Being stuck in Singapore due to the pandemic makes exploring our home island, or domestic travel, a thing. Other than staycation, we can also go on foodcation: exploring food at heartlands like how we’d explore food in hippy neighbourhoods of Bangkok and Taipei.
Since Sengkang MP a.k.a. Mr Cockles made it sound like Sengkang has lots to offer, here’s a list of goodies to try out in Sengkang East, especially for those of you living on the other side of the island!
Food Park #182A @ Rivervale Crescent
This is a kopitiam tucked literally in a corner of Sengkang. It didn’t help that it was dark at all times of the day. It was no wonder only residents living around the area would frequent this place.
There were less than 10 stalls and 4 of them had long queues – the Nasi Padang, Chup Chye Png, Chicken Rice and Zi Char. Seats were limited too, so a lot of people chose to take away their food.
I had Hokkien Mee and Chicken Fried Rice from the Zi Char stall (the queue moved faster than the Nasi Padang’s).
The Hokkien Mee was surprisingly tasty and was reaaaal filling. The Chicken Fried Rice also came with generous portion of chicken chunks and the wok hey was legit. Both dishes were really worth returning for!
I also ordered Rojak (Chinese style) from a sub-stall beside the drinks stall. The owner was a bit eccentric, but the you tiao came light and crispy, coated with a thick layer of savoury black prawn sauce.
One day, if I have the time, I would try the Nasi Padang to see why it attracted long queues all the time.
However, the cleanliness at the coffeeshop was borderline pass. There was no cleaner when I visited, so the people just piled the empty plates at a table.
Getting there: 182A Rivervale Crescent, #01-01, Singapore 541182
Foodfare @ Hougang Capeview
This is a kopitiam in a shopping strip built into a new estate. However, it was not short of big names like Tenderfresh, Ding Ji and Kimly Seafood.
Tenderfresh was a crowd favourite and their signature Chicken Cutlet did not disappoint. The chicken was coated with a layer of savoury bread crumbs that gave it a good crunch outside of the tender chicken. Their fries, though, were too dry. Dab the chicken cutlet into the mustard and the experience was slightly different. I liked my cutlet both with and without the mustard!
If you prefer something less heaty, the signature noodles from Ding Ji would warm your cockles. To be honest, I’m not sure if Ding Ji’s noodles were Bak Chor Mee or Fishball Noodles.
Their signature was something like what our mothers would cook – noodles with soup, thrown in with whatever comfort food (think wantons, dumplings, fishball etc.) at hand. One thing was sure, the soup was rich and fragrant. It wasn’t the kind whereby the chef just boiled water with salt and MSG and called it “soup”.
I also tried Uncle Penyet’s Ayam Panggang (Indonesian Grilled Chicken with Sweet Black Sauce). The chicken was a hit and miss – well grilled, but some parts were too dry. However, it was the kecap that was shiok. It was a throwback to my days at NUS engineering canteen. The ayam penyet chilli was the kind that chilli chasers would kneel down for. Not me, though. The chilli was so hot it gave me hiccups…
There were a few stalls in Sengkang selling Ngor Hiang, but the one in Cape View was the best so far. There was just 1 reason: their Water Chestnut Cake was the legit one – orange, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Yep, it was such a low key item in a Ngor Hiang stall, many stalls nowadays either don’t carry it, or used a cheaper, less flavourful one. For people like me who hunts down Ngor Hiang stalls for Water Chestnut Cakes, this is a rare find in this part of Singapore!
Ironically, their namesake Ngor Hiang (Pork Roll in Beancurd Skin) was not appetising. Instead, their Heh Chor (Prawn Ngor Hiang, for lack of a better translation) took the crown. Do check with the owner that you took the right one, because they both looked similar! For me, after it was deep fried, the one that was lighter in colour would be the Heh Chor.
The best thing about Capeview is that there are shops like NTUC around it, so you can settle grocery shopping with a meal. It is also beside the Serangoon River (extension of the Punggol Waterway), making it a great place to have a meal then take a stroll along the park connector.
Getting there: Blk 476D Upper Serangoon View, #02-05, 537476
P12 Coffee Shop at Ranggung
One fine day, I saw one of my friends post about prawn noodles on his Facebook. It gave me the cravings and I started looking for a place in Sengkang that sold decent prawn noodles. That was how I ended up finding this small coffeeshop nestled deep in the HDB flats.
And Big Prawn Noodles I ordered, indeed. The most satisfying part of the noodles was the broth. It was freaking thick and umami. If you mix the soup with the fried shallots, it will hit every G spot on the palate, from taste to texture. The prawns, though, were a bit underwhelming. They weren’t very fresh (I expected very fresh, since prawns were the soul of this dish) and there were only 2.5 prawns.
The stall’s name was literally Big Prawn Noodles. It had other variations on the menu, but if you’re there for the first time, then the original Big Prawn Noodles is a must-try.
If given another chance, I would visit it in the morning, so that I could taste for myself if the prawns would be fresher.
Getting there: 205D Compassvale Ln, Singapore 544205
Kopitiam City @ Buangkok MRT Station
If you’re new to Sengkang, then Kopitiam City would be a convenient place to start. It’s located just beside Buangkok MRT station and very hard to miss.
The Char Kway Teow and Chye Tow Kway (White) from Bedok 85 were much better than the outlet found in Rivervale Plaza. The Chye Tow Kway especially was pan seared to a perfect mix of burnt crisp and soft tenderness.
The Char Kway Teow also met expectations with its wok hey. However, the cockles’ fragrance wasn’t infused into the noodles – perhaps because the chef didn’t give them enough time to simmer.
Another franchise here was Koo Kee Yong Tau Foo. It was the non-buffet style Yong Tau Foo, but it was satisfying nonetheless. Each piece of beancurd was stuffed with well marinated meat that evened out the “earthy” taste of the soybeans. The soup was also brewed to bring out the goodness of the soybeans, so be sure to finish it!
Their Economic Bee Hoon stall also sold a variety of food, with the Satay being the most popular. But I wasn’tinterested to wait 15 minutes for the satays. Instead, the Economic Bee Hoon, Singaporeans’ favourite for being fast and cheap, was reasonably good. For those who liked spicy food, do check out their Otak Otak!
The greatest “landmine” would be the Western Food. I had ordered their Chicken Chop expecting the humongous portion as the name and picture suggested. Reality, as it turned out, was an anti-climax. Taste wise, it was good. Just not worth the money.
Despite its good food, the Kopitiam City is a public hygiene disaster. Usually, the tables that were not cleared when I started my meal were in the same state when I finished. For the tables that were cleared, the cleaners did not do a thorough job and left food scraps which attracted birds. Even worse, trays at the stalls, which were supposed to be cleaned, were oily and sticky. In fact, almost half of the photos found on Google Maps of Kopitiam City were highlighting how dirty this place was.
Therefore, I usually dabao from Kopitiam City nowadays.
Getting there: Blk 275D, Compassvale Link, #01-01, 544275
That Coffee Place
Situated at the junction of Punggol Road and Rivervale Drive, That Coffee Place was converted from what used to be the multi-purpose hall of a cluster of flats. Even then, it was itself a weird set up. It was a restaurant that functioned like a coffeeshop with multiple “stalls”; yet it was air conditioned, so it was like a food court; but when I sat myself down, I was given a menu and my food was brought to my table by servers.
That being said, the place served food that, at its worst, was passable. Their food from the Zi Char stall was consistently good – rich with flavour and wok hey.
As a comparison, the Chicken Fried Rice I ordered at That Coffee Place was also fried to embody the treasured charred taste. The downside was that it wasn’t as generous in its chicken chunks as the one found in Food Park at Rivervale Crescent. At $5.80 for its “Small” serving, I also found it to be rather pricey.
However, judging from its bustling takeaway and delivery counter, its food quality was definitely well loved by Sengkang folks.
Getting there: Blk, 297C Compassvale St, #01-01, 543297
Parting Words
Hawker centres, though earning Singapore an UNESCO accolade, are not the only place to find good food. In fact, our neighbourhood kopitiams often has gems hidden within.
Ok, I’m not talking about Michelin-star gems, but food good enough to brighten our mundane WFH lives without burning a hole in our wallets.
Whether you’re looking for everyday meals, or as part of your SingapoRediscover adventure, I hope this roundup of good eats in Sengkang’s east is a useful guide.
If you enjoyed my entry, please Like and Share my article! Subscribe to my blog for more foodporn in the future! If you can’t wait, you can also read about my food review of TungLok Teahouse in Square 2 that served droolsome dimsum on a budget, or find out about the Akimitsu chain that serves Tendons that are equally comforting across its outlets!
Till then, eat happy!
All the photos and videos in this blog post were taken on my Google Pixel 4a; I edit my photos, where necessary, to provide a better viewing experience for my readers.