SINGAPORE — Chef Austen Ong’s day job may be the F&B Director of Seafood International Market & Restaurant, but as the guest judge on MediaCorp Channel 5’s Wok Stars, he gets to demonstrate how his favourite dish (and bestseller at Seafood International), braised vermicelli with golden broth, is done.

Chef Ong likes his regular meals to be soup-based or served with piping hot gravy. Just where does he get these? “I only go to certain places to eat. I usually eat at places I’m comfortable with, or stalls that are fitting to my taste,” he said.

> Breakfast:

“For breakfast, I usually go to 237 Jalan Kayu for Thasevi Food’s roti prata, and I’ll order a bowl of curry chicken on the side (total price: S$7). The curry is not so heavy (local Chinese curry is heavier with garlic, lemon grass and more) and there’s a Northern Indian kind of aroma. Sometimes I also go to my sister’s stall, Faith, at Serangoon North Avenue 1 for her economy fried noodles (price: Around S$4). Other stalls put too much water, making the noodles soggy, but theirs is different. You can usually tell the skill of how you cook when you fry the noodles.”

> Lunch:

“I like the lor mee at the hawker centre at 51 Old Airport Road (Tiong Bahru Lor Mee, price: S$3, S$4 or S$5). I have tasted a lot of other lor mee in Singapore, but I still like theirs the best. With lor mee, it’s all about the gravy — you can smell those spices like cinnamon, soya sauce and all that. The gravy should not be diluted until the very last bite. With some, the gravy becomes watery at the end.”

> Dinner:

“For dinner, I like to eat at the Soon Soon Teochew Porridge stall at 13 Simon Road. Their dishes are very home-style and they serve Chinese traditional dishes. I especially love the economy rice stall’s chai buay (salted vegetables) — they fry it with garlic and chilli padi instead of braising it, making it sour, sweet and spicy. They cook it in their own style and it makes for a very good blend of flavours. They also have dishes like pork chop, braised duck, bean sprouts and bean curd which I like as well.” KIMBERLY FONG

Catch Wok Stars on Wednesdays, 8pm on MediaCorp Channel 5.