Fast food outlets aside, restaurants serving affordable lunch in the area around the International Plaza are hard to find. But, if you’re willing to put in a bit of effort – and leg work – there are a couple of places where you can actually have a full lunch for $10 or even less.

Elusive as they are, we’ve managed to track these places down to help you cut costs while in Singapore.

1.    Soup Living

Location: 7 Wallich Street Tanjong Pagar Centre B2-22

If you’re craving for some soup and want to eat it on the go, Soup Living is the place to be.

You can choose from six types of soups, including The Golden Pump, which only costs $6. For $2.50 more, you can also add a bowl of fluffy Japanese rice or Brown Rice that’s been topped with two pieces of handmade siew mai or furikake and a drink.

That’s a full meal for less than $10 and the best part is that the slow-fire soup they serve in Soup Living is made from premium Chinese herbs without MSG or chicken stock cubes.

2.    Moi Lum

So long as you’re willing to put in the leg work, Moi Lum, located at 38 Maxwell Road, Airview Building, which is a bit over half-a-kilometer away from the International Plaza, is a great place to get some value nourishment.

Every day from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, Moi Lum offers a variety of lunch choices like their Signature Value Set Lunch, for just $7.90, or their Traditional Cantonese Set Lunch, for just $8.90.

Both come with a main course, as well as your choice of bowl of double-boiled soup or drink.

All in all, expect to spend just a little over $10 for a complete meal including drinks.

3.    Guzman Y Gomez

Located at the Tanjong Pagar Centre, the Guzman Y Gomez Mexican restaurant is famed for its generous portions and ridiculously low price.

The absolute cream of the crop on the menu is the ‘Mini B’ burrito, which costs only $7.90, but is packed full of rice, soft black beans, salsa, melted Jack cheese, and any one of mild, spicy grilled chicken, steak fish, or roasted pork. They also have a burrito for vegetarians which comes with sautéed onions, mushroom, and guacamole.

For $1.50 more, you can add guacamole ($1.00) and brown rice ($0.50) to your burrito for an even fuller meal.

4.    A Noodle Story

If you’re willing to put up with long queues, A Noodle Story at the Maxwell Road in Singapore is a Michelin Guide restaurant boasts a ‘Singapore-style’ ramen that looks like it’s being magically created for your taste buds to enjoy and indulge.

For between $7 to $9, you can treat yourself to a full meal filled with braised char siew, Hong Kong-style wontons, spring onion, and more. You can also add extra side dishes for a little over $1 and up to $4 for an even bigger meal to make the long wait even more worth it.

As you can see, it is possible to live in the International Plaza without having to burn a hole in your wallet every month in food expenses alone.