Soon Heng Rojak

warning: if you are allergic to peanuts, stay away!
warning: if you are trying to cut out sugar as per what ritual suggests, stay away!
warning: if you do not have at least 30 mins to spare, standing in queue, stay away!
hidden beneath toa payoh bus terminal is gourmet paradise .
hidden away from SG’s trademark humidity and home of soon heng.
at the bottom of a short escalator ride, you will be met by THE queue.
the perpetual queue that has discouraged many a weak.
but if you are not weak, you will be rewarded.
yes, rojak is like a salad.
the only difference is, rojak is not healthy!
if you see the amount of sugar that goes into making this salad you will understand how it can never be healthy!
even when i asked for no sugar, the end product was still really sweet!
the uncle seems to do a better job mixing and tossing than the aunty, not that it is something you have control over.
but yes, there is an art to it and all the ingredients need to be skillfully combined in the right proportion and each individual entity needs to be well coated with that artisan shrimp paste mix.
and like any good salad bar, you can actually customize what goes into your rojak.
some may not like jicama, i personally prefer no tau pok in mine.
you can also add more of something you like (more crispy you tiao, anyone!?) mostly at a $ 1 supplement, be it a choice of pungent century egg or even cholestrorific cuttlefish.
do note that the cuttlefish here is not the dried sheet version but the fresh brown ones ala cuttlefish kangkong.
but the icing on the cake here has to be the abundant coating of roasted rough chopped peanuts that envelopes everything like sand on a beach.
and finally, enjoy your eclectic mix thus created.

The queue is amazingly long every time I’m here. I came at 830 on a weekday evening and the queue this time was just made up of three people. I was swiftly able to get my hands on the famous rojak.
At 4 bucks, I got a large serving of cucumber, benkoang, juicy pineapple, tau gay, puffy taupok and crispy you tiau doused with a delicious sticky sweet sauce and celebrated with nuts all round. It is a sumptuous side to my main and also a little too much for two, hence I overate.

Great value for $ 3. Lots of cuttlefish, crispy dough fritter and a generous serving of nuts! A very Shiok snack. To enjoy in the comfort of the air conditioned basement food court of HDB hub :) my parents eat this basically on a daily basis since their office is close by. But it’s def something that I too could munch on daily as a snack!!! :) the sauce is sweet and savory! :)

don’t be intimidated by the queue,
it is definitely worth the wait.
sauce is thick; thickest i’ve ever had in my life.
generous serving of cuttlefish, peanuts and fresh fruit.
(no, im not exaggerating.)
this is probably one of the last places where you can get a bang for your buck,
2,50 SGD yields a decent portion, tell me if you can find another stall that serves the same amount or more for the same price– it’s rare.
my advice?
go for the 4sgd size. extra chilli.
you wont regret it.

This is gooooood!
It’s rather on the sweet and wet side, and really worked to taste oh so yummy! The auntie preparing the Rojak seemed to just throw everything into the mixing bowl, but you’ll be amazed how she got all the proportions right. I love how the cuttlefish compliment this Rojak. No wonder there’s one plate of Rojak on almost every other table, and the long queue at the store during lunch time.
Will Rojak be the next Singaporean dish that Gordon Ramsay will challenge? ;)