough satay spices flavour. Also, there’s too much pepper in this. That peppery flavour overpowers the satay taste.
TASTEASIA Famous Eunos Minced Chicken Noodle Soup ($4.30)
Looks dry at first but becomes soupy after microwaving. There are minced chicken, chicken skin and wantons. The wanton skin is too thick and there isn’t much filling. Soup is very flavoursome though. I normally don’t go for soupy bak chor mee as the noodles will get soggy over time. Same for this – have to eat immediately once heated up.
TASTEASIA Terry Katong Laksa ($4.30)
This is my favourite of all as the laksa gravy is rich and robust-tasting. Strong coconut milk taste. Fragrant spices. There are fishcake, tau pok and hard-boiled egg in this. A little on the salty side but still shiok to eat. Delicious!
Final thoughts
All in all, I thought these hawker-themed ready-to-eat meals were actually not bad. Might not be spectacular in terms of taste and appearance but if you have a sudden craving for hawker food, say in the middle of the night when everything else is not open, just go to your nearest 7-Eleven store.?