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Eat your way round the Circle Line
June 13, 2009
ALL THIS FOR $34: The engineers who worked on the Circle Line stretch from Marymount to Bartley for the past six years meet up for a reunion at Hwa Eng Teochew Porridge at Sin Ming Road. TNP PICTURE: NG TZE YONG
The bored and car-less now have new places to explore, thanks to the recent opening of the Circle Line.
The line's first five stations - Marymount, Bishan, Lorong Chuan, Serangoon and Bartley - opened two weeks ago, with the remaining 24 stations set to open from next year onwards.
But what's in the wilderness that is Bartley? What's there to do at Marymount?
The Circle Line engineers tell NG TZE YONG, for starters, what there is to eat.
They're not food critics, they say. Justmakan kakis. But after working on the line for the past six years, they reckon they may have also unearthed a few gems.
Marymount
Sin Ming Roti Prata
Jin Fa Kopitiam
Block 24 Sin Ming Road
Open: 6am - 6pm
'At many places, the hawkers put a lot of oil to cook the roti prata faster,' said MrLee Seng Eng.
'Here, they take their time, so the roti prata is less oily, crispier and fluffier.'
Hwa Eng Teochew Porridge
Wah Yen Kopitiam
Block 23 Sin Ming Road
Open: 11am - 3pm
The lunchtime crowd here is made up of taxi-drivers and mechanics from the nearby workshops, who come for this kopitiam's cheap and good fare.
'Teochew porridge places are usually very expensive, but this one isn't,' said MrTan Beng Him.
'Three people, two servings of porridge each, eat until you explode - it's still below $10,' said Mr Ben Tan.
Toast bread at Wah Yen Kopitiam
Block 23 Sin Ming Road
Open: 6.45am - 12am
You can ask for white bread or french toast. Both are toasted over charcoal the traditional way and spread with kaya that isn't too sweet.
'My neighbours come here all the way from Bukit Timah every Sunday morning,' said Mr Lee Seng Eng.
Rong Chang Bak Kut Teh
Eng Ho Hup Kopitiam
Block 22 Sin Ming Road
Open: 7am - 4pm
The peppery soup comes with free top-up and big chunky ribs.
'Over here, they give you a whole shank, not little pieces like at other places,' said Mr Lee Seng Eng.
'It's so big you have to eat it with your hands... you have no choice,' said Mr Ben Tan.
Chocolat N'Spice
Shunfu Market
Blk 320 Shunfu Road, #02-12
Open: 8.30pm - 2.30pm
(Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Crazy enough to sell muffins from a hawker stall, the owners of Chocolat N' Spice now see a long queue every lunchtime, with waiting times of up to half an hour.
The muffins are soft, fluffy, not too sweet, and reasonably priced.
'People grab the muffins the moment they come out of the oven,' said Mr Ben Tan.
Ms Joan Lim swears by the chocolate chip and cheese flavours, as well as the brownies.
'The best part is: free parking during lunchtime.' added Mr Tan.
Boon's Pisang Goreng
Longhouse Food Junction,
183 Upper Thomson Road
Open: 12pm - 8.30pm
A canopy of bananas hangs overhead at this Chinese stall known for its sweet and crispy pisang goreng.
'In some places, the batter stiffens if the pisang (banana) is left for a while,' said Mr Ben Tan. 'But the batter here is very fine andporous.'
Soon Kee Duck Rice/Porridge
Longhouse Food Junction,
183 Upper Thomson Road
Open: 11am - 10pm
The duck meat comes with yam rice, peanuts and braised egg.
The sauce has just the right amount of thickness and sweetness.
'The chilli sauce is also special, very different from others I've tried,' said MrTan Beng Him.
Bugis Street Chuen Chuen
Chicken Rice
Longhouse Food Junction,
183 Upper Thomson Road
Open: 9am - 11pm
'The chicken is tender and juicy, and their chilli sauce is hot and sour,' said MrTan Beng Him.
The stall is also known for its Thai-style chicken feet, which comes with onions and scallion.
Bishan
Fu Xiang Curry Chicken
Broadway Food Court
(above Bishan Bus Interchange)
Open: 10am - 10pm
You can choose french toast or rice to go with its huge drumsticks.
'The curry is rich, not diluted,' said MsJoan Lim.
Liang Kee Homemade Noodle
(Ban Mian)
Broadway Food Court
(above Bishan Bus Interchange)
Open: 11am - 9pm
This stall used to be located at Sim Lim Square.
'The gravy is tasty and the ban mian comes with a lot of ingredients,' said MsJoan Lim.
Ming Kee Chicken Rice and Porridge
(Bugis Street)
Kim San Leng Kopitiam
Block 511 Bishan Street 13
Open: 10am - 9.30pm
The chicken is dunked in ice-cold water after cutting, then served with piping hot rice and accompanied with a homemade chilli sauce that is flavourful and not too spicy.
'The cold water makes the meat more tender,' said Mr Lee Seng Eng.
Be prepared to wait half an hour ormore.
Lorong Chuan & Serangoon
Jin Xing Hong Kong Roasted Meat
Kopitiam at Blk 214 Serangoon Ave 4,
opposite Serangoon Stadium
Open: 8.30am - 7.30pm
The duck meat is thick with no fat, and the skin is crispy.
'It has a nice, sweet, 'chao ta' (burnt) taste,' said Ms Joan Lim.
'This stall has reached the same standard as the famous Tiong Bahru roasted duck and cha siew,' said Mr Tan Beng Him.
Suriya Curry House
536A Upper Serangoon Road
Open: 24 hours
'We come here specially for the briyani,' said Mr Fong. 'It is soft and fragrant and there is always a wide variety of dishes to go along with it.'
Bartley
Tai Seng Turtle Soup
331 Upper Paya Lebar Road
Open: 10.30am - 9pm
'The soup base is very refreshing and rejuvenating,' said Mr Fong Hock Mun. 'If you throw in a couple more dollars, they will put in more herbs for you.'
Geylang Prawn Noodle
325 Upper Paya Lebar Road
Open: 8.30am - 8.30pm (Mon - Sat)
8am - 5pm (Sun)
A branch of the famous stall at Geylang, it serves its fare in a simple and clean setting, with a stack of paper boxes for the shells, folded Grandmother-style, on every table.
'The soup is different from other stalls I've visited,' said Mr Fong. 'It is especially flavourful and sweet.'
Eat your way round the Circle Line
June 13, 2009
ALL THIS FOR $34: The engineers who worked on the Circle Line stretch from Marymount to Bartley for the past six years meet up for a reunion at Hwa Eng Teochew Porridge at Sin Ming Road. TNP PICTURE: NG TZE YONG
The bored and car-less now have new places to explore, thanks to the recent opening of the Circle Line.
The line's first five stations - Marymount, Bishan, Lorong Chuan, Serangoon and Bartley - opened two weeks ago, with the remaining 24 stations set to open from next year onwards.
But what's in the wilderness that is Bartley? What's there to do at Marymount?
The Circle Line engineers tell NG TZE YONG, for starters, what there is to eat.
They're not food critics, they say. Justmakan kakis. But after working on the line for the past six years, they reckon they may have also unearthed a few gems.
Marymount
Sin Ming Roti Prata
Jin Fa Kopitiam
Block 24 Sin Ming Road
Open: 6am - 6pm
'At many places, the hawkers put a lot of oil to cook the roti prata faster,' said MrLee Seng Eng.
'Here, they take their time, so the roti prata is less oily, crispier and fluffier.'
Hwa Eng Teochew Porridge
Wah Yen Kopitiam
Block 23 Sin Ming Road
Open: 11am - 3pm
The lunchtime crowd here is made up of taxi-drivers and mechanics from the nearby workshops, who come for this kopitiam's cheap and good fare.
'Teochew porridge places are usually very expensive, but this one isn't,' said MrTan Beng Him.
'Three people, two servings of porridge each, eat until you explode - it's still below $10,' said Mr Ben Tan.
Toast bread at Wah Yen Kopitiam
Block 23 Sin Ming Road
Open: 6.45am - 12am
You can ask for white bread or french toast. Both are toasted over charcoal the traditional way and spread with kaya that isn't too sweet.
'My neighbours come here all the way from Bukit Timah every Sunday morning,' said Mr Lee Seng Eng.
Rong Chang Bak Kut Teh
Eng Ho Hup Kopitiam
Block 22 Sin Ming Road
Open: 7am - 4pm
The peppery soup comes with free top-up and big chunky ribs.
'Over here, they give you a whole shank, not little pieces like at other places,' said Mr Lee Seng Eng.
'It's so big you have to eat it with your hands... you have no choice,' said Mr Ben Tan.
Chocolat N'Spice
Shunfu Market
Blk 320 Shunfu Road, #02-12
Open: 8.30pm - 2.30pm
(Closed on Sundays and Mondays)
Crazy enough to sell muffins from a hawker stall, the owners of Chocolat N' Spice now see a long queue every lunchtime, with waiting times of up to half an hour.
The muffins are soft, fluffy, not too sweet, and reasonably priced.
'People grab the muffins the moment they come out of the oven,' said Mr Ben Tan.
Ms Joan Lim swears by the chocolate chip and cheese flavours, as well as the brownies.
'The best part is: free parking during lunchtime.' added Mr Tan.
Boon's Pisang Goreng
Longhouse Food Junction,
183 Upper Thomson Road
Open: 12pm - 8.30pm
A canopy of bananas hangs overhead at this Chinese stall known for its sweet and crispy pisang goreng.
'In some places, the batter stiffens if the pisang (banana) is left for a while,' said Mr Ben Tan. 'But the batter here is very fine andporous.'
Soon Kee Duck Rice/Porridge
Longhouse Food Junction,
183 Upper Thomson Road
Open: 11am - 10pm
The duck meat comes with yam rice, peanuts and braised egg.
The sauce has just the right amount of thickness and sweetness.
'The chilli sauce is also special, very different from others I've tried,' said MrTan Beng Him.
Bugis Street Chuen Chuen
Chicken Rice
Longhouse Food Junction,
183 Upper Thomson Road
Open: 9am - 11pm
'The chicken is tender and juicy, and their chilli sauce is hot and sour,' said MrTan Beng Him.
The stall is also known for its Thai-style chicken feet, which comes with onions and scallion.
Bishan
Fu Xiang Curry Chicken
Broadway Food Court
(above Bishan Bus Interchange)
Open: 10am - 10pm
You can choose french toast or rice to go with its huge drumsticks.
'The curry is rich, not diluted,' said MsJoan Lim.
Liang Kee Homemade Noodle
(Ban Mian)
Broadway Food Court
(above Bishan Bus Interchange)
Open: 11am - 9pm
This stall used to be located at Sim Lim Square.
'The gravy is tasty and the ban mian comes with a lot of ingredients,' said MsJoan Lim.
Ming Kee Chicken Rice and Porridge
(Bugis Street)
Kim San Leng Kopitiam
Block 511 Bishan Street 13
Open: 10am - 9.30pm
The chicken is dunked in ice-cold water after cutting, then served with piping hot rice and accompanied with a homemade chilli sauce that is flavourful and not too spicy.
'The cold water makes the meat more tender,' said Mr Lee Seng Eng.
Be prepared to wait half an hour ormore.
Lorong Chuan & Serangoon
Jin Xing Hong Kong Roasted Meat
Kopitiam at Blk 214 Serangoon Ave 4,
opposite Serangoon Stadium
Open: 8.30am - 7.30pm
The duck meat is thick with no fat, and the skin is crispy.
'It has a nice, sweet, 'chao ta' (burnt) taste,' said Ms Joan Lim.
'This stall has reached the same standard as the famous Tiong Bahru roasted duck and cha siew,' said Mr Tan Beng Him.
Suriya Curry House
536A Upper Serangoon Road
Open: 24 hours
'We come here specially for the briyani,' said Mr Fong. 'It is soft and fragrant and there is always a wide variety of dishes to go along with it.'
Bartley
Tai Seng Turtle Soup
331 Upper Paya Lebar Road
Open: 10.30am - 9pm
'The soup base is very refreshing and rejuvenating,' said Mr Fong Hock Mun. 'If you throw in a couple more dollars, they will put in more herbs for you.'
Geylang Prawn Noodle
325 Upper Paya Lebar Road
Open: 8.30am - 8.30pm (Mon - Sat)
8am - 5pm (Sun)
A branch of the famous stall at Geylang, it serves its fare in a simple and clean setting, with a stack of paper boxes for the shells, folded Grandmother-style, on every table.
'The soup is different from other stalls I've visited,' said Mr Fong. 'It is especially flavourful and sweet.'
