I'll be honest, "hawker" and "omakase" are not two words I expected to see in the same sentence, let alone on the same table. But that's exactly what Maybank Singapore, Makansutra and KF Seetoh have put together with The Hawkers Omakase and I got invited to a media preview of the 7-course omakase experience at Makansutra Gluttons Bay at Esplanade with food from Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee.

No menu, no ordering, just sit down and trust the chef

The whole point of an omakase is that you give up control, and that's a strange thing to do at a hawker stall of all places. There's no laminated menu to point at. You sit, you settle in, and Chef Chan Chong You, better known as Ah Yau, decides what lands on your table.

What made the night, though, wasn't just the food. It was that KF Seetoh himself was there to host, walking us through why each dish was on the table and how it got there. If you've followed hawker food in Singapore for any amount of time, you'll know Seetoh isn't just narrating for the sake of it — the man has spent decades in the trenches championing hawkers, and it shows in how he talks about them. He wasn't reciting a scrip, he was telling stories and how the dishes were invented by hawkers who are chefs in every right who wished to serve up dishes that are not popular stall items. Hearing that context before the first dish even arrived changed how I ate everything after.

That's the real perk of this experience for me — it's not just paying for food, it's paying for the story behind the food, told by someone who genuinely cares about keeping it alive.

The dishes

Ah Yau clearly wasn't interested in giving us the greatest hits. Over the course of the sitting, we worked through 7 innovative courses that tasted familiar but given an expert twist that elevated it.

We started with the light and innovative Kangkong Tempura to whet our appetites for more. I appreciated the way the courses intensify as it went on from light to heavy so our tastebuds have time to get accustomed to the flavours. This was super light and addictive and easy to eat. The skill of the chef to not overfry the delicate veggy and keep it crispy says it all.

Next was the Tofu Lapis, which had 3 layers of tofu (spinach, charcoal, normal) that's more technique than it lets on, comforting without being boring. 

You can see all 3 layers here!

Next was Seetoh's personal favourite. He even cut it up for us and folded it before we tucked in. The Golden Crust Seafood Beehoon saw beehoon pan-fried until the base goes properly crisp with fresh seafood piled generously. It was drizzled with a savoury starchy gravy right before it was cut up for sharing so the beehoon stays crispy in some bits, reminiscent of the charred bits of rice at the bottom of the claypot!

Then the Stir-Fried Oysters were served. By the way, some dishes are individually served. So each diner has 2 rich and juicy oysters that was flash fried quickly and drenched in soy sauce. This again showed the skill of the chef in ensuring that the oyster is not overcooked or rubbery but it had a slight crispy edge to it. Pretty amazing.

Our 2nd last dish was the Fried Marble Goby, which had to be fried curved against the wok to get that curved shape. I love the crispy skin on the fish with that sweet sticky salty glaze, and the freshness of the fish inside made the contrast even higher.

The penultimate dish was my personal favourite that night - the Prawn Tempura Rojak. The rojak sauce was drenched over the tempura prawns and the bits of fried youtiao added a satisfying crunch, along with the freshness of the green mango and pineapple. This was so innovative and creative because who would have though to add protein to rojak?? Apparently the chef tried a chicken version of this and got inspired to try to create his own.

The last dish was one of the best of the night - the Dry Curry Pork Ribs. The curry paste clung on to the ribs like a girlfriend on her boyfriend, so the spice actually hits. There's also the little chilli padi for an extra kick, but the fragrant curry really worked with those pork ribs. Luckily we were already quite full or I would think this would work so well with white rice!

None of these are things you'd usually get to try in one sitting, at one stall, in this kind of sequence. That's the value of letting the chef curate an "omakase", because you get the range of what he can do and not just what sells fastest at the counter.

Why this matters beyond just "a nice meal"

What Seetoh kept coming back to, and what I kept thinking about after, is that hawker food in Singapore is genuinely at risk in small, unglamorous ways — rising costs, rental pressure, and the next generation not always wanting to take it on. Giving chefs like Ah Yau a platform to be creative, rather than just efficient, is one way of keeping that culture from flattening into "cheap and fast" and nothing else. Maybank framing this under their "Served Your Way" idea actually works well here — it's the same logic as personalised banking, applied to a personalised, curated meal. Every dish selected with intention, not just convenience.

If you want to try it

This is exclusive to Maybank customers, and bookings are limited — it's a small, intimate seating (4 to 5 guests and up per session), not a mass-market pop-up, so you'll want to lock in a slot early rather than leave it to the last minute.

Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee
Makansutra Gluttons Bay, 8 Raffles Ave, #01-15 Esplanade Mall, Singapore 039802
Duration: 17 August – 31 October 2026 (5:30pm–11pm daily)
Cost: $40/pax, min. 6 pax, price subject to GST
Payment: Maybank Cards or Scan & Pay via the Maybank2u SG app
Booking: Via this exclusive link. Advance booking required, minimum 3 days ahead.

If you're a Maybank customer and you've never sat down for an actual hawker omakase, this is genuinely worth carving out an evening for. Bring people who'll actually listen to Seetoh's stories — it adds more to the meal than you'd expect.

I showed this photo to my parents, who still remembered him fondly as he "consulted" them in their leicha business last time!

Thanks to Maybank for organising/hosting, JC for the invite and Seetoh for hosting!

I have always wanted to try Jungle, a modern Thai grill and bar at Ann Siang Hill, but did not have the chance until two weeks ago on a Friday night. The place was moderately full with large groups but the bar counters were available so me and my friend had front row seats to all the action.