5 dishes you need to try at the World Street Food Congress

It's billed to be so fiery it's 'not for the faint-hearted', so of course we had to take that challenge. We loved the grilled chicken wing for its crispy blistered skin and the meaty beef sate – both are seasoned just-so with the aromatics – but the real fire lies in the accompanying sharp and pungent sambal. If you're a seasoned ayam penyet eater, the heat would be pretty manageable on the palate, but tread slowly and cautiously anyway when smearing the sauce on your meats. The blanched veggies on the side also come in pretty handing in dousing the flame.

If Philippines-born Chef Paul Qui looks familiar, well, that's because he bagged Top Chef in season nine for his street food chops. East Side King is the only food truck at the Jamboree, and you wouldn't miss standing in the queues that snake around the benches for his Asian-inspired morsels. Chicken inasal is a typical Filipino poultry dish that's marinated with lime, pepper and vinegar before it gets scorched on the grill, and Qui's version comes served on a soft taco with crunchy fried chicken skin.

Here’s a piece of advice: go early. There's nothing quite like roasted suckling pig to whet Singaporeans' appetite, so it's little wonder that this dish sells out quickly. Heck, even Anthony Bourdain proclaimed lechon as the 'best pig ever' on his show, No Reservations. This version by Pepita's Kitchen is stuffed with truffle rice and Chinese mushrooms, and each piggy is slow-roasted for about four hours to achieve that prized crackle over tender shreds of meat. If there's one stall that's worth queuing in the merciless sun for, it's this.

Of course, Singapore's favourite street food capital is on the list too. Hoy Tord Chao Lay is back by popular demand for its smoky, crisp-edged omelettes that are sold with plump oysters (hoy tord) or with generous chunks of prawns and squid (talay tord). Niphon, the man behind the stove, has been featured on countless TV shows and magazines, but he remains dedicated to his craft. Even with him relentlessly frying up multiple batches of omelettes simultaneously, the queue hardly ever subsides.

Open field next to Bugis Junction, along Tan Quee Lan St (wsfcongress.com). Bugis MRT. Wed & Thu 5-10.30pm; Fri 4-11pm; Sat 1-11pm; Sun 1-10.30pm. Free admission.